September 9, 2019:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I went up and got my phone and put the battery back in. It still worked, but I didn’t want to use it unless necessary.

 

            I then headed out and walked to the DART station. I bought a day pass and rode to Cityplace station. Along the way, I photographed a section of track that was out of service. I’m not sure if the tracks used to be used by light rail trains or Dallas’ original streetcars.

 

 

            The incline elevator at Cityplace was still out of service. I went to where the McKinney Avenue Transit authority streetcars board.

 

            I met up with John who proceeded to phone the car barn and asked if #4614 was able to go for a test run. I learned that a new problem had been found and if I had a replacement part in my bag, #4614 wasn’t going anywhere. I obviously didn’t.

 

            From what I heard from John, it was too bad the ERA convention wasn’t a week earlier because #4614 was out all last week.

 

            Even if #4614 did not have problems, I was told the odds weren’t good I’d be able to ride the car in September as #4614 presently doesn’t have air conditioning unlike McKinney’s other cars. I told John that I’ll try again in January when it’s not so hot in Dallas to give them time to fix #4614.

 

            Meanwhile Petunia had come and was being spun on the turntable. I photographed it.

 

 

            I decided to go by the carbarn again to see #4614.  I boarded Petunia and rode to the car barn. I got off and photographed the car.

 

 

            While walking to the car barn, I photographed Emma again.

 

 

            I then got to the car barn. I photographed #754 before I went inside.

 

 

            I asked if I could go inside the car barn and was told I could. I photographed #4614 again.

 

 

 

You can sort of see the left hand door McKinney installed on #4614 here.

 

            I then took one more photo of #754. I have seen photos of one of Betty’s sister cars somewhere.

 

 

            I then left the car barn. I went to a convenience store at a gas station nearby. I then went to the streetcar stop to wait for the next car back.

 

            The next car was #186; the Green Dragon. I photographed the car before I got on.

 

 

            I rode to Cityplace station. I got off and photographed #186 as it was spun on the turntable.

 

 

 

            I filmed #186 departing. I then walked to a nearby Target and was finally able to get something to charge my phone with. I decided after this hassle, I was going to get a new phone after I got home.

 

            I ate lunch at a nearby Taco Bell before I walked back to the DART station. I boarded a Red Line train and rode to Union Station. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then photographed a freight train waiting to pass Union Station and a TRE commuter train.

 

 

 

            I decided to walk a block over to the Dallas streetcar. There was a car already there. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

 

 

            The car departed. Like the Q-Line in Detroit, the Dallas Streetcar has portions that run on battery and others under overhead wire.

 

            I rode to Bishop Arts which is the other end of the line. I got off and photographed the car.

 

 

 

            I waited for the streetcar to leave. When it did, I filmed it pulling out. I then caught a bus to the 8^th and Corinth DART station. I then rode a train to the Convention Center station.

 

            In the days previous I had seen an electric bus at the station. I saw there was a charging station and the next bus was due in a few minutes. Indeed a Proterra electric bus pulled up and began charging. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

 

            I had a nice conversation with the driver about buses. He told me this bus has the capacity to do two runs before recharging. I told him that TTC was in the process of taking delivery of battery-electric buses from three different manufacturers including Proterra. TTC is the first Canadian customer to buy buses from Proterra. However, they are long range. At the time of this trip, 1-2 of the 25 Proterra buses TTC was taking delivery of had arrived, but were not in service.

 

            I rode the bus to the Rosa Parks Plaza. Interesting that DART also has a terminal named after Rosa Parks.

 

            During the time of segregation, Dallas buses and streetcars were also segregated; including their PCCs. Ironically because the cars were double ended, white passengers and blacks had designated seats but when the car would change ends, the white and colours sections would switch too so the seats would have white people in one direction and coloured people on the other direction!

 

            I got off and photographed the bus.

 

 

            I filmed the bus pulling away before I went to catch a Blue line train. I was going to try to ride the express bus again.

 

            I rode to Downtown Garland and went to catch a bus to the terminal to connect to the express bus. Upon getting to the terminal, I photographed the Express bus which was a Suburban XN40.

 

 

            I was the only passenger on the bus. I sat at the back seat on the right hand side. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a front shot of PCC #4613 so this turned out to be worth nothing.

 

            I got off by the former Texas Schoolbook Depository where JFK was shot back in 1963. I took some photos.

 

 

 

            I then decided to make my way back to my hotel. I rode the DART to Burbank station and walked the rest of the way there. I was able to charge my phone.

 

            After awhile I decided to ride the A-train. I walked back to Burbank and caught a Green Line train to Trinity Mills station.

 

            There was a train already there and I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

 

            The A-Train presently uses DMUs built by Stadler. When the line first opened, the service ran with RDCs leased from Trinity Railway Express until the current cars arrived. The A-Train could not use both the current cars and the RDCs together due to differences of crashworthyness.

 

            My train departed. I was riding all the way to Denton. We passed three other trains. When the train passed the yard, I filmed it. When the train got to Denton, I photographed it and a bus at a nearby transit terminal.

 

 

 

 

            I then got back on the train and rode back to Trinity Mills. The sun went down. When I got to Trinity Mills, the train went out of service. I photographed it.

 

 

 

            I waited for the train to leave and filmed it pulling out. I then went to get on the Green Line. I rode to Inwood/Love Field station. I photographed the Dallas skyline from the station.

