September 15, 2013:

 

            I got up around 8:45 am and got dressed. Garth phoned around 9:00. I would be going out for breakfast with Garth before we headed to Fort Edmonton Park. I went downstairs to the lobby and waited for Garth.

 

            Garth arrived a few minutes later. We then headed out. We stopped for breakfast at the West Edmonton Mall. While most of the mall wasn't open yet, a few restaurants in the food court were open including an A&W. After breakfast, we headed out. We made a wrong turn, but we soon were going the right way and a little while later, we arrived at Fort Edmonton Park. I photographed the sign at the entrance.

 

 

            I had visited Fort Edmonton Park in 1998 but the photos I took aren’t that good. I never got to go there when I was visiting SAIT even though I visited Edmonton twice between August 2002 to April of 2003. We paid admission and went inside I saw former Toronto PCC #4612 parked outside the car barn. I also noticed that former Edmonton streetcar #42 was running. I went to the yard and photographed PCC 4612.

 

 

            Garth and I saw that a member of the Edmonton Radial Railway Society (ERRS) was washing the PCC. His name was David and he said that #4612 would be going into service at noon! Once I got to ride #4612, I'll have ridden all of the 4600-4618 series PCCs that have regularly operated post 1996.

 

            I asked David if I could go around back and photograph the equipment back there. He said I could. I photographed former Toronto PCC #4367 which is under a tarp.

 

 

 

Yes, this is PCC #4367.

 

 

            ERRS actually has three PCCs. #4612 is operational. #4367 is stored on site at Fort Edmonton Park, but isn't operational. For the longest time, they were trying to regauge its trucks from TTC gauge to standard gauge. They have apparently acquired a set of standard gauge PCC trucks from Seashore.

 

            ERRS also has former Toronto PCC #4349 which is stored off site. It is apparently kept in a member's back yard! I would not see that car during this trip.

 

            I then took some photos of other cars behind the barn including a former ETS switcher which originally ran in British Columbia.

 

 

 

            Meanwhile, David moved PCC 4612 to another track so he could pull out former Edmonton streetcar #80 out. #80 is a Peter Witt style streetcar and was one of the last streetcars Edmonton purchased. It has nice seats. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to photographing the interior. However, I did take some exterior shots.

 

 

 

            I then spoke with David some more. David told me that the ERRS hopes to string some trolleybus wire and run trolleybuses from Fort Edmonton Park to South Campus LRT station and use the old BBC coaches. He also said that Halton County back home has acquired one of the TTC's historic streetcars which I had doubts about. He also claimed the Harbourfront streetcar line which was undergoing work has had streetcars return, though I think he may have gotten confused with a portion of the Spadina streetcar line.  I then photographed other streetcars inside the car barn. I was told not to go in without anyone from ERRS. One of the cars inside the barn is former Toronto Suburban Railway car #24. It's possible that it could have run on the section of right of way which is now operated by the Halton County Radial Railway Museum.

 

 

 

 

            Meanwhile, I decided to go for a ride on streetcar #42. I rode to the end of the line and back. Once I got back, I photographed #42.

 

 

            Meanwhile, another ERRS member was preparing to back #4612 out. Garth and David called me over and I got on #4612. I rode to the other end of the line and photographed the car.

 

 

            I then rode back to the front and photographed #4612 again.

 

 

            David took over as operator of #4612. I filmed the car departing on its next run.

 

            In addition to the streetcars at Fort Edmonton Park, there is also a steam train running through the park. Unfortunately, the steam train wasn't running when I visited on this trip. It did run back in 1998 when I first visited Fort Edmonton Park. I photographed a caboose on the steam railroad line as well as some car bodies and business car.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then met up with Garth again. We decided to explore the park and meet back at the front at 1:30 pm. I then boarded #4612 again and rode to the other end of the line. I got off and photographed 4612.

 

 

            I then filmed the car leaving and explored the park. I had lunch and photographed an old schoolhouse and some old fire trucks. I also took some more photos of 4612 as it passed by again.

 

 

 

 

 

            I also photographed #4612 where the streetcar line and the steam train line cross.

 

 

            I filmed 4612 passing over the steam train line and photographed it passing Former Edmonton streetcar #42. 

