September 30, 2016:

 

            I got up at 8:30 am and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. I saw it was foggy out. After breakfast, I went back to my room and went online. I checked to see if Muni PCC #1074 was running. It was not.

 

            I worked on this report for a few minute before I finished packing. I then checked out of the hotel.

 

            The airport shuttle took me to the airport. I told them to drop me off by American Airlines because their check in was closest to the light rail station.

 

            I went to the light rail and bought a day pass. I noticed that Seattle and Tacoma have something called the Orca card which is like the Clipper Card in the San Francisco Bay area and Presto back home.

 

            I went up to the platform and when the train arrived. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode downtown to the Amtrak station. I got off and photographed the train again.

 

 

            I saw that the LRT stations downtown also had diesel buses running on the right of way as well. I photographed a D60LF going the other direction.

 

 

            I left the LRT station and walked towards the Amtrak station. Along the way I photographed a few trolleybuses.

 

 

 

 

            I noticed some trolleybuses were similar to a trolleybus the Illinois Railway Museum acquired a couple years ago from Seattle. The coach IRM got was built in 2002 which makes it really young!

 

            I went to the Amtrak station and checked my suitcase to Vancouver. The Cascades trains offer checked baggage and I didn’t want to be dragging my suitcase around all day.

 

            After checking my suitcase, I photographed an Amtrak Cascades train awaiting its departure south to either Portland or Eugene.

 

 

            I then left the station and went to catch a trolleybus. I photographed trolleybus #4180 before I boarded its sister #4173.

 

 

 

            I rode #4173 a medium distance before I got off. I photographed #4173 before I filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I wandered around the area. I was hoping I would be able to see Mount Rainier again, but I was unable to. I boarded trolleybus #4191 and rode back downtown.

 

            I eventually got off #4191 at the end of the line and photographed it.

 

 

            I also photographed a bus used by Seattle’s BRT system.

 

 

            I had lunch at a nearby McDonald’s for lunch. After lunch, I walked over to Seattle’s monorail which would take me to the Space Needle. My pass didn’t work on the monorail. When the train arrived, I photographed it.

 

 

            I got on and sat at the front. The train soon departed. As we got close to the Space Needle, I photographed it.

 

 

            We soon arrived in the end of the monorail line. I got off and photographed the train.

 

            I then left the station and walked towards the Space Needle. I looked up and photographed it.

 

 

            I decided to go up the Space Needle. I paid my admission and went to catch the elevator to the top. While in the lobby, I photographed the exhibit about the designing and construction of the Space Needle. I even saw how they compared its height to Mount St. Helens before it erupted in 1980.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount St. Helens is shorter now.

 

 

            I soon made it to the elevator. I took the elevator to the observation deck. When I got there, I first tried to see Mount Rainer, but it was obscured by cloud cover. I took some photos in Rainier’s general direction as well as a cruise ship and a ferry that goes between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia.

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Rainier is somewhere out there...

 

 

 

            Since I couldn’t photograph Mount Rainier, I photographed a screen showing Mount Rainier as it how it can be seen from the Space Needle on a clear day.

 

 

            I noticed the Space Needle has something like the Edgewalk on the CN Tower back home. Basically, you are clipped in and are allowed to walk at the extreme edge of the tower. However, it costs extra, so I didn’t do it. I’m not sure how much more it costs on the Space Needle, but Edgewalk costs $175 back home.

 

            From the Space Needle, one can actually see Canada! I knew that I would be there in about 8 hours.

 

            While I was unable to photograph Mount Rainer, I did manage to photograph Mount Baker from the Space Needle. Like Rainier, Mount Baker is a volcano in the Cascades range.

 

 

I’ve circled Mount Baker between the plane and the sign it’s pulling.

 

            I took one more photo at the observation level before I took the elevator back down.

 

 

            I went to the gift shop and bought a couple postcards including one of Seattle with the Space Needle and Mount Rainier since I couldn’t photograph the real volcano from the Space Needle.

 

 

            I took one last photo of the Space Needle.

 

 

            I then went to a nearby ATM and withdrew $40.00. I then went to catch a bus. I photographed the monorail one more time as well as XT40 #4345 when it pulled up.

 

 

 

            I rode #4345 a little ways until we came to a stop used by Rapid Ride; Seattle’s BRT network. I got off and photographed #4345.

 

 

            I waited for the next Rapid Ride bus to come. They use DE60LFrs on Rapid Ride. I photographed one before I got on.

 

 

            I rode a few stops before I got off. I wandered around for a little while before I got on the LRT and rode to the Amtrak station. After I got off the train, I photographed it.

 

 

            I then decided to go for a ride on Seattle’s new streetcar line. I walked to a streetcar stop and photographed a streetcar when it arrived.

 

 

            I took a short ride to the end of the line and got off and photographed the car.

 

 

 

            I waited for the streetcar to leave before I filmed it pulling away. I soon saw another streetcar coming. I photographed it.

 

 

 

            I made my way back to the Amtrak station and crossed the street. I was hoping to ride a Breda articulated trolleybus. I had seen one earlier on route #70. I thought the #70 stopped across from the Amtrak station. While I waited, I photographed a few buses and trolleybuses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I soon realized the #70 didn’t stop there, so I got on XT60 #4518. I photographed #4518 before I got on.

