September 9, 2018:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I then headed out. I saw that Oakland was preparing for a pride parade and had even wrapped an AC Transit bus for the occasion. I photographed that bus.

 

 

 

            I also photographed a mini Bart train on a trailer which would also be used in the parade.

 

 

            I filmed the bus leaving. I caught another AC Transit bus to Jack London Square. I was looking for somewhere to have breakfast. I looked around and filmed a train belonging to Amtrak California departing. It was being pushed by one of Amtrak’s new Siemens Charger locomotives. They are replacing the F59PHis assigned to the service which are being sold to Metra in Chicago. I also photographed the train.

 

 

            I then found a restaurant and had breakfast. I then made my way to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket to San Francisco. An Amtrak train pulled in with ex New Jersey Transit comet coaches which had been refurbished. However, I was unable to photograph it.

            From the ferry dock, I photographed the USS Potomac and another ship.

 

 

 

           

            The ferry departed. We sailed non stop to San Francisco. Along the way, I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I got to the ferry dock and got off the ferry. I saw PCC #1040 was running again. I decided to go for a short ride. I photographed the car before I got on.

 

 

 

            I rode one stop and got off. I photographed the car before I filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I then caught a Skoda trolley bus back to where Heritage Weekend was happening. Muni is taking delivery of some New Flyer XT40 trolleybuses which will replace the Skoda buses. I photographed the bus when I got off.

 

 

            I saw PCC #1008 was coming. #1008 is one of Muni’s double ended “Torpedo” PCCs. I photographed the car before I got on.

 

 

            I rode to Fisherman’s Wharf. I got off and photographed #1008 and PCC #1050 in front.

 

 

 

 

            I rode #1050 back to the Ferry building. Along the way we passed one of the boat trains Muni acquired from Blackpool, England and European style PCC #737. I got off PCC #1050 near the ferry building. I photographed the car and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I have now ridden #1050 in both the Muni Wings livery and the St. Louis livery. #1050 is the only car of the three PCCs that were painted in a different livery after being rebuilt that I rode in two different liveries. The other two are #1062 which was originally painted for Louisville but was away where I was in San Francisco two years ago and #1063 which is painted for Baltimore. #1063 was painted in Baltimore’s later livery when I was in San Francisco in 2016, but was repainted into the original livery Baltimore’s PCCs were delivered in upon its return. I will talk about #1063 later.

 

            I then saw the other boat tram Muni had acquired was also running. I photographed it and #1008 before I boarded the boat tram which is #233.

 

 

 

 

            As with car #1 the day before, #233 went to the short turn loop by Pier 39. Along the way, I photographed various PCCs and boat tram #228 which I decided to try to ride later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            As we returned to the San Francisco Railway Museum, I photographed more streetcars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then got off #233.  I took some photos.

 

 

 

            Fishbowl #3287 was going out next. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I boarded #3287 and we headed off. As we passed where the California cable cars load, someone pointed out historic car #42 which I attempted to photograph from the bus.

 

 

            Like the day before, we had a photo stop. Many riders including myself got off and photographed the bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            We got back on the bus and headed out. We soon returned to the starting point. I got off and photographed #3287.

 

 

 

            After getting off #3287, I photographed various buses and PCC #1051.

 

 

 

 

 

            Flyer E800 #5300 was going out next. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            The bus then departed. We had a photo stop by a park. I stepped off and photographed #5300 and a couple Skoda trolleybuses.

 

 

 

 

 

            We then got back on #5300 and headed off. We dewired at a number of intersections. We soon got back. I then proceeded to photograph PCC #1059 which is painted for Boston.

 

 

 

            I then photographed PCC #737.

 

 

            I then photographed PCCs 1062 and 1074. This was the third day in a row I saw #1074 running. I began wondering if it would be in service tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

            I waited in line with a group of people, but it turns out they were waiting for the heritage cars; not the regular F line. I boarded PCC #1062 and rode a few stops where I got off and photographed the car.

 

 

            I filmed #1062 and walked over to a mall for lunch. As it turns out, I could have ridden #1062 at least 2 more stops to get to the mall. I bought lunch and headed back to where Heritage Weekend was. I boarded one of Muni’s XT40s. I photographed the trolleybus before I got on.

 

 

            I soon returned to where heritage weekend was being held. I photographed Melbourne tram #496 which was running in service on the E line.

 

 

            The reason Muni is running #496 on the E line is that Muni doesn’t have a sufficient number of double ended PCCs to cover the route. It doesn’t help that three of their limited double ended PCCs are either out at Brookville for rebuilding at the time of my trip, awaiting shipping to Brookville for rebuilding.

 

            However, Muni is working at trying to fix the problem. Last year, Muni acquired a couple former Philadelphia Suburban cars from a museum on the east coast and is hoping to modify them to PCC standards. However, the cars are at Brookville as Muni and Brookville are negotiating as it appears to be a difficult process since the cars will require a lot of work.

 

            Muni has a second car from Melbourne. Earlier this year, Muni made an effort to get that car operational but while it did operate under its own power, mechanical problems prevented it from being used in service or as part of Heritage Weekend.

 

            I then decided to try to ride boat tram #228; the other boat tram operating as well as “Dinky” #578 which I rode two years earlier. While I was waiting, I photographed various PCCs including #737 which is part of Heritage weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I was part of a long line of people waiting for the boat tram. Car #1 came by. I photographed it.

