By Kevin J. Holland

It was a happy Halloween for the VIA Historical Association (VHA) and its supporters as VHA FP9A 6539 made its debut and ran its first miles in full VIA Rail Canada colors on Oct. 31, 2024, after repainting in its 1978 livery by Robert Merriam at the Ontario Southland Railway shops in Salford, Ont. 

Built by GMD as Canadian National 6539 in 1958, the locomotive most recently had been OSR 1400. Remanufactured by Canadian National for VIA in 1983 as FP9ARM 6303 but retaining most of its original cosmetic features, it is the only fully operational F-unit in VIA colors and will lead the display train currently being assembled by VHA to celebrate VIA Rail Canada’s upcoming 50th anniversary in 2028. So far VHA has gathered a number of ex-CN cars that will serve as the core of the display train, along with ex-Canadian Pacific stainless steel cars that are still in the VIA fleet.