September 1, 2019:

 

            Russ and I got up and got dressed. We went down to the lobby for breakfast. After breakfast, we went back up to the room and got ready. Today we would be visiting Old Pueblo Trolley and the steam locomotive on display at the Tucson Amtrak station.

 

            After we were ready, we went downstairs. I went outside and photographed our chartered bus when it arrived.

 

 

            We got on the bus and headed out. We headed to Old Pueblo Trolley’s original car barn which was opened up for us. They were giving rides on the short bit of trackage left for Old Pueblo Trolley’s operation which was about 2-3 car lengths of the car from Portugal.

 

 

            I got to ride the car during its short runs. I learned that the modern streetcar uses a different voltage than Old Pueblo Trolley’s cars so they can’t run their fleet on the Sunrail line. Their fleet is in storage and I saw pictures of their proposed new route both short term and long term. Both routes would have turning loops so single ended cars like PCC #4608 can run.

 

 

 

            I learned that former San Francisco PCC #1121 which I had photographed in 2006 was being scrapped. The car was acquired as a parts source. While it was inevitable, it’s still sad that a PCC is being scrapped in the 21^st century.

 

            I also learned the tracks used by Sunrail are not the original tracks used by Old Pueblo Trolley even though they follow the same alignment. The Old Pueblo tracks were torn out and the double track Sunrail line was built. However, a few years earlier, Old Pueblo Trolley installed tracks running south of the Union Pacific main line and since they were in good shape, the tracks were used by Sunrail as a short turn loop downtown.

 

            While we were visiting the old barn, other people were watching Sunrail cars entering service from their new car barn.

 

            We soon got back on the bus and headed out towards where Old Pueblo Trolley keeps the majority of their fleet including #4608.

 

            On the way, Old Pueblo Trolley volunteer Gene Caywood pointed out a lamp post that continued above the light level. He said it originally was a pole that held the overhead for Tucson’s original streetcar system.

 

 

            A few minutes later we passed a concrete planter in the middle of an intersection. Gene pointed out that there were rails from the original Tucson streetcar system in the middle of the planter. Sure enough, there were. I photographed them.

 

 

 

            We then passed another post that used to hold up the overhead wire on the streetcar line. The pole was almost completely blocked by a tree.

 

 

            We soon arrived at the warehouse/barn where Old Pueblo Trolley kept most of their equipment. We got off the bus and went inside.

 

            The first bus I photographed was 1989 vintage RTS #8959. Back in 2006, I was told that Old Pueblo Trolley was working with Suntran to obtain a 1989 vintage RTS. They had succeeded.

 

 

            Next I photographed fishbowl #7316 which I had photographed on my Arizona Trip back in 2006.

 

 

            Next I photographed 2001 vintage RTS #2002 and Neoplan #9443. Both were buses that were still in service back in 2006 when I last visited Tucson.

 

 

 

            Next, I photographed something very familiar to me: Former Toronto PCC #4608. When I saw #4608 in Tucson back in 2006, I was shocked to see the open side had been covered in graffiti. I was told that the closed side had also been tagged, but the car was painted. The closed side had been tagged again! In addition six windows on the car had been broken!

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed the rear of former Phoenix Dash electric bus #1901. This bus ran on batteries and could be considered the predecessor to the electric buses I rode in Montreal and the electric buses now in service with TTC.

 

 

 

Here’s a front view of #1901 taken back in 2006 on my Arizona Trip.

 

            I then took some more photos of buses.

 

 

 

            I then photographed the cab mock up for what would become the Sunrail streetcars as well as two other streetcars.

 

 

 

 

            I then took some more pictures inside the barn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went out to the yard out back. I took some photos.

 

 

 

            I then photographed former Sun Tran C40 #9707. Like with buses #2002 and #9443, 9707 and its sister buses were in service when I visited Tucson back in 2006. A few years ago, I emailed Gene asking if they would preserve a Flyer and was told of #9707 being acquired.

 

            I did not make a mistake by calling #9707 a C40. Apparently these buses were powered by natural gas.

 

 

            I then photographed former Sun Tran AM General #5511 which was parked beside C40 #9707. It’s kinda ironic because the AM General was similar to the Flyer 800 series bus which was the predecessor to the D40 and its natural gas equivalent.

 

 

            I then took some more photos outside the warehouse.

 

 

 

 

            I then went inside and took some more photos.

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed streetcar #869 from Japan. I rode on #869 in my Arizona trip and was the most used car before they had to shut their operation down to make way for Sunrail.

 

 

            I then took some more photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heard the bus above is a member’s bus and he lives in it.

 

 

            I then went into an office area and photographed various pictures and models of buses and streetcars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a picture of former Sun Tran RTS #8107 which was owned by Old Pueblo Trolley. #8107 was one of seven buses lost in a brush fire a number of years ago. However, five of the buses that were destroyed were being used for part. #8107 was one of the two that weren’t parts buses. The fire didn’t burn PCC #1121 though.

