October 10, 2019:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I then went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I went online for a few minutes before I got my stuff together. I then headed out to the Rideau station.

            I boarded a westbound train and rode to Tunney’s Pasture; the western end of Line 1. I got off and took some photos.

 

 

 

            I then waited for the next train to enter. I filmed it pulling in and boarded the front car. I rode one stop to Bayview. It was here that I would connect with O-Train line #2; the original O-Train. They had built a new platform for the two lines to connect and people now board the train on the west side instead of the east side as it used to be. I took some photos before I boarded the train.

 

 

 

 

 

            The train left and I rode to Greenboro. I filmed other trains when we passed. I got off at Greenboro and photographed the train.

 

 

 

 

            I filmed the train departed and took one more photo.

 

 

            I then went and caught a route #97 bus to Hurdman. While waiting, the next train arrived. I photographed it.

 

 

            I boarded D60LFr #6669 and I sat in the seats in the articulation joint. The bus left Greenboro. A couple Transitway stops later, someone got on with a skateboard and was pounding the floor with it. When he walked past me, he knocked my hat off! I had trouble finding it on the floor but I eventually did. I stared daggers at him to the point I was thinking of trying to exact some petty revenge. However, when we stopped at Billings Bridge, a supervisor removed him from the bus for disturbing passengers. I told them how he had knocked my hat off (but didn’t hit me personally). I was satisfied with him being removed. Lesson here is don’t act like an asshole.

            I got to Hurdman a few minutes later and photographed the bus.

 

 

            I then went to the LRT station and boarded an eastbound train. I photographed the train when it arrived.

 

 

            I rode to St. Laurent station. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I went upstairs and boarded a bus on route #40. I was once again going to try to go to the Science and Technology Museum. I heard it was finally open again!

 

            I boarded a D40i and rode to the Science and Technology Museum. I got off and photographed the lighthouse on display as well as CN 4-8-4 #6200.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The museum was indeed open again. This would be the first time I would go there since 2009. I paid my admission and went inside.  I photographed a model of a Wardair Boeing 747.

 

 

            My very first plane flight was with Wardair. The airline was bought up by Canadian Airlines which later became part of Air Canada.

 

            I then photographed some vintage snowmobiles.

 

 

            I then photographed CP 4-8-4 #3100.

 

 

 

            I then photographed CP Royal Hudson #2858 and 4-4-2 #926.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed several model ships on display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I also photographed the tenders from 3100 and 2858 as well as CN streamlined 4-8-4 #6400.

 

 

 

 

            I then went up into the cab of CP #2858 and took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed CN #6400 from the front.

 

 

 

            I then left the railway exhibit. I then looked in the music exhibit and used a display that let you spin a disk and it would play the music of several prerecorded songs. You could even play the songs backwards depending which way you spun the disk. You could also vary the speed based on how fast you spun the disk/

 

 

            I then went around and photographed various exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            One exhibit I saw was about smart phones. It gave a list of various tasks and asked which a smart phone could be used for. Some options that couldn’t be used for was for cooking.

 

            I then photographed a model of a CN United Aircraft Turbo Train. There are no surviving real life examples.

 

 

            I then photographed a couple more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a newtsuit similar to one worn to the last legal dive to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald to remove the ship’s bell.

 

 

            At one point, I went to a room where you could build model cars and then test them on various test tracks. After, I photographed a few more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

            I then looked in the gift shop and eventually bought some chips. I then left the museum. I did walk around the building and photographed various pieces of railroad equipment on display outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went up to a building and attempted to photograph more railway equipment inside through a window.

 

 

            I then left the museum. I took some more photos of CN #6200 as I left.

 

 

 

            I then caught a bus back to the St. Laurent Center. I ate lunch in the mall’s food court. After lunch, I went to the LRT and boarded a train to Blair, the eastern end of the line. When I got to Blair, I got off and took some photos.

 

 

 

            I then went inside the mall next to Blair and bought something at the Wal-Mart in the mall. I then headed back to the station. I just missed a train. I saw one of the cars on the train was #1122; the number of my all time favourite GO Transit fishbowl.

 

            I waited for the next train. When it arrived, I photographed it.

 

 

            I then rode to Parliament station. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then filmed the train leaving. I then walked a couple blocks and photographed the Parliament buildings.

 

 

            I then went to the STO stop to wait to see if a Classic would come. I photographed various buses while I waited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            At one point, I photographed STO Nova LFS #0201 which I believe is the oldest LFS in service with STO as I did not see any built between 1996-2001 which is when the first generation Nova LFS buses were built.

 

 

            I then photographed more buses.

 

 

 

            At one point, I saw a highway coach done up for the NDP political party. It looks like the NDP was doing some campaigning before the upcoming Federal Election. However I was unable to photograph the bus.

 

            STO Classic #9136 eventually showed up. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            #9136 is former Calgary Transit Classic #5106. I rode the bus into Hull. I realized this might be the last time I ride a Classic in revenue service since I’m going home tomorrow and the high floor era is rapidly coming to a close.

 

            I got off and photographed #9136 and filmed the bus pulling away.

 

 

            I then caught an STO Nova LFS back to the terminal I hang around at. I saw another Classic coming. It was STO #9137 which I rode the day before. I photographed it thinking #9136 won’t be the last Classic I ride in service.

 

 

            Unfortunately #9137 took off before I could get on. I took one more photo of it.

