A First Wonderful Look - Siemens SC-44 Trainset on VIA 668 in London, Ontario on April 14, 2022

DiamondMaster2.0
DiamondMaster2.0
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Published 2022-04-16
Oh, this was worth waiting for! This was Southern Ontario's first look at a brand new Siemens Charger and the SC-44 locomotive and trainset on a test run on the Dundas and Windsor Subdivisions. The train ran from Toronto to Windsor the previous day; but its arrival in London was well past sunset. With the new livery, this would have just been a grey shadow on video. Much better to catch the return run in daylight.

The trainset made it back to London in the very early hours of Thursday morning and was due to make a run up the Guelph Subdivision through Stratford, Kitchener and Brampton. The run was supposed to begin at about 7:30 AM. I was trackside nice and early, managing to get a few photos of the now leading cab car sitting at the eastern end of Platform 2 in the station. And then I waited... And waited... And waited...

The good news is that four VIA and four CN freights passed by me in the meantime, so there was so much to see until the big event. Delays. And this was the reason I was here on this cold, windy (and at times rainy) Thursday morning. This wasn't a regular run and had to be slotted in between trains on the schedule for that day. Eventually 7:30 turned into 11:00 and VIA 668 departed London.

Cab car VIA #2300 led the train, which featured four full passenger coaches and VIA #2201 - the brand new Siemens Charger. I was impressed. The sleek lines and new livery matched each other impeccably. I'm impressed with this new trainset. I can't wait for more chances to see this train.

VIA 668:
- VIA #2300 Cab Car leading
- VIA #2201 - Siemens Charger - SC-44

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All Comments (21)
  • @DiamondMaster20
    A big thanks to Daniel Richardson for his three photos of VIA 668 at the end of the video! The were taken at the London VIA Station (with VIA 84 parked on track 1 - the very locomotive set that these chargers are designed to replace) and at Maitland Street in London.
  • @AmieFajardoNZ
    Wow that’s absolutely awesome. Great catch my friend. Have a wonderful weekend.
  • @FrogandFlangeVideo
    Hi Andrew; Wow, you caught it !! Bravo for your persistence. And what a beautiful train set this is. I really love the colour scheme. I think what amazed me most was just how whisper quiet the locomotive was. Amazing !! James.
  • @railfanpolska
    Excellent footage πŸ’ͺ Cheers from Poland πŸ‡΅πŸ‡±πŸ–οΈπŸ™‚
  • @em.trains
    Wow, amazing catch! πŸ‘ Best regards and Happy Easter!
  • @yorkregionalrailz1899
    Amazing, Awesome and Great Catch! Also nice shots! I can’t wait too catch this train myself.
  • @gvbalajee
    Wonderful Siemens SC-44 Trainset on VIA 668 in London
  • @myrailfanchannel
    Very nice catch guys. I can't wait to see them either, I think, in early 2023.
  • @henrylewis1256
    DiamondMaster2.0 Hello Andrew and Martin it's been long time My friends What a nice Absolutely Amazing brand new Siemens Charger SC-44 Bio Diesel With the Via Color Scheme And passenger cars They sure do look Sharp Wow.Just The ones Bright line has, but a different Colored Wrap... I am In Aww over your very first fleet which I'm sure there will be more to come.I apologize for not making any comments on your video's for quite awhile Hope You and your Dad are doing good Stay Safe πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘
  • @RedShedNick
    Absolutely awesome that, especially with flange squeel Andrew! Magnificent looking, it reminds me a bit of our X country voyagers or Meridians. A smashing livery, loved it! And absolutely delighted you caught it! Enjoyed and have a great Easter Break, regards to Martin too, take care, cheers Nick.