January 16, 2007:

 

Mark and I got up and had breakfast. Today, we would explore Edmonton on their transit system. Mark’s cousin’s wife offered to let us use her car, but we declined. We walked a block to the bus stop and caught a route 13 bus to the Northgate mall. While we were waiting, we saw a car skid while on a snow covered road.

 

When we got off the bus at Northgate Mall, I saw two accident damaged cars, including a car that was wrapped around a pole. I would later learn that the drive of that car would die.

 

We transferred to ETS New Flyer D60LF #4901 on route 9 since it went downtown where the trolley buses were. I will explain the significance of Edmonton’s trolley buses later. Prior to boarding, I took a photo of 4901.

 

 

Route 9 goes downtown, but passes by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, (NAIT), which is the sister college to SAIT. The campus is near one of ETS’s bus garages.

 

When we got downtown, we passed the CN office building. Its sign lights up at night and we would go by it later. Once we got off at Jasper Avenue, we looked for the trolley buses.

 

Mark and I find the trolleybuses in Edmonton to be especially significant because the TTC leased about 40 trolley coaches which is about half of ETS’s trolley bus fleet, in the late 1980s to 1993. They were able to lease a large number because the ETS was planning on expanding their system, to the point of ordering and receiving the buses, but the planned expansion never took place, leaving a large surplus of trolley buses.

 

Meanwhile, the TTC leased a number of buses, to supplement their aging trolleybus fleet. While in Toronto, the buses maintained their ETS livery, but were given TTC logos and TTC added 9000 to the original Edmonton number. In January of 1992, the TTC mothballed its entire trolleybus system. However, they were still paying for the lease and couldn’t get out of. So seven months later, the TTC resumed trolley coach operation on two routes using only the leased Edmonton coaches. None of the TTC’s own trolleybuses returned however, and when the lease expired in July of 1993, the TTC didn’t renew it and the trolley coaches were shipped back to Edmonton, though one of them was sent to Hamilton for the possibility of being used there, but that didn’t happen.

 

Once the coaches returned to Edmonton, they were again surplus, and as a result about half of them never returned to service. Some did however, and Mark and I decided to look for them as I had a roster as to which buses were ones the TTC leased.

 

The first trolley bus we saw was #129. This bus was in ETS’s new livery and was not one of the buses the TTC leased. We photographed it anyway.

 

 

A few minutes later, I saw a trolley bus coming our way in the older livery. When the bus stopped, I saw its number was #189. I photographed the bus before Mark and I boarded.

 

 

I checked my roster to see if this was one of the buses the TTC had leased, and sure enough, it was! Mark and I were delighted; we were riding on a piece of TTC history. One thing about the trolley buses in Edmonton is that they currently only have one model. The buses had been built in 1980 using GM fishbowl bodies supplied by General Motors, and motors and controls supplied by Brown Boveri Corporation, (hence BBC).

 

We rode the trolley bus to the end of its route and back. When we got off, we took some photos and I filmed the bus pulling away from the curve.

 

 

 

Vancouver and Edmonton are the only Canadian cities to still use trolleybuses. However, Edmonton’s trolleybus system is threatened with being abandoned as the BBC coaches are getting old themselves. Several weekends, the buses don’t operate and diesel buses fill in. So far some proposals to abandon the trolley buses have been raised, but rejected as the electric buses roll on. ETS plans to lease a Flyer E40LFR from Vancouver because they may purchase some to replace the BBCs.

 

After, we decided to take a ride on Edmonton’s LRT line. I had visited Edmonton three times before: Once in 1998 with my family. I went in 2002 and 2003 while I was attending SAIT. Since the last time I was there, the LRT line had been extended south by one station. I decided that we should ride the extension later.

 

We got on to the platform and a train led by a repainted LRT car pulled in. We got on and rode to Corona station, which is the nicest looking station on the line. When we got off, we photographed the train and I filmed it pulling out of the station.

 

 

The reason I say Corona is the nicest station on the line is that it has chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. No other station in the system has that.

 

This is one of the chandeliers at Corona station.

 

After, we took another train downtown and had lunch at a Subway restaurant on Jasper Avenue. As we ate, we watched trolley coaches on the street. After lunch we decided to go to the West Edmonton Mall.

 

The quickest way to get to the mall on transit was to ride the route 100 express bus. While we were waiting for the bus, we photographed a couple more trolley buses.