 

 

            It was hot, so I bought some ice cream. I then made my way back to the front and met up with Garth. After a couple minutes, I went to a fair ground with a vintage Ferris wheel. Unfortunately, the Ferris wheel wasn't operating due to high winds. I eventually gave up and returned to the streetcars.

 

            I walked around the outside of the barn and took some more photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then made my way back to where Garth was. We waited for #4612 to return and when it did, I said goodbye to David. I took a couple last photographs of #4612.

 

 

 

 

            Garth and I then went by the business car where I photographed it and a model railway line in a nearby building.

 

 

 

            I took a few more photographs.

 

 

 

 

            Garth and I then left Fort Edmonton Park. We then headed downtown. We were going to the High Level Bridge streetcar which is also run by the ERRS. We drove downtown and ended up at the northern most stop on the High Level Bridge line.

 

            The High Level Bridge was built in 1908 and originally had three sets of tracks running across it. The outside tracks were operated by Edmonton’s streetcar system and the middle track was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Edmonton abandoned streetcar operation in 1951. However in 1979 Edmonton streetcar #1 was restored to operation and towed a generator car running on the Canadian Pacific right of way. In the early 1990s, CP abandoned the right of way and the Edmonton Radial Railway Society acquired the right of way on the bridge. They initially ran the service with a car acquired from Japan. The car originally towed a generator until overhead wire was installed. The car was initially stored outside until an old bus barn was acquired and tracks were laid into. The Japanese car was then joined by a car from Australia, a prototype LRT car, and in 2011, the High Level Bridge car fleet was joined by restored Edmonton streetcar #33.

 

            Garth and I waited for the streetcar to arrive. While I was waiting, I went to a nearby gas station and bought a bottle of Pepsi since I was thirsty. I then returned to the streetcar stop. Eventually original Edmonton streetcar #33 arrived. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            Garth and I rode the streetcar to the end of the line. As we passed over the High Level Bridge, I took a photo from the front of the streetcar.

 

 

            We got to the other end of the line. I was hoping I could see inside the carbarn, but it was closed. I photographed #33 after I got off.

 

 

            I boarded the streetcar for the last run of the day. As the streetcar passed over the High Level Bridge, I filmed an LRT train running on a parallel bridge. We then got to the end of the line. I photographed #33 after I got off.

 

 

            I then filmed #33 departing. Garth then drove me back to my hotel. We arranged to meet the next morning to go to the West Edmonton Mall. I had to charge the batteries of my camera as they were both nearly dead. I worked on this report as I waited.

 

            After awhile, I decided to go out. I walked to a nearby transit terminal and photographed some ETS buses before I boarded a bus downtown.

 

 

            I rode to Jasper Avenue right at the Bay station on the LRT line.  I photographed the bus after I got off.

 

 

            If you read my Western Canada trip report, you may have noted that Jasper Avenue was a good place to see trolleybuses back in the day. However, after the trolleybus network was abandoned, ETS removed the wires. However, on Jasper Avenue, I could still see where trolleybus wires were once hung. I took a photo.

 

 

Those two notches are where the trolleybus wire was once hung.

 

            I briefly went into a 7-11 but didn’t buy anything. I then went on the LRT and waited for the first train to come. I rode the train to the Coliseum LRT station. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then transferred to the route 5. The route 5 was once a trolleybus route. The route 5 crossed the LRT line at grade so they had to make the trolleybus wires and the LRT wires cross. I rode to where the LRT crossed and got off. I saw there was no evidence at the crossing of the trolley buses that ran just as little as 4 ½ years ago. I waited for the next LRT train to pass. When it did, I photographed it.

 

 

I miss the trolley buses and I’m not even from Edmonton!

 

            I walked around downtown for a little while. I was mainly looking for somewhere to have dinner. I didn’t find anywhere downtown. At one point, I was near the CN building and saw an old overpass. Apparently the station was right downtown instead of its present location and that bridge carried the tracks. Why they moved it, I don’t know. Either way, I photographed the bridge.

 

 

            I eventually boarded a route 1 bus back to my hotel. I got off a few stops early and bought dinner at a Subway. I then walked back to my hotel after making a stop at a 7-11. I worked on this report some more before I asked for a wake up call at 8:30 and I called it a night.

 

Click to read about my last day in Edmonton as well as my ride home on the Canadian:        Final part