July 8, 2009:

 

            I got up shortly after 9:00 am. I went for the restaurant for breakfast. I found out a voucher I had been given to me when I checked it didn’t cover milk and I had cereal which also wasn’t covered. I paid $5.65 for breakfast and headed to my room. I got my stuff together and headed out on the bus.

 

            When I got to the bus stop, I was soon joined by two other people. One of them was a man who I saw pick up a discarded cigarette off the ground and light it and smoke what was left. I thought it was pretty disgusting.

 

            I rode the bus to the Bridge Terminal and when I got there, I boarded articulated Classic #701 on route 10 and rode to downtown Halifax.

 

 

            Halifax is the only Canadian city to still be using articulated Classics. The two articulated Classics RTC in Quebec City (which I was unable to ride on my Quebec City trip) were retired in June when RTC took delivery of some Nova LFS articulated buses.

 

I photographed the interior. I got off by the Delta Barrington hotel on Barrington Avenue. A lot of bus routes converge in the area. I got off and photographed my bus before I filmed it leaving.

 

 

 

            I then crossed the street and looked into a mall adjacent to the Delta Barrington. I walked towards the bus stop to catch a bus back to Dartmouth.  I then saw and photographed a Link bus. The Link buses are a special service run by Metro Transit. They serve places outside of Halifax and Dartmouth and run as express buses in Halifax and Dartmouth, kind of like VIVA back home. The Link buses are all D40LFs with more comfortable looking seats. It costs $0.50 more to ride a Link bus than a regular Metro Transit bus. I had seen some Link buses in Halifax in 2006, but I never photographed any of them.

 

 

 

            I also photographed a regular Metro Transit D40LF in a pink wrap ad for Pepsi because I thought it looked interesting.

 

 

 

            A bus on route 14 pulled up and I got on. I know the bus runs past the hostel I stayed at in 2006. When the bus passed it, I saw the front sign had been changed, but still there.

 

            Moments later, I got a text message from Mike. He said he would be late but we would still meet up in the afternoon. I got off at the Bridge terminal. I bought lunch at a nearby McDonald’s and got on another bus and rode to the ferry terminal in Dartmouth. I then took a ferry across back to Halifax.

 

 

I rode on top in the open air since the weather was good. While on the ferry, I saw the tugboat done up as Theodore Tugboat (of the children’s cartoon of the same name) providing tours of the harbour. For humor purposes, I photographed it.

 

 

            The ferry docked in Halifax. I got off and walked over to Barrington Avenue.  I photographed one of Metro Transit’s FRED buses. FRED is abbreviated for Free Rides Everywhere Downtown. The FRED buses follow a specific routing that serves various tourism related sites.

 

 

            I boarded Articulated Classic #703 and rode back to the Bridge Terminal. I photographed the rear of the bus when I got off.

 

 

            Moments later, a woman asked me why I was taking a picture of myself. I told her I was taking a picture of the bus. She was okay with that. I then walked over to a nearby McDonald’s for lunch. After, I headed to the ferry terminal and took the ferry back to Halifax. After the ferry docked, I walked over to Barrington Avenue and filmed two Articulated Classics passing and photographed a third on a training run.

 

 

            I waited for awhile to see if a fishbowl or GM Classic would show up, but none did. I caught a route 14 bus to the Mumford Terminal. I saw there was a Wal-Mart nearby so I walked over.

 

            I looked around and then walked out and saw a fishbowl in the terminal. I sprinted to the terminal as the bus pulled away. I then saw it was #513 and on a driver training run. I was unable to photograph it, but was a tad annoyed with the fact I dashed for an out-of-service bus. I headed back to Wal-Mart and bought a bottle of Pepsi from a vending machine. I then headed back to the bus terminal and waited. Mostly D40LFs showed up, but I saw Articulated Classic which was the same bus I photographed earlier arrive at the terminal. It stayed for a few minutes before it left.

 

            I soon left too and headed to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. While I was on the bus, Mike text me saying we can meet in an hour. I thought that would be enough time to check out the museum.

 

            When I got there, I saw they had a 3D movie called “Dive to the Wreck of the Titanic”. I bought a ticket for that. I was aware of the fact that on the day I headed home from my last trip, the last remaining Titanic survivor died.

 

            The movie started up and part way through, Mike text me saying he was at the Dartmouth ferry terminal. I knew this wasn’t an hour. I told him I was at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and would be there as soon as I could.

