Covers on VIA 911

I just came across a photo of VIA P42 #911, with covers over the blue and yellow electric and drive connection receptacles on the front of the locomotive. Check it out:

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=301004&nseq=6

Look right below the ditch lights.

So, can anyone explain....

-is this the only P42 with these covers?
-how long have they been there?
-are they experimental, temporary, or to be applied on all of the P42s?
-Why were they added?

Thanks again everyone.

Checking it out at rrpictures. All seem to be without receptacle covers, including 911.

The photo I linked to is from October 18 of this year (2009), so quite recent, and is the newest shot of 911 on Railroadpictures.net.

The photo electricron linked into this thread is listed as having been taken in 2001. If you follow the link I posted, you will see that it is indeed much more recent (as is evident from the 3rd headlight, and the date). However, on rrpictures, I did find one picture of 911 taken sometime in 2009 (the date says December 31st, which is of course, at this time, not yet possible...). If you look closely at the photo, you can see that 911 has the extra headlight, AND, if you look really close, you can tell it DOES have the receptacle covers.

Check it out....
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictur ... 040136.jpg

It's hard to see, but with a careful eye, you can notice that the blue and yellow receptacles are not visible, and the yellow stripe on the front is continuous.

Still, I don't know about any other P42s. I have yet to see it elsewhere, and it is clearly a very recent addition to 911. But who knows....maybe it will go like the extra headlight on 904 did, and end up on all of them.

I notice those covers,probably to protect the wirering system


It's the only one like that,I get pic from every P42 and that's the only one with those covers...

Thanks for that shot Montrealrail! Very nice

I noticed this recently myself, usually Via puts out some sort of bulletin when they make modifications for engineers to be aware however I have seen nothing so far. The only thing I can think of is the small doors are there for protecting the Blue communication and Yellow MU receptacles from damage. I have often seen these receptacles damaged due to crossing incidents or hitting debris (trees or crap placed on the track) so these will definitely help in preventing damage. They are secured with a little black piece of rubber that when stretched secures over a latch. When in the open position they are secured in a similar fashion.

Also note that the HEP receptacle has been removed from one side, if you look at the photo on the left side just above the snow plow there is no longer a red HEP receptacle there (on the body and the return receptacle near the plow). Again these can become damaged and cost a lot to fix. These front end receptacles are seldom used, sometimes during a rescue of another train HEP may be applied out the front however it's rare. Ground HEP or shore power can still be used through the other receptacle, or a single HEP trainline could be run in a rescue situation.

I don't know if the special doors for the blue and yellow receptacles will be applied to the entire fleet but it wouldn't surprise me if they are. I have seen several P42's with the changes to the HEP receptacle however and that seems to be the norm as the units front ends are worked on that mod is also done.

Thanks Terry, that was very helpful!

I had actually noticed the removal of the one HEP receptacle on some other P42s before (I don't recall which ones), but I had never thought to go looking as to why that was. It all makes sense in the long run. It will be interesting again, to see what VIA ends up doing with the rest of the fleet.

this just shows VIA rails commitment to it fleet in my honest opinion, unlike there counterpart south which still run on the moto when it breaks will store it then fix it later.

VIA is DEDICATED to getting full usefulness out of there equipment by any means necessary and that I respect all the inventive ideas VIA has come up with to improve there P42 and F40 through out the years are remarkable especially for the P42's which they only have 21 of. Most other railroads would use them AS-IS and then just buy new down the line when they give out from deferred maintenance. lets see...
third light
window bug/snow deflector
covers for receptacles
HEP receptacles movement
Snow cold air intake deflector on the side grills
extend cab on F40 rebuilds
any thing I missed .............

I have to say, way to be inventive VIA ...... A+ in ingenuity.....

Everyone: VIA 911 looks good with its updated brighter blue livery and the new cover guards. But-the reason I posted remembering that because of incidents involving
#911 was this unit going to be re-numbered by VIA? Does VIA strictly use these locomotives in the Ontario-Quebec Corridor? MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: VIA 911 looks good with its updated brighter blue livery and the new cover guards. But-the reason I posted remembering that because of incidents involving
#911 was this unit going to be re-numbered by VIA? Does VIA strictly use these locomotives in the Ontario-Quebec Corridor? MACTRAXX

To the second question, yes, VIA uses these locomotives exclusively in the Qubec City-Windsor Corridor.