 

 

            I did see #8107 and its sister #8106 which was also destroyed on my Arizona Trip, but didn’t photograph them. I did photograph fishbowl #7403 which was also destroyed in the fire.

 

 

Here are the photos I took of #7403 back in 2006; years before the bus was destroyed by fire.

 

 

            I then took some more photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then came across a book I had seen a number of years ago at the Halton County Radial Railway museum. The book had some pictures of two PCCs that went to museums but no longer exist: Former Washington Pre-PCC #1053 which was destroyed in the 2003 car barn fire at the National Capital Trolley Museum and PCC #4633 at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum.

 

            #4633 was acquired by Halton County in 1982 and ran for a few years when it was parked at the east end of the property. The car deteriorated and was scrapped in 1997. However, the car had many parts removed which could be used to convert former TTC rail grinder W-30 to a passenger car as W-30 was formerly PCC #4631 from the same order as the late 4633.

 

 

            I then photographed more models and photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I signed the guestbook and took some final photos at Old Pueblo Trolley’s barn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed the ERA’s chartered bus before I got on.

 

 

            Everyone got on and we soon left. When we passed by the section of original Tucson streetcar tracks, I photographed it.

 

 

 

            We went to the Arizona Railway Museum next to the Amtrak station. I photographed the bus when I got off.

 

 

            I went into the cage where steam locomotive #1673 is kept and took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I got to go into 1673’s cab.

 

 

            I then took some more photos in the area around #1673.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went into the museum building nearby. I photographed some exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a model train that went around one of the exhibit rooms.

 

 

            I then photographed some more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I photographed a model trolley and one more poster.

 

 

 

            The ERA’s tour was pretty much done. We were allowed to ride the bus back to the hotel or stay downtown. There would be a slideshow provided by Gene Caywood from Old Pueblo Trolley later in the evening which I would try to attend.

 

            I went to the Sun Trans terminal and watched the bus leave. I caught a Sun Trans bus to the Arby’s I had dinner at two days earlier and had lunch. I then caught a bus back downtown. I then decided to ride Sun Rail to the other end of the line.

 

            I walked to the streetcar stop and photographed the next streetcar that arrived.

 

 

            I rode to the end of the line and got off. I photographed the car. The west end of the streetcar line, the cars loop around a block instead of a stub end like the east end of the line.

 

 

            There were a couple others from the ERA convention at the loop.  I filmed the streetcar pulling away. I looked around the area while waiting for the next car to arrive. When it arrived, I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I then rode back downtown and got off. I photographed the car before I filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I then walked to the railway crossing west of the Amtrak station. A Union Pacific freight train passed. I photographed it.

 

 

 

 

            After awhile, I made my way to the bus terminal. I saw that Sun Trans Gillig #3123 had broken down and was being loaded onto a flatbed trailer to go back to the garage. Something really bad must have happened for the bus to be loaded onto a flat bed trailer instead of being towed.

 

 

 

 

            This reminded me of something I witnessed 10+ years earlier. I was at York Region Transit’s Richmond Hill Center where I witnessed YRT loading an Orion 5 onto a flatbed trailer! I happened to record that incident.

 

            I took a few more photos and videos as the truck left.

 

 

 

            I boarded a bus and rode past the area where the hotel I stayed at in Tucson back in 2006 was. My hotel was a Super 8, but had become a different hotel. I got off a few stops later and waited for a bus back downtown. The bus came after a long time. I got to the terminal and walked a couple blocks and caught a streetcar back to my hotel.

 

            At my hotel I went online for awhile and went to the CVS nearby. I eventually caught a streetcar to the east end of the line to have dinner. I got off at the end and photographed the car.

 

 

            I saw that I was literally on the edge of a thunderstorm. I walked to a nearby Wendy’s before it started raining. After dinner, I made my way back to the streetcar stop. While it was raining in front of the Wendy’s, it wasn’t at the streetcar stop.

 

            The streetcar soon arrived and I got on. I rode to the hotel and got off and filmed the car pulling away and photographed it.

 

 

            I then walked back to my hotel. On the way, I saw some college students with two goats! I have no clue why they had goats with them. I took a picture of them.

 

 

Yes, those are goats!

 

 

            I then walked back to the hotel. It was soon time for the presentation. Gene provided a slideshow on the history of five Arizona streetcar systems including Tucson’s original streetcar system.

 

            I found the Phoenix system most interesting. A few years before the end of operations, eight streetcars were destroyed in a car barn fire. I believe that Phoenix considered PCCs, but didn’t buy any.

 

            After the show, Russ and I returned to the hotel room. We asked for a wake up call at 5:30 to have breakfast before heading off to the Amtrak station in the morning. We called it a night.

 

Click to read about the ERA’s trip to El Paso:       ERA trip to El Paso