 

 

 

            I looked around for somewhere to have dinner. I eventually found something. I then made my way back to the DART and caught a train back to Burbank. I then made my way back to my hotel.

 

            By now, my phone had finished charging. I set and alarm before I started packing and called it a night.

 

September 10, 2019:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I went back up to my room and finished packing. I then checked out of my hotel and walked to a bus stop. I boarded a bus on route #525. I didn’t want to pull my suitcase all the way as the walk wasn’t exactly the shortest.

 

            Once at Burbank I boarded an Orange line train to DFW Airport. Once I got to DFW, I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then had to get to the terminal to where Delta flies out of. I checked into my flight. I initially had an aisle seat, but got to change to a window seat. I then cleared security without incident.

 

            I then went to my gate. I logged into the airport’s Wi-Fi. I soon learned my plane was delayed by 10-15 minutes. I would still make my connecting flight in Detroit though.

 

            I went to a 7-11 in the terminal and bought lunch to eat while waiting.

 

            My plane soon arrived at the gate. I photographed it.

 

 

 

 

            I would be flying on an Airbus A220. Yes, an Airbus A220. The A220 was originally developed by Bombardier as the C-series. However Boeing who’s smallest plane was much larger than the C-series complained which resulting in tariffs being slapped onto the development which almost stopped it until Airbus came in.

 

            Toronto based Porter Airlines was originally planning on buying some of the C-series jets. However, the runway at Billy Bishop Airport would have had to be extended. A group of NIMBYs called NoJetsTO ultimately stopped this.

 

            While waiting for my plane to board, I photographed other planes including an Air Canada Embraer 175 just like what I flew home from Dallas on back in 2009.

 

 

 

 

            It was soon time to board my plane. I was seated and we departed 10 minutes late. As we taxied out to the runway, I photographed various planes.

 

 

 

            As the plane took off, I filmed the take off roll. I spent the time watching the plane’s on board entertainment system. I was also able to track the flight’s progress.

 

            We were soon approaching Detroit. I filmed the landing. The plane soon taxied to the terminal. When I got off I attempted to photograph the plane. Unfortunately, the airport’s windows were hard to photograph through. I decided against it and went to where my connecting flight was boarding.

 

            I attempted to photograph my connecting flight which was a Boeing 717 similar to what I flew from Salt Lake City to San Francisco on.

 

 

You can see how bad the windows are for photography.

 

 

            I saw there was a place to have a massage. If I had more time, I probably would have looked into it.

 

            There is a train that runs from one end of the terminal to the other. I photographed it as it passed above.

 

 

            The train wouldn’t have been useful to get from my inbound flight to my connecting flight so I didn’t try to take it.

 

            It was soon time to board. I had a window seat by the emergency exit so if there was an incident, I would have to help open the exit. From my plane, I photographed another Delta Boeing 717 and another plane.

 

 

 

            The plane departed on time. As we taxied towards the runway I photographed the plane I had come into Detroit on.

 

 

            As we taxied out to the runway, I photographed other planes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I filmed the take off roll. We soon flew across the Canadian border into Canada. There wasn’t any on board entertainment screens on this plane. However, the flight was about an hour long.

 

            Soon, we were flying over Toronto Pearson International Airport. We flew past it. We were going to come in from the East. I photographed Pearson Airport from the plane.

 

 

            At one point we flew above Canada’s Wonderland. I attempted to photograph the park from the plane.

 

 

            Shortly after flying above Canada’s Wonderland, I saw a GO train from the plane. The plane turned around on the north side of Richmond Hill. From the plane, I actually saw the Home Depot I work at! I photographed it from the plane.

 

 

Here’s my place of employment; Home Depot seen from my plane.

 

            Shortly after flying over my Home Depot, we flew over CN’s MacMillian Yard. I photographed it from the plane.

 

 

            As the plane landed, I filmed the landing. As we were taxiing to the terminal, I photographed various planes.

 

 

 

 

            We were soon parked at the gate. After I got off, I photographed my plane.

 

 

 

            I then went inside the terminal to clear Customs. It was now done electronically. First I had to line up to fill out a document on a screen. Once I was done, I was given a print out.

 

            I then had to take my printed slip to the main Customs hall. The Customs Hall was quite full, but the line moved quickly. Once I was through Customs, I went to the baggage claim.

 

            I then got my suitcase and met my parents. We then headed home.

 

Conclusions:

 

            Between having to be bussed AGAIN from San Antonio to Dallas and not getting to ride PCC #4614, those were the two disappointments from this trip. It seemed so promising when the Sunset between Tucson and El Paso was pretty much on time.

 

            Aside from that it was nice to see the last four PCCs I visited on my quest again. I hope Old Pueblo Trolley is able to build a new line and operate #4608 after cleaning off the graffiti and replacing the six broken windows.

 

            El Paso’s new streetcar line is quite nice. I wish I was able to ride PCCs 1506 and 1512 to ride the whole active fleet.

 

                        I’m already planning on returning to Dallas in January when I have at least 6 days off work in a row. January is usually a slow time at Home Depot. However before going to Dallas, I plan to spend a night in San Antonio and ride the Texas Eagle to Dallas. However, my next trip won’t be until October when I go to Ottawa to ride their new light rail line which opens on September 14^th. Until next time…

 

Click to go home.