October 6, 2012:

 

            I got up shortly after 8:30 and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast but found the selection less than pleasing. I walked to a nearby convenience store and bought some cereal. I had breakfast and called the car rental place which was an Enterprise Rent-a-car. I was told there was only one person there so I called a taxi. It was a different taxi than what I had used the night before.

 

            The cab came and I arrived at the car rental place. I had to wait a few minutes but I eventually got my rental car: a Dodge Avenger. I then drove to Seashore by way of the Maine Turnpike. I paid $1 to get there faster.

 

            I soon arrived at Seashore. I pulled into the parking lot and parked. I noticed that former Edmonton BBC #125 was where I saw it last year. I photographed it and former MBTA Flyer trolleybus #4049 next to it.

 

 

 

 

            I then went inside the gift shop and paid admission. I saw the Redbirds that ran when I first visited Seashore in 2008 were running as well as the former Blue Line Hawkers acquired a few years ago. I photographed them.

 

 

 

            The Hawkers were going out next. I boarded the train which departed after several minutes. It reminded me my 2008 Boston trip where I rode similar cars in service. When the train returned to the main area, I photographed it.

 

            I went to the Highwood barn to see former Toronto Peter Witt #2890 which is what brought me to Seashore back in 2008. However, 2890 wasn't in there. I photographed Type 5 #5821 and left the barn.

 

 

            I then went outside and photographed former TTC Flyer D700 #7521 and former Hamilton GM Articulated #518203.

 

 

 

 

            I then went behind the barn to see the buses. I discovered that Seashore had acquired an Orion 1! I photographed it and some other buses.

 

 

 

 

            I photographed some trolleys including the Boeing LRV Seashore acquired.

 

 

 

 

            I saw the Blue Line Hawkers were being moved to Highwood yard. I filmed them and then photographed the cars.

 

 

            I then made my way towards the maintenance barn. On the way, I stopped in the Riverside car barn and photographed fishbowl #122 and former Washington PCC #1304.

 

 

 

            I made my way to the restoration barn. I saw former New Jersey Transit PCC #5; the PCC they couldn't find last year was in the restoration barn. I photographed it.

 

 

            I saw former Toronto Peter Witt #2890 in the barn as well. I photographed it.

 

 

            I was invited into the barn. I spoke with the member who was restoring #2890. They had to replace some corroded steel. The trucks had finally been regauged. The last two times, #2890 was sitting on shop trucks. Halton County has been assisting Seashore with getting #2890 operational.

 

            I then noticed the poles were raised on an old Boston trolleybus. I photographed it.

 

 

            I then went inside the exhibit area. I saw someone has some scale models including a Downeaster consist. I photographed it.

 

 

 

            I also saw a child's book which told the story of Rosa Parks and what she did. I then went outside and saw the Orion 1 I had photographed earlier was running. I photographed it as well as former Boston PCC #3125.

 

 

            I went for a ride on the Orion 1. The interior reminded me of YRT Orion 1 #8504 which was retired years earlier. The Orion 1 went from near the visitors centre to the area where I photographed the bus parked earlier and back. I got off and filmed the bus pulling away.

 

            The next cars out were the former New York Redbird subway cars. I sat in car #9327 and the train departed. I rode the cars back in 2008 but they weren't running when I visited Seashore last year.

 

            I saw fishbowl #3000 was running. #3000 is a 30 foot fishbowl. If I recall correctly, Seashore acquired it from a friend of my friend in Niagara Falls who owns ex Niagara Transit fishbowl #14! I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            #3000 followed the same route as the Orion 1 which was also running. This was the first time I ever rode on a 30 foot fishbowl. I took some interior shots before I filmed it pulling away.

 

            After the cars returned to the visitors centre, I took a ride on car #1700 from Australia. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I then photographed various pieces of equipment on display including former TTC Flyer D700 #7521.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I saw that two buses were parked out front: Golden Gate suburban fishbowl #870 and a suburban GM Old Look which was numbered 401. I photographed the two buses.

 

 

             I boarded the fishbowl and the bus departed and drove around on the roads near the museum. The bus was smooth and comfortable. This was the first time I rode a suburban fishbowl with no centre doors. When we returned to the museum, I took some interior shots of #870 and then boarded Old Look #401. #401 looked the suburban version of the Rosa Parks bus which I visited back on my Michigan trip. I sat in the second forward facing seat on the right hand side of the bus since that was the seat Rosa Parks was sitting in on the day she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person.

 

            After I got off #401, I saw the next car out was former Boston elevated car #01000. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode the car to the end of the line and back. After, I photographed more trolleys that were parked outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I went to the restoration barn and took a picture of 2890 from where visitors can observe people restoring the cars.

 

 

            At one point, I went for another ride on the MBTA Hawkers that ran on the blue line.

 

 

            After the ride, I saw some people had brought restored fishbowl from New York. I photographed it as well as former Edmonton BBC #125 which was parked nearby.

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed an old school bus as well as two former New York class R-9 subway cars.

 

 

 

            It was 5:00 pm and the museum was closing. Plus it was starting to rain. I took a photo of my rental car before I left.

 

Here's my rental car for this trip: a Dodge Avenger.

 

            As I turned out of the museum's driveway, the rain started coming down. However, I was able to drive safely. At one point, I stopped for dinner at a Taco Bell in Saco. After dinner, I drove back to my hotel. I let the person in the lobby know I had a car before I went to my room. I watched TV and worked on this report some more. I set the alarm on my phone to just before 9:00 am before I called it a night.

 

Click here for part 2 of Transit Weekend at Seashore:      Seashore part 2