 

            Despite the interruption, the movie was good. I left the theatre and looked around the exhibits including exhibits on the Titanic and the 1917 Halifax explosion.

 

This exhibit was to give the impression that you were visiting the wreck of the Titanic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned the Titanic’s sister ship; the Olympic visited Halifax Harbour in WW1.

 

 

 

 

This model is of the ill-fated Empress of Ireland’s sister ship.

 

 

 

A piece of what remained of the Mont-Blanc that blew up in Halifax Harbour in 1917.

 

 

 

            I looked in the gift shop briefly before I walked over to the ferry terminal and caught the ferry back to Dartmouth. When the ferry departed, I text Mike I was on my way.

 

            When the ferry docked, I was the first passenger off. I soon found Mike. We left the terminal and walked around the area. We caught up from last time we met. I told him how the THRA recently moved former CN steam locomotive #6213 from the Exhibition grounds to the roundhouse. I told him I was still working at Wal-Mart. Mike told me he worked at Wal-Mart when he was in high school for two months, but didn’t like it. Currently, my Wal-Mart job has grown old on me; I’ve applied with the TTC but haven’t heard back from them yet.

 

            Mike was living in Calgary back in 2007 and was working with CP, though he decided to move back home to Halifax and work for CN. However as a result of the economic recession, he was laid off. Mike told me he’s considering becoming a bus driver if he’s laid off for much longer.

 

            I photographed two CN diesels in a nearby railway yard.

 

 

            Mike told me those diesels were to power the gypsum train that leaves in the evening. We also saw two GP38s that would be going out on a local freight in a little while.

 

            Meanwhile, I saw a GM built Classic and I photographed it.

 

 

            Meanwhile the two CN GP38s began to move. There is a railway crossing nearby. Mike told me the crossing activates seconds before the train arrives and that many people aren’t the most careful crossing the line. Fortunately, I didn’t see any accidents! I photographed the GP38s as they did some switching.

 

 

 

            Meantime, I saw a fishbowl on the opposite side of the harbour. Mike and I walked to his car which is a Ford Crown Victoria that used to be a police interceptor. Shortly after we left, I saw a fishbowl pass by heading west. Mike and I chased it to the Bridge Terminal where I said goodbye to Mike and ran to the fishbowl. It was #512, the fishbowl I rode last time I was in Halifax, but it’s much better than not riding a fishbowl. I photographed 512 before I got on.

 

 

            I photographed 512’s interior. The bus soon left. I rode the bus to the Mic-Mac mall. I got off and photographed 512 and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

 

            I went inside the mall. I looked around for a few minutes before I bought dinner at the food court. I looked around the mall for a few more minutes before I walked back to the bus terminal. I boarded articulated Classic #703 and rode back to Bridge Terminal. I was hoping for to ride a GM Classic. Shortly after I got there, I saw GM Classic #902 show up, but it went out of service.

 

 

 

            I caught a bus to the ferry dock. I saw the diesels that power the gypsum train begin to move. I walked over to the crossing and photographed them.

 

 

            I crossed the street. Moments later, I saw D40LF #1122 arrive. 1122 is the number of my all time favorite GO Transit fishbowl. I photographed it and got on.

 

 

            I rode 1122 back to Bridge terminal where it went out of service. I took two more photos of it before I headed back to the ferry terminal.

 

 

 

            I waited around the ferry terminal hoping another GM Classic would show up, but none did. I only saw some MCI and Nova Classics as well as D40LFs. Eventually; I rode an MCI Classic back to Bridge terminal and waited for a route 52 bus to take me back to my hotel.

 

            MCI Classic #957 showed up in time for me to get on before my transfer would expire. However, people weren’t allowed to board because one passenger on the bus threatened another passenger and they had to call a supervisor and the police to remove the guy.

 

 

            Once the unruly passenger was removed, I was allowed to board and didn’t have to pay again because of what happened. The bus soon left. Along the way, I believe we passed by Mike. I rode the bus past my hotel through the Metro Transit yard. I then got off and walked back to my hotel. After visiting the convenience store near my hotel, I called the Airporter shuttle bus company to take me to the airport. They told me they would arrive at 11:20 am the next morning which would give me plenty of time to get to the airport to catch my plane home. I watched a bit of TV before calling it a night.

 

Click here for the last part of my trip report: Halifax 2009 part 3.