To the first....I had heard a rumour some time ago that VIA had supposedly renumbered 911, some time after the events of 9/11, and that it was supposedly now 921. I believed that for a while, until I saw 911 cruising by. Evidently, they didn't see any necessity to make the change.

timberley wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote:Does VIA strictly use these locomotives in the Ontario-Quebec Corridor? MACTRAXX

To the second question, yes, VIA uses these locomotives exclusively in the Qubec City-Windsor Corridor. .

very true my friend, Im not 100 percent sure if this is accurate but I believe from a conductor word... that only the VIA maintenance shops out east ( in the corridor ) were set up to maintain and repair P42s, ( until the cascades began to run he noted) reason there was only a hand full ordered so no reason to stretch them out along the network, As well still limited maintenance knowledge for them along the route of the Canadian and out west today. It is best to have them serve the Corridor. So the chances of ever seeing the P42's on the Canadian are little to none. As for the sept. 11 reference I never heard of that but I guess I know why as far as I can remember loco 911 has always been 911.

here's one of my first encounters with 911. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8453967@N08/4094992533/

All the P42Dc are affected to Quebec-Windsor corridor..
They never used them on Halifax or Gaspé train and neighter ont the north Quebc line,like Senneterrre and Jonquiere.
sometime,when lucky,we can see P42 on Niagara line,MMC in Montreal are the principal center for P42,sometime,they do the work at Toronto center..
I've been great to mette every P42 in a year and I compiled al the pictures in a video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utp04wx1dBY

They get 21 P42 in all,from 900 to 920..

A little story about the P42..

Those P42dc were for Amtrak Before,them Amtrak canceled the order,at the same time VIA Rail was negociating for 11 F59PHI
When VIA seen that the 21 P42Dc were rejected from AMTRAK and they was selling them for the same price than the 11 F59PHI,VIA choosed to get the 21 P42,leaved From AMTRAK for a lower price,so they did the purchse..
After that 11 F59PHI were abandomned by VIA Rail,so AMT,in Montreal buyed the 11 F59PHI for a cheaper price..



A kind of chain reaction....

Could you imagin the F59PHI on VIA Rail paint scheme..

MR: Interesting story on how VIA got their P42's-a canceled order by Amtrak allowing VIA to acquire them at a more reasonable price.
The F59s in question ended up at AMT which also saved money on the group. It turned out to help both carriers to get more needed locomotives.
Sometimes things just happen to work out right and in this case it has. MACTRAXX

Montrealrail wrote:A little story about the P42..

Those P42dc were for Amtrak Before,them Amtrak canceled the order,at the same time VIA Rail was negociating for 11 F59PHI
When VIA seen that the 21 P42Dc were rejected from AMTRAK and they was selling them for the same price than the 11 F59PHI,VIA choosed to get the 21 P42,leaved From AMTRAK for a lower price,so they did the purchse..
After that 11 F59PHI were abandomned by VIA Rail,so AMT,in Montreal buyed the 11 F59PHI for a cheaper price..

Contrary to this popular "story", VIA did not buy the P42DCs as Amtrak rejects. These were built by GE specifically for VIA and not anyone else. Originally the rumble was that VIA was looking to buy 7 (not 11) F59PHI Locomotives from EMD to replace the, then 7, active LRC locos but, as far as I know, an order was never placed. Whether VIA had initially planned to order 7, 11, or 21 new locos I can't be sure. Somehow, I think the EMD F59PHIs that AMT eventually purchased were also a new order and not from excess inventory.

Ken:Just a thought: Was the 21 P42s for VIA an add-on order to an Amtrak order?
Did VIA cancel ordering the 7 F59s after placing the P42 order?
Does Industrial Rail now have all the LRC locomotives up for sale?
MACTRAXX