 

 

 

            Only a handful of people boarded car #1 as they wanted to ride the boat tram. Boat tram #233 came and took on most of the people. I photographed #233.

 

 

            When both cars 1 and 233 departed, they dewired at the intersection. I photographed the results.

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed PCC #1059.

 

           

            Dinky #578 came. I photographed it.

 

 

            Before I could board, #578 departed. Boat train #228 came. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

 

            The car was full, but I did get a seat on the left hand side of the car. We soon departed. I photographed various streetcars and a fire truck.

 

 

 

 

 

            I got off by Pier 39. I photographed the car and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

 

            I waited for dinky #578 to come back. While waiting, I photographed boat tram #233.

 

 

            Car #578 arrived. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode #578 back to the ferry terminal. I got off and photographed the car.

 

 

            I then photographed PCC #1059 and car #496.

 

 

 

            I saw both boat trams were together. I overheard one person say that they were hoping someone would catch the two boats side by side. However, they were one behind the other now. I photographed them.

 

 

            I went into the store and bought a fridge magnet in the form of PCC #1074. I took a few more photos including one of the real #1074.

 

 

 

 

            Heritage weekend was now over. However, I ran into Russ again who told me that he had gotten permission to ride #5300 back to the garage and said I could come too! We boarded #5300 and headed off.

 

            We didn’t go straight to the garage. Instead, we stopped first at the new Transbay Terminal which opened in August. We took some pictures while we waited for an XT60 to depart as it was blocking us.

 

 

 

 

 

            After the XT60 departed the terminal, we soon left as another trolleybus was right behind us. At one point, we stopped to pose #5300 with one of Muni’s new XT40s.

 

 

 

            We dewired a couple of times on the way back to the garage.

 

 

            We went up a hill to get to the garage. We learned the articulated trolleybuses didn’t have much confidence on hilly routes. As a result, they assign 40 foot trolleybuses to routes with lots of steep hills.

 

            We soon got to the garage. We stopped outside and got off. We photographed #5300 and filmed it pulling in.

 

 

 

 

            I attempted to photograph some retired Skoda trolleybuses. Hopefully Muni will keep a Skoda as part of their historic fleet in the near future.

 

 

            We then photographed White bus #042 as it arrived back at the garage.

 

 

 

            I then noticed Marmon-Herrington coach #776. As I said earlier, #776 would have been part of Heritage Weekend, but couldn’t make it due to mechanical troubles. I photographed #776 and #5300 when it pulled up behind #776.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then took a couple more photos of the garage.

 

 

 

 

            We then went to catch a bus downtown. We decided to walk a couple blocks to catch a trolleybus. While waiting, I photographed XT40 #5706 and an XD40.

 

 

 

            Russ and I boarded XT40 #5712; the same bus we posed #5300 with earlier. On our way back downtown we talked about buses and trolleybuses. I told him that TTC retired their last New Flyer buses; 51 D40LFs built in 1999 back in 2016. However, TTC is expecting 10 battery operated buses from New Flyer in the near future.

 

            I also told Russ about TTC fishbowls 2290 and 2291 in Ireland and the TTC keeping some fishbowls including how in late 2015, they reacquired fishbowl #8058 from Halton County and how people are saying it may be too far gone and would only be used as a parts bus. At the time of the report, it’s still undecided despite back in 2016 a TTC employee did say they were going to fix it.

 

            We got off #5712 in downtown. I photographed the bus

 

 

 

            Russ and I walked to the Transbay terminal. I decided to catch an AC Transit bus back to Oakland instead of BART. I photographed a couple signs about the history of the Transbay Terminal and how interurbans used to run across from Oakland on the lower level of the original Bay Bridge before it was converted for automobile traffic.

 

 

 

            I boarded an AC Transit suburban Gillig heading across the bridge to Emeryville. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            The bus soon departed and headed across the new Bay Bridge. We got off the highway and passed through Emeryville. I looked for a BART station or a 76 gas station with a ball. It wasn’t for awhile that I got to a BART station in Richmond. I got off the bus.

 

            I saw a sign in the elevator telling people not to use elevators as washrooms! That was hardly the only sign I had seen on BART. I think it’s a sad reflection of society when a transit system has to tell people things like this.

 

            I boarded a BART train and rode to Coliseum station. I was going to see the 76 ball I had seen two years earlier. I boarded an AC Transit bus and headed off. I accidentally got off too soon, but walked the rest of the way to the 76 station. I photographed the ball.

 

 

 

            I bought some snacks and talked briefly with the cashier about the 76 ball. I then left and was hoping to have dinner nearby. Unfortunately, all the restaurants in the area were closed! They were open at that time of day two years ago. Maybe they close early on Sundays.

 

            I caught a bus back to the BART station and rode into downtown Oakland. I looked around and saw more restaurants were closed! I walked around. I looked down one street and saw another 76 station with a ball! I walked over to it and photographed the ball.

 

 

 

            I hoped the station would sell sandwiches, but it wasn’t the case. I saw some other open restaurants, but they were all Asian restaurants which I don’t like. I was worried I’d have to go back into San Francisco just to have dinner! Fortunately, I found an open restaurant that had food I would eat. I bought dinner and caught an AC Transit bus back to 14^th Avenue. I walked back to my hotel. I went online for a little while before I called it a night.

 

Click to read about my Last full day in San Francisco.