As the year comes to a close, it’s worth reflecting on just how much the VHA has accomplished over the past twelve months. It was a year of challenges and significant accomplishments and, due to your ongoing support, 2025 was a year for which we all should be proud.
January: Just before Xmas 2024, we discovered that the traction motor on 6539 had to be replaced. We couldn’t get the job done before the holidays but managed to secure a traction motor combo. By the middle of January, the work was complete and the unit passed its CN inspection. We also produced a rather aggressive project planning document for EDMUNDSTON and resumed work on the car.
February: FP9ARM no. 6539 was wrapped and ready for its journey to join the fleet at VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Centre (TMC). Work parties continued on EDMUNDSTON. We had the UMLER tags and other assorted parts ordered for the Uxbridge cars and continued our assessment of what would need to be done once the snow melted.
March: By March, FP9ARM no. 6539 left Salford en route for the TMC. Unfortunately, the trip took a little longer than anticipated due to a snow storm that tied the unit up in Mac Yard for several weeks, but it made it to its destination.
April: We started getting ready in earnest for the annual TRACCS convention by preparing our exhibit as it was expected that members of the VIA Executive would be in attendance. Our Uxbridge cars (2514 and 9636) were also a going concern and we began traveling to town to service the trucks and planning out our work parties for a truck swap in May.
May: TRACCS was a tremendous success as VIA President Mario Péloquin sought us out at the convention. It marked the second time since the November 2024 Parliamentary Reception in Ottawa that the VIA President saw us in action. Our big work week in Uxbridge took place at the end of the month and we succeeded in preparing the cars for the truck swap. Alas, despite meticulous planning, the truck swap itself was delayed a further two weeks.
June: The truck swap for the Uxbridge cars was completed and was well documented and photographed. Our first edition of Panorama for 2025 that we’d been preparing since March was released in time for VIA’s 40th Anniversary Celebration of the TMC. At this event, we also unveiled our Heritage Train. VIA president Mario Péloquin and all the staff in attendance were immensely impressed with our locomotive and trainset.
July: Work on the Uxbridge cars continued apace and we were invited to attend and present an exhibit at the celebration in Halifax for the 120th anniversary of the Ocean – yet another event where the VIA president and executive saw us at work. It was hugely successful.
August: Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Chris Fox and Brian Craus – and all the volunteers who came to help – the Uxbridge cars were ready for departure by 31 August. The next edition of Panorama was also underway.
September: With the help of Accurate Railroad Construction, we cleared the line from Uxbridge to Lincolnville and were ready to depart on 12 September. Although we had negotiated with Metrolinx and the Township to get underway by this date, circumstances beyond our control delayed us being able to leave town on time.
October: Because of the delay, we had to negotiate extensively with multiple stakeholders including CN, Metrolinx, and the Township of Uxbridge. Thankfully, everything came together by month’s end and our equipment was inspected and passed with flying colours. Meanwhile, the VHA had a booth at the RealRails Conference in Burlington, ON.
November: Our Café-Bar-Lounge and Baggage Car left Uxbridge, arriving safely in Salford just as the snow began to fly. Later that month, and building on our growing partnership with VIA, we were invited to Vancouver to attend the celebration for the 70th anniversary of the Canadian, which was a tremendous success. With the sponsorship of VIA Rail Canada, we were able to put on a Christmas-themed exhibit. We also published our second edition of Panorama for 2025 in time for this event. The Vancouver celebration was the fifth time in twelve months that Mr. Péloquin, the VIA executive, and the Board of Directors encountered us. As a result, we received a shout out in Mr. Péloquin’s speech to the media.
December: The third book under the VHA banner was published (the first being Kevin Holland’s People Moving People and the second being Volume 1 of The Cars of VIA by Richard Longpré) just in time for Christmas: The Cars of VIA Volume 2.
While tough at times, it ended up being a perfectly cromulent year for the VHA as we accomplished a great deal. Together, we’ve built a lot of momentum that will continue into 2026, which is good because there are significant challenges ahead. With your continued support, we’ll move the yardstick forward in 2026 in preparation for the VIA Rail 50th Anniversary Train in a little more than two years’ time.
We’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and all the best for 2026.
Best regards,
Christopher Greenlaw, Executive Director, VIA Historical Association
