A single Siemens Venture car, part of the Amtrak Midwest operations, traveled over Canadian Pacific and Canadian National lines in Ontario on Saturday, Dec. 3., en route from Sacramento, Calif., to Canada’s National Research Uplands Campus in Ottawa for testing
The special train, Union Pacific SD70ACe No. 8821 and the Siemens car, SIIX 4301, is shown passing two Grand Trunk Railway stations — one in Woodstock, Ontario, built in 1885, and one in Brantford, built in 1905. The car is part of an 88-car order that saw the first cars delivered in August 2020, though a series of issues have slowed their entry into service.
The National Research Council facility in Ottawa includes a Climatic Chamber, which provides a single location to test vehicle, railcar, and component performance in temperatures ranging from 55 to minus-46 degrees Celcius (131 to minus-51 degrees Fahrenheit). Other services it offers include compression testing, structural dynamics testing, and an impact ramp.
