September 21, 2021:

 

            I got up around 6:45 and got dressed I went down to the lobby and got breakfast. I then walked to the station were the Agawa Canyon Tour train departs. Today would have been the day I took the train up to the Agawa Canyon.

 

            I got to the station around the time the train would have been boarding. It was raining. I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            I waited a little while for the rain to let up. I then walked to a bus stop and waited for the route #3 bus. When the bus came I got on and rode a few stops past the CN yard. I got off and walked back. I saw the coaches from the Agawa Canyon Tour train and photographed them as well as various freight locomotives.

 

 

 

 

 

            I saw the last car in the cut of cars was #5706. When I booked my ticket, I chose to sit in car #5706. It was interesting seeing the coach I would have otherwise gotten to ride if my departure wasn’t cancelled.

 

            I photographed the coaches as well as a Grand Trunk caboose.

 

 

 

 

            Many of the coaches presently used on the Agawa Canyon tour train including #5706 were purchased from the Denver Ski Train a number of years ago alongside some former Amtrak F40s. The coaches were originally CN Tempo coaches. The Tempo cars ran on trains pulled by special Alco road switchers and ran between Toronto and Windsor and Toronto and Sarnia. The coaches became part of the VIA fleet where they were initially run behind the Alcos that VIA had leased until they began running behind LRC locomotives until they retired the last Tempo cars in 1984.

 

            However in 2001 I came across a single Tempo coach in VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Center which I photographed.

 

 

Here’s what the Tempo coaches looked in VIA colours.

 

            I then walked further along and photographed the other end of the coaches.

 

 

 

            I then walked to a bus stop to wait for a bus back to the terminal. It was raining heavily and I waited under the cover of a building. Eventually a Sault Ste Transit XD40 came and I rode back to the terminal. I then boarded Sault Ste Marie Transit XD35 #168 on route #5 and rode to my hotel. I got off and filmed the bus pulling away.

 

 

            This was my first ride on an XD35. I then walked back to my hotel and went up to my room. I wanted to dry off and wait to see if the rain stopped.

 

            After awhile, I decided to head out. The rain had seemingly stopped. I walked to the bus stop and caught a bus on route #5 to the Bush plane museum. I paid my admission and went into the museum. I photographed various planes on display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then took some photographs of a Saunders ST-27 which was an airliner.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a couple more exhibits including one pertaining to Smokey the Bear.

 

 

 

            I photographed a vintage helicopter as well as some railcars in the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a Fokker Friendship seaplane that was on display.

 

 

            I photographed a sign informing guests Roberta Bondar and Julie Payette; two female Canadian astronauts with ties to the area. As a matter of fact, the latter is now the Governor General.

 

 

            I went into an area intended for kids and photographed some exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a fire tower in the museum and some exhibits on forest fires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then watched a 20 minute film about forest fires and how they are dealt with using water bombers. The movie was also in 3-D.

 

            After the movie I went out and went up to the observation tower and took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then left the tower and photographed a few more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a “What do you do” scenario based on a bush pilot who had to make an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

            I then photographed a few more exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

            I went into an exhibit on insects. I spoke with someone there and mentioned how I had been hoping to ride the Agawa Canyon tour train and it was cancelled. He said part of the trip was scenic and it soon became apparent I had seen similar on the bus ride into Sault Ste Marie.

 

 

            I then photographed another exhibit about Canadian women in space.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went to the gift shop and bought a postcard. I then left and photographed a plane mounted on a pole in front of the museum.

 

 

            Moments later Sault Ste Marie Transit Orion 7 #161 passed. #161 is another ex TTC Orion 7. I got a rear shot of the bus.

 

 

            I then caught a bus and rode to a McDonald’s a few blocks from where the Ontario Northland bus dropped me off. After lunch I caught a bus back to the terminal. Once back at the terminal, I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

            I went to a store across the street from the terminal and looked around. I made my way back to the terminal and photographed the next pulse of buses when they arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then boarded Orion 7 #161. #161 is ex TTC #7907. I have now ridden all of the ex 7900 series TTC Orion 7s in service with Sault Ste Marie Transit. I rode the bus to a few blocks from my hotel and got off.

 

 

            I filmed #161 pulling away and took one more photo.

 

 

            I then walked back to my hotel. I went online for awhile and I also booked a shuttle to the airport for the following morning.

 

            After awhile I walked back to the terminal. While waiting I attempted to buy a Pepsi from the vending machine in the terminal but accidentally bought a Cherry Pepsi. I bought a regular Pepsi and ended up giving the Cherry Pepsi to a woman who was waiting. I then photographed the next wave of buses.

 

 

 

 

            The driver of XD40 #174 asked why I was taking pictures. I told him I was from Toronto and I liked buses and that there were some former Toronto buses he was okay with it and we ended up having a good conversation. He told me the ex OC Transpo Orion 6s were all retired.

