Behind a fence on Thunder Bay Port Authority property are these thirty-three Renaissance (Nightstar) carbodies languishing in a grassy field on June 12, 2016. These are the remainder of the 139 cars imported from Britain in 2001, originally to be used in Channel Tunnel service between Great Britain and France. These “Nightstar” cars were never used in this service, and were bought by VIA Rail for conversion into VIA Renaissance coaches, sleepers and lounge cars. These 33 cars of the fleet never turned a wheel in revenue service on either side of the pond, with VIA Rail retaining trucks and other spare parts to keep the existing Renaissance fleet operating. In 2008, it was reported that these carbodies would be scrapped, but they are still sitting in repose at Thunder Bay, Ontario, on our visit eight years later.
