CN Turbo

I have been going through old train magazines and have seen adds for these. I always wanted to get one and searching the web for them these days only shows they are scarce and very expensive. Does it still run?

I am envious.

It's a poster...

that hung on the wall in the passenger waiting room of a local CNR station.  I set the poster on the track of my layout so as to get the blue background for contrast.

Sorry, if you thought it was an actual turbo train model.  Although, if it was, I am sure it would be somewhat valuable these days.

When the CN/CP  passenger service was merged as VIA Rail the turbo trains were yellow with blue accents.  Not really that exciting of a colour combo.

If you search the web you will find the history of the turbo trains.  It is a very interesting story both local and world wide.

G.T.

Dummy Me

Just read the fine print below the picture, strange it would be from a station in NB. Back in the 70s, I lived north of Trenton and Belleville, Ont. and would often see the turbo flying down the main line between Toronto and Montreal.

Does it still run?

No, the Turbo Trains no longer exist.

They were transferred to VIA in 1977, but were discontinued in the early 1980s. All of the sets were scrapped, none of the equipment was saved.

Turbo in HO

Rapido Trains produced one a few years ago, but it's out of production currently.

Actually, not so strange.

. . .strange it would be from a station in NB. Back in the 70s . . .

New Brunswick had many, many passenger and freight stations in the hay-day of the railroad.  South Devon, in Fredericton, NB was one of them.  My father worked there, as operator and ticket agent, from 1953 until the CN passenger service was taken over by VIA Rail.  VIA then set up office at the (then) Lord Beaverbrook Hotel.

I remember taking a passenger train headed by a steam locomotive, from South Devon, north to Newcastle and on to Jacquet River on the Baie-de-Chaleur in the early-mid 1950's.  I would have been about 5 or 6 years old.  My dad, my brother and I went to visit my grandmother on summer vacation.  The rail line then was the old Intercolonial Railway (ICR) trackage bought up in the 1920's by CN.  Years later, after the rail passenger service was discontinued, a bus service ran from Fredericton to McGivney Junction where one could take a passenger train either to Montreal or Moncton/Halifax.  From Moncton the passenger service ran north, again to Newcastle, and all points in between to Montreal or south to Halifax.

The poster in the photo above came from the station at South Devon.  It was bound for the garbage can.  However, dad retrieved it and gave it to me.  The poster was to let traveling passengers know that, once they reached Montreal, they had the option of taking the Turbo on to Toronto.

Hope the helps to clear up why the  CN Turbo poster was displayed in the passenger waiting room at South Devon, Fredericton, NB.

Sincerely,  G.T.

Rapido Trains produced one a

I believe these Turbo trains are still available from Rapido, although not the CN version (I believe).

http://www.rapidotrains.com/turbo.html

Inventory

Looks like unsold inventory of the less-popular Demonstrator and Amtrak schemes. CN and VIA were long sold out.

CN Turbo

Haaaaa the CN Turbo.

Canada only high speed train, albeit briefly.

Quick video of the Turbo at high speed on my layout 

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