 

            I then photographed Orion 7 #161 which is ex TTC #7907. I could make out the old TTC numbers at the back of the bus.

 

 

 

 

            I then took some more photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            Some more buses came only to go out of service. I photographed them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I eventually made my way to the Station Mall had had a massage in the coin operated massage chair. I then bought dinner at the food court.

 

            After dinner, I went back to my hotel. I photographed a couple buses passing by my hotel.

 

 

 

            I went back to my hotel room and went online and worked on this report for a little while.

 

            At one point, I noticed the cable I used to charge my Ipod Touch wasn’t working all that well. I decided to go out hoping to find a store where I could buy a new cable.

 

            Unfortunately the stores I checked were all closed or didn’t have the right kind of cable. I made my way back to my hotel. Along the way I photographed Sault Ste Marie Transit Orion 7 #161 again.

 

 

            I got to my room and was barely able to get the cable I had to work. I packed my stuff prior to leaving. I asked for a wake up call at 6:30 and called it a night.

 

September 22, 2021:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs and got a breakfast bag. I took it back to my room. I finished packing and got my stuff together. I took the elevator to the lobby and checked out.

 

            I went outside to wait for my shuttle. I soon saw it at the Holiday Inn next door to my hotel. The shuttle van then pulled up to where I was. I then got in and we headed towards the airport.

 

            There were a couple other people in the van with me. We passed by the CN yard where I saw the Agawa Canyon Tour Train coaches. This time they were coupled to ex Amtrak F40s which are used as power for the train. We also passed a Sault Ste Marie Transit XD40 on route #3 but I couldn’t photograph it.

 

            The airport is actually located a fair distance from Sault Ste Marie. However we arrived in plenty of time. I paid the taxi driver and went into the terminal.

 

            Sault Ste. Marie’s airport is actually pretty small and only has a couple departure gates. The Air Canada check in desk wasn’t open yet. I could see a Bearskin Airlines plane boarding passengers to Thunder Bay. Bearskin Airlines is an airline that serves various communities in Northern Ontario.

 

            Eventually the Air Canada desk opened and I went to check in. The person asked me questions to see if I had any COVID symptoms which I didn’t have. She then remarked that most people wouldn’t say they would.

 

            I then checked my suitcase and waited for the security line to open before. While waiting, I had a massage in a coin operated massage chair in the terminal.

 

            The security line soon opened and I went and cleared security with little problems. I then went to wait for my plane to board. I bought a bottle of Pepsi from a vending machine and went online for a few minutes.

 

            The plane that would be my plane home landed and taxied up to the terminal. It was another Bombardier Dash 8-300. I photographed the plane.

 

 

            After a few minutes it was time to board the plane I stepped out onto the Apron and photographed the plane again.

 

 

            I had a window seat. The plane was pretty much a full flight. We left on time. I filmed the plane’s take off roll.

 

            The plane then took a left turn and we were flying over water. We entered the clouds. We passed over a small airport during the 90 minute flight.

 

            After 90 minutes we began our approach into Toronto. It was raining in Toronto. I filmed the landing and photographed an Air Canada jet at the terminal.

 

 

            I saw the plane Air Canada had painted in the retro “Trans Canada Airlines” which Air Canada was originally called. Its name was changed to Air Canada in the 70s for ease of translating between English and French. I had photographed that plane when I was waiting to board my plane to Paris back in 2014.

 

            We were soon at the gate. I got off the plane and photographed it as well as the Trans Canada Airlines heritage jet.

 

 

 

            I then entered the terminal. I saw that people were waiting to board the flight I took to Sudbury about a week earlier. I photographed another Air Canada Bombardier Dash 8.

 

 

            I then went up to the main terminal. Along the way I took one more photo of the Trans Canada Airlines heritage jet.

 

 

 

            I then went to the baggage claim. As it turns out, my suitcase had beaten me to the baggage carousel. I got my suitcase and met up with my mom. We then headed home.

 

Conclusions:

 

            Aside from the Agawa Canyon Tour Train being cancelled for the week I went, it was nice to be able to travel again; even though it was completely within Ontario. It remains to be seen how much longer COVID will affect life.

 

            While it’s nothing fancy, I’m glad to have finally ridden the Sudbury-White River RDC run the whole length of the route. Seeing the Arthur M Anderson in Sault Ste Marie was cool. While I got to ride all three ex TTC 7900 series Orion 7s in service in Sault Ste. Marie, I would have liked to have ridden an Orion 6 and ex TTC 1374 which is Sault Ste Marie Transit #164. However both #164 and the Orion 6s are retired.

 

            As I said previously, I intend to return to Sault Ste Marie when they run the tour train again. However it won’t be until June of 2022 earliest.

 

            As for me my next trip will hopefully be no later than February when I go back to the Quebec Winter Carnival. Until next time…

 

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