August 10, 2006:

 

I slept in for a bit, but eventually got up. My train back to Toronto didn’t depart until 5:20 pm. That morning, my family decided to go sightseeing in Montreal. We were joined by one of my sister’s teammates and her mom.

 

We headed out onto the highway and I saw VIA train 57 pass by, but was unable to photograph it. However, I did manage to get a half decent video of the Alstom facility as we drove past.

 

We went to the historic part of Montreal and started looking around. We looked in various stores. One such store was called “Les Delices de l’Erable”, a store that sells maple flavoured treats.

 

After we were in the store for a few minutes and after we looked in other stores, we split up and intended to meet back at 12:30 pm. I went down to the waterfront and photographed a vehicle that was part bus and part boat. A similar vehicle runs in Toronto and is known as the “Hippo bus”. This bus however was painted to look like a fish.

 

 

            I continued exploring the waterfront. I saw the labyrinth maze that I visited a long time ago when I was a kid. However, I didn’t go inside.

 

            I continued wandering around and found the former Ontario Northland car ferry Nindawayma. The Nindawayma was one of two car ferries that Ontario Northland operated between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island in Ontario along with another ferry named the Chi-chimaun. However, Ontario Northland sold off the Nindawayma around 1996, and continued to operate the Chi-Chimaun. A few years ago, Ontario Northland sold the Chi-Chimaun to a private company which now runs the service. I saw the Nindawayma in Montreal in 2002, but it was at a different location back then. I took a few photos of the Nindawayma.

 

 

            I was curious if I could get on board the Nindawayma, but I found I couldn’t. I then headed back to the car. I found out that my mom, my sister, my sister’s teammate and her mom wanted to stay an extra hour. They also asked me to get the umbrella from our van, which I did. After I gave them the umbrella, I went back to the waterfront.

 

            I headed over to the labyrinth maze and then noticed a warship nearby which I went over. I also noticed the amusement park “La Ronde” off in the distance.

 

I saw that tours of the warship would be held later in the afternoon, but after my train left. I took a picture of the stern of the ship.

 

 

            I noticed the bus/boat I photographed earlier in the water and took another photo of it.

 

 

            I was about to walk over and photograph the warship from the bow, when it started to pour. I scrambled for shelter. I found shelter in a place that rents Segway Personal Transporters out. I didn’t rent one though because it was almost 1:30. I saw a group of kids with some councilors. Two of the councilors tried the Segways. The third said she didn’t want to, but the kids and other councilors rooted for her. I didn’t stick around to see if she did as I ran for the car. I beat the girls there in my party, though they were closer.

 

            We headed out and explored downtown Montreal. After awhile, we headed to the mall near our hotel for lunch. At the mall, I photographed one more STM Classic.

 

 

            After lunch we went back to our hotel where I packed my stuff. I would have liked to stay longer, and while my sister’s team would stay a few days longer, I had to go home because I had work the next evening.

 

            I was soon given a ride to Dorval station. We got there miles early. I decided to use the time to watch trains. Dorval station is located by Montreal’s international airport and planes fly over the station prior to landing or shortly after taking off. The first VIA train to arrive was train 60 from Toronto. As it pulled in, I filmed it. I then took a photo of the train in the station.

 

 

            When train 60 departed, I filmed it pulling out. Shortly after train 60 left, VIA train #34 arrived from Ottawa. I took a couple photos of it.

 

 

            After train 34 left, I filmed a westbound AMT commuter train. Shortly after that, an eastbound CP freight passed. The train was led by one of CP’s new GE ES44AC locomotives. This was the first time I had seen one of CP’s new GEVO’s (as the ES44AC’s are known as.) I took a couple photos of the freight.

 

 

            A few minutes later, VIA train #37 arrived, heading to Ottawa. I took a couple photos of it.

 

 

            After train 37 departed, my train, VIA train #67 arrived. I filmed the train pulling into the station. There was an announcement regarding train 67, first in French. When they made the English announcement, I had problems hearing it because a jet happened to be flying overhead!

 

 

            I boarded the last coach in the train and took my pre-assigned seat. I filmed an eastbound AMT commuter train as it passed. Upon boarding the train, I saw a mother and her two young children. At first, I thought I had run into the family I encountered on board VIA train 39. While we were waiting for an abandoned van to be moved off the tracks at a crossing ahead of us, the daughter, Ruby, kept asking me if I had a wordsearch book on me, even though I kept telling her no. That continued until I eventually snapped at her. However, the family I saw on train 67 wasn’t the same people.

 

            The train soon left and a few minutes later, I saw a STM Classic numbered in the 59-000 series, which is one of their oldest buses, as it still had a Mylar destination sign instead of an electronic sign. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph it.

 

            We soon passed back into the province of Ontario. The train crew started serving dinner. Train 67 is an express train and there would be no stops before Toronto. As we passed through Kingston, I caught a glimpse of a fishbowl at the Kingston Transit garage. I guess it was #7828, their last active fishbowl.

 

            We passed through Belleville, Cobourg, and Port Hope. Soon, we were passing through Oshawa.

 

            As we neared Toronto, I tried to film the TTC’s Greenwood subway yard, but it was too dark. Train 67 arrived into Toronto eight minutes late. As we arrived, I saw train 650 awaiting its 10:00 pm departure for Kingston. Upon getting off the train, I took some photos.

 

Train 67 (on the right) shortly after arriving in Toronto.

 

Train 67 would continue on to Oakville and Aldershot. I tried to take a photo of the locomotive, but the engineer wouldn’t let me. I went downstairs and headed out to the subway to go home. When I got to the subway, to my horror, I discovered I had lost one of my memory sticks. I got off the subway and called VIA Rail. After a few minutes, they told me they found my memory stick and could pick it up tomorrow. I was relieved, but still upset at loosing it in the first place. At Finch, I caught a VIVA Van Hool AG300 and headed home.

 

 

Conclusions:

 

Despite forgetting a second memory stick at home and leaving one on the return train, this trip was pretty good. I found that despite the rule of no buses can be no older than 1989, Montreal is a city where you wish you could stay longer. I wish I could have photographed the two Classics I saw with Mylar destination signs though.

 

I was able to retrieve the memory stick I left on train 67 the next morning. All photos were still on it. I’ll have to be careful on my next trips. Until next time…