June 13, 2013:

 

            I got up at 6:14 am and got dressed. I went to the restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast I walked to the bus stop. My bus came a few minutes later and I rode to Dorval. The road arrangement near the station is a bit complicated. I got off and walked towards the Best Western. Along the way, I photographed VIA train 53.

 

 

            I got to the hotel and met up with everyone. Our charter bus, an Autocars Skyport Provost Highway coach arrived. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            After everyone else got on, the bus departed. Today's charter would cover properties north of Montreal Island. As we drove down the highway, I caught a glimpse of STL Classic #6105; their oldest bus. I attempted to photograph it, but it didn't turn out so good.

 

            Our first photo stop was at Terminus Terrebonne where we photographed several URBIS routes; many of which had Orion 5s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            After, we got back on the bus and headed for Terminus Saint-Eusthache. During the 2010 TTS Transportation Weekend, we visited the terminal on the Friday we were there. We photographed various buses including a Nova hybrid bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the hybrid LFS.

 

 

 

 

            We got back on the bus and headed out. Our next photo stop was the Nova factory. This was originally a GM factory that built the last few orders of TTC's fishbowls including the bus that eventually became TTC 2855. We were asked to bring steel toe boots if we had any. I brought the pair I had used when I was at SAIT. Nova did not allow people to take photographs in the factory and strongly advised us to leave our cameras on the charter bus. We did. Even though my cell phone did not have a camera, the staff at Nova Bus asked me to leave my phone up front which I did.

 

            Prior to the tour, we gathered in the cafeteria. There were models for sale, but I didn't buy one. The President of Nova Bus gave a speech. On the tour, we saw many 40 and 60 foot Nova LFS buses in various stages of construction. The 60 foot Novas that were under construction were for STM in Montreal. The 40 foot Novas were for Guelph, Fredericton, and Niagara Falls. One of the buses built for Niagara Falls was numbered 1397. I also saw TTC Nova articulated #9000 in the factory. #9000 is the prototype of 26-27 articulated buses the TTC has on order. These buses will be the first articulated buses TTC had bought in a decade. They retired their Orion 3s in 2003 and were only buying buses from Orion which did not offer an articulated bus. Orion went out of business last year so now TTC will have to buy either Nova buses or New Flyer buses.

 

Click to see some pictures of TTC 9000 taken on a later date in Toronto:   TTC 9000

 

            After the tour, they brought a Nova LFS fourth generation demo bus. I got my cell phone back and noticed the charter bus was parked at the far side of the parking lot. I walked out and got my camera. I walked back and photographed the Nova demo bus. Nova was okay with us photographing that bus. The group photo was also taken at Nova Bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            We then got back on the bus and headed out.  Our next photo stop was at the Saint-Therese AMT station. I photographed a few SURF buses and an AMT commuter train led my one of AMT's new dual mode locomotives.

 

 

            I filmed the train pulling away. The locomotive was rather quiet. I took one more photo of the train and then took some more photos of buses at the station.

 

 

 

 

 

            We got back on the bus and headed to our lunch stop. We were having lunch at Place Rosemere; a mall in Laval. After lunch, I photographed the bus before I got back on.

 

 

            After we departed the lunch stop, our next stop was the STL garage. I saw two retired Classics out front. We were told there was an electric bus inside. After we got off the bus and were allowed to go into the garage, I saw the electric bus. I photographed it.

 

 

            Initially, we would have taken it for a ride, but the bus had mechanical problems, so it wasn't going out. After photographing the electric bus, I photographed various Classics in the garage including 6105 and 6203.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I photographed retired Classic #6402 and Classic #6502 which was in the process of being retired. 6502 lost its fare box and had junk tires on it. It reminded me of how in 1999 on a charter on TTC Flyer D800B #8257, we saw a Flyer D901 get retired at TTC's Queensway garage.

 

 

            I then photographed the electric bus again.

 

 

            I then photographed STO Nova LFS #9601.

 

 

            I had hoped that I would actually get to ride a Classic, but that didn't happen. I went outside and photographed the two retired Classics and then two Classics as they left the garage to go into service.

 

 

 

 

            We got back on the charter bus and headed out. Our next photo stop was the Saint-Jerome AMT station. I photographed some buses there.

 

 

 

 

            I then walked across the street and photographed two ex Grand Trunk cabooses.

 

 

            I then returned to the terminal. Along the way, I photographed a couple more buses.

 

 

 

 

            We got back on the bus and departed. Our next photo stop was at Cote-Vertu. We photographed a lot of STM Nova LFS buses and a few STL buses as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            We reboarded the bus a few blocks from where we were let off because of traffic. We then headed to the Autocars Skyport garage where we photographed some ex STM first generation Nova LFS buses and a retired 1994 D40LF which came from Atlanta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I opted to leave the charter from there. I caught a route 202 bus to my hotel. After I worked on this report for a little while, I decided to go out for dinner. I caught another route 202 to the Du College Metro station and rode a train to Cote-Vertu. I initially went to Taco Bell, but they were out of chicken. I walked around for a few minutes before I stopped at another restaurant and had a grilled cheese sandwich. I then got on the Metro and rode to Du College and transferred to the route 202. I returned to my hotel. I worked on this for a little while. I set the alarm on my phone and called it a night.

 

Click here for the next charter:        BHA charter 2