MONTREAL — Five VIA Rail Canada F40PH-2Ds head for CAD Railway Industries in Lachine, Quebec, on Saturday, Sept. 28, for the start of the latest round of rebuilding of the passenger operator’s longtime workhorses. The VIA F40 fleet last went through rebuilding between 2007 and 2012, also by CAD. VIA solicited bids for refurbishing its fleet of 51 F40s late last year, saying the goal was to extend the lifespan of 39 of the units until 2035. VIA’s website says the company has 53 of the locomotives, built between November 1987 and April 1989, but online information indicates two have been retired as a result of wreck damage.
The Via F40 fleet were built when I started work as a librarian in San Antonio, Texas. I have since retired, and these F40’s may outlive me. [Baldwin 1875
4-4-0 Sonoma and Eureka outlive generations of people.]