Via Rail Canada - The Corridor

This post will show pictures of the real VIA Rail trains this set is modeled on.

VIA Rail's original livery for the F40PH-2 locomotive is called the "Delivery Scheme" from 1986.

Next is the matching LRC passenger cars. Notice how the passenger car has small wheels and is lower than the locomotive.

 Here is the Business Class car. Notice the grey curve over the windows on the right side of the picture.

The end of both of the LRC cars have a window that is slightly offset to one side.

Steve - a professional rail photographer, writer, and blogger in Canada has written an article about my LEGO VIA Rail Ideas sets. He will have future posts about the train that will go into more detail. He also has some excellent content if you'd like to learn more about the Via Rail trains. Visit the blog traingeek.ca!

This update will show various ways to expand this set.

This train can be powered up with the LEGO Powered Up electric components 88001 Train Motor, 88005 Light, and 88009 Hub. The Powered Up Hub is a battery box with built in Bluetooth. You can connect the LEGO Powered Up train to the smart phone app to control the train speed, lights, and real Via Rail F40PH sound effects.

One 88005 Powered Up Lights can be used to light up the front AND the back of the locomotive – using just one light piece.

To install the Powered Up components, you must first remove the equipment rack in the engine room.

Now the Powered Up Hub battery box goes where the equipment rack was.

Lastly, the Powered Up Lights are used on the front headlights of the locomotive and the light at the rear door of the train engine!

Mix & Match

If you have 2 of this LEGO Ideas set Via Rail Canada – The Corridor, you can make the train twice as long.

You can also combine The Corridor set with my other LEGO Ideas product, Via Rail Canada – The Canadian. Here the yellow F40PH locomotive is pulling The Canadian train cars.

You can also use the green locomotive from The Canadian to pull the LRC cars from The Corridor. There is also the baggage car from The Canadian at the end of the train, which is sometimes seen on the real Via Rail train in the Corridor route.

This update will show more pictures of the business class passenger car.

Lastly, the Business Class car is an even greater travel experience. This car has a very modern color scheme and an iconic large grey curve. The “Business/Affaires” logo is on the side. (“Affaires” is the French word for Business)

The black bars on top of the roof of the Business Class car is a wifi antenna. This antenna allows the train to connect to the internet so passengers go online on their mobile devices.

The interior of the Business Car has modern furnishings and a luxurious color scheme. Business class travelers get more privacy and hot meals and beverages are complimentary. There is even a glass partition with the “Business/Affaires” logo to make the interior space appear more prestigious.

The very end of the train has a red light reflector mounted on the coupler. This car also has the shiny metallic silver pieces for the door.

In the oven is a hot meal of salmon with greens.

Look at how much extra space you get in Business class…

That's all for now! The next update will show how to motorize the train with Powered Up components.

This update will show more pictures of the economy passenger car.

The Bombardier LRC (Light Rapid Comfortable) passenger cars have been in service with Via Rail since 1982 and are still carrying passengers today through the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor. This livery of the LRC passenger car is the original one used in the introduction of the LRC in the Via Rail fleet. This passenger car looks very unique and has smaller-than-usual train wheels, so the small LEGO train wheels were used! It is very sleek and low to the ground.

The ends of the cars have plenty of details! The inter-car doors are metallic silver colored pieces. Below that is the LEGO Technic coupler. This innovative design is very flexible and can slide side to side so the train can handle those tight LEGO train track curves. Also notice the HEP (Head End Power) cables hanging at the ends of each cars. These cables are represented with LEGO 1x1 stud with string elements. On the real train, these cables are used to hook up electricity from the diesel electric locomotive to the passenger cars.

The side door can swing open and a small staircase can flip down.

The roof lifts off and the side wall of the car pops off for full access to the interior.

The interior of the Economy Class car has seating for 4, a luggage rack, a small galley (kitchen on the train) featuring a coffee maker and snack cart, and a bathroom at the end of the car.

To access the bathroom, remove the black 1x4x3 panel to see inside. Below the bathroom symbol is a red “Occupied” indication light.

The steward is now serving drinks, coffee, and sandwiches on the snack cart.

That's all for this update! The next update will show more new pictures of the business class car.

This update will show more pictures of the locomotive.

This livery of the F40PH is known as Via Rail Canada’s “Delivery Scheme” from 1988.

The yellow, black, blue, and grey color scheme with the dynamic triangles looks classic, yet still quite modern.

The other side is nearly identical, except that there isn’t an engine room access ladder. Instead there is a larger opening repair/maintenance door. Below the maintenance door is the diesel fuel tank and the electric battery.

The rear of the train has another engine room door with circular window. 

The roof can be lifted off for interior access.

Here is the inside of the engine room. In the center of it all is an EMD 645 16 cylinder diesel engine. To the left of the engine, we have the equipment rack.

As you can see, the equipment rack is full of pipes, tanks, valves, and other complex details.

Here the engineer is about to enter the engine room through this fully opening side door.

An engineer minifigure can sit in the cab.

That's all for this update! The next update will show more details of the LRC economy class car.

Today's update will show off some new pictures of the overview of the whole train set.

The train consists of a F40PH locomotive with two LRC passenger cars.

The roof of the locomotive has details such as the horn, radiator fans, air intake vents.

The train is asymmetrical - the train’s right side has slightly different details than its left side.

This LEGO train is both authentic model-scale as well as minifig scale.

The locomotive is much taller than the LRC passenger cars and features an innovative way to couple the standard LEGO magnetic buffer/coupler piece to a LEGO Technic coupler. A connection is made using the stud that is on the LEGO train buffer/coupler piece.

The LRC passenger cars are strongly coupled by using a simple 1x2 rounded black plate attached to the Technic couplers below.

That's all for this update! Please look forward to the next update which will show more new pictures of the locomotive.