 

 

            #9136 was still the last Classic I would ride in service. However, I waited around to see if any more would come. None did. I boarded OC Transpo double decker bus #8132 and rode to the Pimisi station on Line 1. I got off and photographed the bus.

 

 

            I then went to catch an eastbound train. I photographed it when it pulled in.

 

 

            I rode two stops to Parliament. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then filmed the train pulling away. I then walked out to the street hoping to see and ride another STO Classic. I photographed various buses.

 

 

 

 

 

            No more STO Classics came by. I eventually boarded an OC Transpo Orion 7 NG on route #18 and rode to Billings Bridge mall. I had been there in 2004 when I caught my second last ride on an OC Transpo fishbowl.

 

            I went into the mall and had dinner in the food court. After, I decided I was going to ride the Trillium line again. On my way to the Transitway station, I photographed a mural of an old streetcar.

 

           

            I boarded a bus on route #90. The #90 took me to the Mooney’s Bay station. I walked to the station and saw a northbound train was arriving in a few minutes. When it arrived, I filmed it pulling in.

 

 

            I rode to the Bayview station while I filmed other trains passing. At Bayview, I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

 

            I then went to the Confederation line to take a train back to Rideau. I photographed the train when it arrived.

 

 

            As my train departed, we passed another train that had LRV #1122 in the consist. I decided to get off at Pimisi station and wait for #1122 to return. At one point, I left the station and photographed the sign outside of the stations by the new Confederation line.

 

 

            #1122 eventually returned and I boarded the car and rode to Rideau. I photographed the train.

 

 

            I then filmed the train pull away and walked up to the Rideau Center. I looked around the mall for a little while and paused in the food court. I then returned to the hostel. I worked on this report for a little and went online.

 

            I eventually went outside and walked over to a couple convenience stores before returning to the hostel. I set the alarm on my new cell phone. Yes, I bought a new cell phone after the trouble I went through finding a charging cable on my last trip. I called it a night.

 

October 11, 2019:

 

            I was woken up in the middle of the night by someone in one of the nearby rooms snoring. This is the result of the rooms being made from old jail cells and open at the top allowing outside noises to get in. I had chosen a private room to avoid this problem! I eventually did fall to sleep thought but not before I went online for a few minutes.

 

            I got up and got dressed. I then went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I went upstairs and finished packing. I then checked out of my hostel and walked to Rideau station. I photographed the train when it arrived.

 

 

            I rode to Tremblay station and got off. I photographed the train.

 

 

 

            I then filmed the train pulling away. I then head to the VIA station. I went inside to find where train #45 was departing from. I bought a Pepsi from a vending machine in the station.

 

            I then walked outside and took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            I saw a VIA train with two refurbished HEP2 coaches. I photographed them.

 

 

Is it me or do VIA’s refurbished HEP2 coaches make me think of the C&O?

 

            VIA is giving the HEP2s a small refurbishment. I have heard the seats in the cars are now arrange to be half facing forwards and half facing backwards like the LRC coaches. However VIA has recently placed an order with Siemens for new coaches that will replace the HEP2s and LRC coaches in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. They are also buying Siemens Charger locomotives as well to pull these new coaches. Hopefully some LRC coaches will be saved from scrap. In my mind, both Exporail and TRHA should get at least one coach each because they have the only two surviving LRC locomotives and an LRC coach would compliment the locomotive.

 

            I then went back into the station to await boarding of train #45. Boarding soon commenced. I was seated in HEP2 coach #4107, an unrefurbished coach. I had an aisle seat to start with. The train left three minutes early. However no one complained. Shortly after we departed, we passed a train on the Confederation line. As we passed, I filmed it.

 

            The train stopped at Fallowfield a little while later. After leaving Fallowfield, we stopped to let an eastbound VIA train pass. As it passed, I filmed it.

 

            I saw there was an empty pair of seats in my coach. I decided to sit in them in the off chance no one would be sitting them at Kingston; the next stop of the train and the last stop before Toronto.

 

            I bought lunch when served. As the train passed through Smith Falls, I photographed a CP spreader.

 

 

            Some point later, we passed non stop through Brockville. VIA trains 62 and 52 passed, but I was unable to film them. The train stopped at Kingston a little while later. No one boarded my coach in Kingston so I remained in my seat. We passed various CN freight trains and VIA trains. I wasn’t able to film any.

 

            The train passed through Oshawa non stop. When we passed the TTC’s Greenwood subway yard, I filmed it. As we approached Union station, I photographed some GO Transit F59s in a storage yard east of Union station.

 

 

            Train #45 arrived into Union station five minutes late. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

 

 

            I then went downstairs and phoned home. I then got on the subway and rode to Finch where I got picked up and headed home.

 

Conclusions:

 

            Aside from being woken up from someone snoring at the hostel despite the fact I had a private room and missing Classic #9137 on the second day, this trip was great. Ottawa is already building an extension west on the Confederation line and plans to extend it east as well. They also plan to extend the Trillium line south of Greensboro as well with a branch coming off to serve the airport. When these extensions open, I’ll be sure to return.

 

            It was good to be able to visit the Science and Technology Museum again. It had been closed for years because of mould or so I’ve heard. I was unable to visit the museum in 2015 and 2017.

 

            As for me, my next trip won’t be until January when I return to Dallas to attempt to ride PCC #4614 again. Until next time…

 

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