In ideal conditions, it would take less than half an hour to drive a train from Willowbrook to Ajax. But if I recall correctly, this was the AM rush, so 2 out of the 3 Lakeshore East tracks would be occupied by trains heading westbound into Toronto. The single eastbound track is also used by local trains, so there's a chance you could get stuck behind one. And good luck running an unscheduled train through the congested USRC at rush hour without getting delayed.
First, many thanks for that charting! It clearly makes a number of points, not least that for all intents and purposes, GO could assume VIA's regional runs and match performance even with their present rolling stock. I correlate your stated max speed on the MP40, at least with the final drive ratio and/or speed governor for the GO version.
Interestingly, for the MP 54AC, factory spec is:
Maximum Speed
110 mph
https://www.wabtec.com/uploads/MP54_QuickSpec_B.pdf
But GO state it at "93mph". There must be a governor setting for it, unless GO is ordering a shorter final drive ratio and that's where max revs top out. It would make sense to increase acceleration rate, especially from full stops, in lieu of wasting that potential 17 mph extra, which would be exponentially higher demand to achieve at max speed than 0 - 17 mph at the low end due to resistive forces, so might as well trade off the speed to tractive effort.
You've answered my question though, as I had projected, but this is virtually definitive now.
But if I recall correctly, this was the AM rush, so 2 out of the 3 Lakeshore East tracks would be occupied by trains heading westbound into Toronto.
It was the afternoon eastbound peak.
“Based on the transaction history of your PRESTO card, we saw you were aboard GO Transit’s 16:30 Union to Oshawa train that experienced an engine failure just outside of Ajax Station on Tues., Sept. 27,” the email reads.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...layed-go-train-to-get-100-from-metrolinx.html
We're certainly not going to hear any more from Metrolinx on that, they've paid 'hush money' to the passengers, and will clamp any discussion, but someone, somewhere will write about it. You can bet your Presto magic mouth sealer. It will happen again.
I was surprised to discover that it's actually cheaper to commute from Kitchener on VIA than it is on GO if you make 10-30 trips per month.
Whoa! Can anyone else confirm or deny that?
RE: "Dibs on the Guelph to Hamilton bus route"
Perhaps no operator does. After Greyhound abandoned the North Bay - Ottawa run, Ontario Northland took over the service.
Serendipity/Synchronicity you should mention the ON route north. Being discussed in a new string for bus map routes at this site:
http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/thread...ty-bus-service-in-ontario.26251/#post-1159408
I wondered how I'd missed knowing the ON routes north through Barrie and Orillia. You just explained it!
Reaper and some others would fit well in that string.