Calgary fishbowl tribute:
Attending
the Calgary fishbowl farewell
charter in 2013 was most likely the last time I would ever ride a fishbowl in
service in Calgary. I have
assembled a collection of pictures of Calgary’s
fishbowls taken between August 2002 and September 2013.
I shall
start with the fishbowl I often went out hunting for between 2002 and 2003:
#1122. I went after 1122 because 1122 was the number of my all time favorite GO
fishbowl so when I saw a fishbowl in Calgary
numbered 1122, I knew right away I had to get some pictures of it even though
it was just like the other fishbowls in the series and not related to GO
Transit 1122.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image066.jpg)
When I
finally found 1122 for the first time and photographed it, the man driving
asked me why I was taking photos. When I told him the story of GO 1122 back in
the Toronto area and that I was a
transit fan, he asked if I wanted to take a tour of the Spring
Gardens bus garage (where 1122 was
running out of). I couldn’t resist. When we arrived, I photographed the driver
with 1122. If my memory is correct, the driver’s name was Maru or something
like that. Unfortunately, many of the photos of 1122 didn’t turn out, so I had
to go looking for 1122 again. I was unable to ride it until the day before I
flew home for Christmas. I would see Maru one or two more times since then.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image067.jpg)
As you can see, this photo didn’t turn out the greatest, but if you can
identify the driver, I’d be thankful.
Some other
photographs I took on the garage tour did turn out. They were of retired buses;
mostly fishbowls, but there was an accident damaged D40LF there. I didn’t think
to ask for a rollsign from a retired unit; too bad.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image068.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image069.jpg)
Like with
TTC’s older fishbowls, when I was living in Calgary
between 2002 and 2003, the oldest fishbowls had mylar rollsigns instead of
electronic. Here’s #759 with a mylar rollsign.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image070.jpg)
I later
caught #759 running on Calgary Transit route 4. When the bus was waiting to
turn left across the C-Train line, the gate came down on top of the bus!
However, the line was parallel to the road, so #759 wasn’t hit and when the
gate went up, the bus left.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image071.jpg)
During my
time in Calgary, I kept wondering
what the oldest fishbowl was in service. Whenever I saw a fishbowl with a lower
fleet number than what I had previously assumed was the oldest, I said to
myself “How low do you go, Calgary
fishbowls?” It turned out the oldest was #694 which I photographed at Spring
Garden bus garage. I never rode 694
in service though.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image072.jpg)
The oldest fishbowl
I did ride was #716.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image073.jpg)
While I
photographed many fishbowls in the two-tone blue livery, I also photographed a
number in the newer livery. Here’s fishbowl #1123 at Whitehorn C-Train station
back when the C-Train ended at Whitehorn.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image074.jpg)
This photograph
shows the back ends of various original Calgary
fishbowls in both liveries.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image075.jpg)
When I came
to Calgary in 2002, only the
fishbowls were in the two tone blue livery as all not fishbowls had been
retired by then. I dubbed those fishbowls “Blue bowls”. So here are various
examples of them.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image076.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image077.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image078.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image079.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image080.jpg)
After I
graduated from SAIT and left Calgary,
many two tone blue fishbowls were retired including 1122. When my friend Mark
and I visited Calgary in 2007, we
were lucky to ride #967 which was one of the few remaining fishbowls in the two
tone blue livery.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image081.jpg)
After my Western
Canada trip, more two tone blue fishbowls had been retired until
only one remained: #1046. I may have seen 1046 when I was at SAIT, but then, it
was just another two tone blue fishbowl.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image082.jpg)
These
photos show the interior of fishbowl #1046. All of Calgary’s
original fishbowls had this style of interior; even the ones repainted into the
newer livery.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image083.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image084.jpg)
In
2002-2003, Calgary Transit was running three fishbowls they had bought used
from St. Albert Transit. They were numbered 1017 to
1019. I rode 1018 and 1019. As you can see, they were painted in a different
livery. The ex St. Albert fishbowls
also had mylar destination signs even though they were numbered above fishbowls
with electronic signs. As a matter of fact #1019 was the last fishbowl running
in Calgary with a mylar sign!
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image085.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image041.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image086.jpg)
The ex St.
Albert fishbowls had the most comfortable seats in Calgary’s
fleet. The driver called them the “luxury models”! Here’s the interior of 1019.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image087.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image088.jpg)
Here’s 1122
on the last day I got to ride it in April of 2003. On that day, I had gone to
my favorite place to fan from planning to ride either 1122, a rollsign bus,
(original Calgary or an ex St.
Albert), or Maru if I saw him again. It turns out 1122
was the first to come. I photographed and rode it on a “U” shaped ride that
ended a block away from where I started.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image089.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image090.jpg)
After I got
off 1122, I still had plenty of time to fan. I decided to return to where I
boarded 1122 from to see if either Maru, or a rollsign bus would come. The
winner was fishbowl #811 which I photographed before I got on.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image091.jpg)
This photo
shows an overhead photo of #1125 which is in the newer livery.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image054.jpg)
Here are
two more shots of fishbowls in the newer Calgary Transit livery. I took them on
my Western Canada trip and when I came to Calgary
for the farewell charter.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image092.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image093.jpg)
Our charter
bus was #1156, one of the younger fishbowls in the fleet.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image094.jpg)
The charter
visited Spring Garden bus garage; (the second time I’ve been in there!) Like
the first time, I photographed some retired fishbowls.
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image095.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image096.jpg)
![](Calgary%20fishbowl%20tribute_files/image065.jpg)
This ends
my tribute. Click to go back to the charter report: Calgary
fishbowl charter report