 

 

 

 

Finally, the route 100 bus came and we boarded a D40LF. The West Edmonton Mall is no ordinary mall. While it has the things a typical mall has, it has a waterpark, an amusement park, an ice skating rink, a mini-golf course, and a water show! It’s Edmonton’s biggest tourist attraction. Unfortunately when we got on the bus, Mark and I realized we had left our bathing suits at his cousin’s house so we couldn’t visit the waterpark! Bummer!

 

We got to the mall and got off.

 

Part of the famous West Edmonton Mall.

 

Once we got inside the mall, we visited a hobby store. After, we took a walk in the giant mall. We then headed to the Galaxyland amusement park. We first went on the Mindbender triple loop rollercoaster. We next went on the Space Shot which is like the Pile Driver ride at Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls that was closed for maintenance when Mark, Jason, and I went there last summer. There were practically no line ups since this was a weekday afternoon.

 

After three more rides, Mark needed to rest. We stopped in the food court. After, we went to the hobby shop again. Next, we went to the bus terminal.

 

At the bus terminal, we saw two fishbowls. Then some more showed up. Mark and began photographing a lot of them like crazy! Earlier that day, Mark told me he didn’t think there were many fishbowls left. Needless to say, he was wrong. Here are some of the fishbowls we photographed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Mark and I would not actually ride a GM fishbowl that day. We caught a D40LF on route four, heading to the LRT station. Shortly after the bus left the mall, I photographed another fishbowl. Along the way, we passed construction for another extension of the LRT. However, the plans don’t have the line running to the West Edmonton Mall. If the line did, I’m sure it would have high ridership.

 

We also passed one of ETS’s Orion 7 Hybrid buses. ETS only has about seven Orion 7 hybrid buses on order. Interesting enough, the buses are built to TTC specifications! Mark was surprisingly excited, most likely that out west is mostly D40LF country and Orion doesn’t have a stronghold as it does back east.

 

The bus actually went by the new Health Sciences LRT station, so Mark and I got off and we just missed an LRT train. While we were waiting for the next train, we photographed a couple more fishbowls.

 

 

Soon, the next train arrived and I filmed it pulling in. We got on the front car and rode to Central station downtown. The train was in the older livery. When we got off, Mark and photographed the train and I filmed it leaving.

 

 

After, Mark and I went upstairs and photographed some murals relating to the LRT line. We then walked over to the CN office building I had mentioned earlier.

 

This building had the CN logo at the top. At night, it lights up, and it lights up in segments; it doesn’t turn on all at once and stays lit continuously. I am told the reason for this was the way it lights up used to indicate which direction a passenger train was going since the railway used to come right up to it, but not anymore. I still find the way the sign lights up interesting and Mark and I filmed it.

 

After, we decided to head back to Mark’s cousin’s house. We walked a couple blocks to pick up the route 9. While waiting, we saw a couple more trolley buses and I photographed one last ETS fishbowl.

 

 

While we were waiting for the route nine, a D40LF on route 12 showed up. The sign said it was going to Northgate Mall, so we got on. That was a big mistake because route 12 doesn’t go straight there. Instead, it wanders all over Edmonton. A few times, Mark’s cousin called us. We decided to meet at Northgate when the bus finally got there.

 

When we finally got to Northgate, we went out to Boston Pizza. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to find something to eat there since I don’t like pizza if you can believe it! However, I was able to find something on the menu to satisfy me.

 

Mark’s cousin works for CN as someone who does maintenance on the freight cars. He took us on an unofficial tour and showed us some locomotives.

 

 

We drove to another part of the yard where Mark and I got out and photographed some dead power. One of the engines there was a GP9 that had been damaged in an accident.

 

 

This is the GP9 that was damaged in an accident.

 

 

After, we went to another part of the yard and we took some photos of ex BC Rail Dash 8 #4606.

 

 

After, we headed back to Mark’s cousin’s house. On the way, Mark’s cousin told us two interesting things. First that former CN steam locomotive #6060 was having its boiler rebuilt in the shops. The second thing he told us was that there were a couple “Bullet nosed” diesels stored in the yard. From what he told us, I believe he was talking about some F-units. This was new to me, and I didn’t see them. If anyone can confirm, please email me.

 

Once back at Mark’s cousin’s house, we called a taxi to take us to the Greyhound station the next morning. After a bit of web surfing, we called it a night.

 

 

Click to read about our trip to Calgary and back home: Calgary trip.htm