 

 

            I rode #4518 a short distance to where I knew I could catch the #70. I got off and filmed #4518 pulling away.

 

            I had seen a Breda articulated trolleybus going the other way, but knew it was almost to the end of the line and would soon come back. I waited around and photographed a few more buses.

 

 

 

 

            I was starting to cut it close, but Breda #4232 showed up on route #70. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode a short distance before I got off. I photographed #4232 as it appeared to lay over.

 

 

            #4232 soon went back into service. I took another picture of it before I filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I also filmed Breda #4203 as it passed moments later.

 

 

            I then headed to the LRT station. I ended up catching a bus running through the tunnel as it came before the next train. I boarded D60LFr #6986 and rode to the Amtrak station. I got off the bus and photographed it.

 

 

            I filmed the bus pulling away. I then headed towards the Amtrak station. I walked through a former station that no longer was served by trains before I got to the Amtrak station. I photographed a Sounder commuter train.

 

 

 

            I thought I might be able to see Mount Rainier, but decided it was too tight for my train to Vancouver. I returned to the station and waited for my train.

 

            People where checking in for train #516 which is what I would take to Vancouver. People were asked to show their tickets. They were given seat and car numbers.

 

            I bought some chips and a Pepsi from a vending machine and awaited my train’s arrival. When train #516 pulled in, I filmed it.

 

 

            I was seated in coach #7701 on the Mount Jefferson Talgo trainset. The Mount Jefferson trainset was one of two such trainsets bought in 2009. Older Talgo sets require a diesel at both ends or a diesel and a NPCU on the other end. The new sets had a cab car as part of the set. However, it still required a locomotive which in the case of my train, was leading.

 

            I had an aisle seat initially and was sitting next to someone. The train departed on time.

 

            The sun went down shortly after leaving Seattle. The train stopped at Edmonds. I logged into Amtrak’s Wi-Fi network. My seatmate asked if I would switch seats with her as she was soon getting off. I happily obliged.

 

            The Mount Jefferson trainset has screens that show the train’s progress and the time. We were running close to on time. We stopped at Everett where my seatmate got off. I wouldn’t get another seatmate for the rest of the trip. I went to the café for dinner. I ate it at my seat. The train stopped at Stanwood.

 

            I was given a form to fill out for Customs. I filled it out. The train stopped at Bellingham which is the last stop in the United States. We soon departed. We were just under two hours to Vancouver.

 

            There wasn’t much to see until we got to a community. I felt we were back in Canada. Awhile later, I could see the Skytrain which made me believe we were getting close to Vancouver.

 

            We were soon approaching Vancouver’s Pacific Central station. I filmed VIA’s Vancouver Maintenance Center as we passed. I saw some bi-level coaches for the West Coast Express and some VIA Hep1 cars and some F40s.

 

            The train soon had to stop outside the station in order to throw a switch. We soon pulled into the station on time.

 

            However, we couldn’t get off right away. The train crews opened coach doors one at a time. I was eventually able to get off. I walked to the front of the train and got my suitcase. I photographed the train.

 

 

            I then had to go through Customs. When I was last in Vancouver in 2007 on my Western Canada trip, my friend Fred told me that they do Customs in the station and I thought it would be convenient.

 

            The customs inspection was quick and painless and it made me wish that they could find a way to do something similar with the Maple Leaf.

 

            When my friend Mark and I left on the Canadian back in 2007, I remember there was a McDonald’s in the station. It was now an A&W, but it was closed.

 

            I headed off to my hotel, but I had lost the directions and ended up going the wrong way. I eventually flagged a cab which took me to the hotel. By the time I got to the hotel, it was an hour after I left the station.

 

            I was staying at the Budget Hotel Patricia. When I got there, checking in was PAINFULLY SLOW. I remarked it was the Bombardier of hotels because Bombardier is building the next generation of streetcars for Toronto. The TTC has 204 such cars on order and they are being delivered so slowly, the TTC has been forced to overhaul a number of CLRV and ALRV streetcars in order to keep them on the road until their replacements are delivered!

 

            The TTC is even looking to take legal action against Bombardier for the delays. There have been people and even political cartoons depicting that when the last car in the order is delivered, the first cars in the order will be retiring! (The first cars entered service in 2014!)

 

            After I finally got checked in, I went to my room and went online. I went to a nearby convenience store and bought some milk. I eventually set the alarm on my phone and called it a night.

 

October 1, 2016:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. The staff directed me to a nearby pub where I had a free breakfast. Today was the last day this year a complimentary breakfast was offered.

 

            However, the milk tasted DISGUSTING! So after breakfast, I went to the convenience store and bought some milk there.

 

            I returned to my room and started packing. My flight home was in the afternoon. I saw that my friend Fred who I had told I would be in Vancouver said we might be able to meet up, but didn’t say a time. I replied to him asking for what time, but he never got back.

 

            I waited around for Fred to respond, but he never did. I finished packing and went to the lobby. I went online there and checked streetcar.org and saw that Muni PCC #1074; which I had been trying to ride in San Francisco was finally in service! If only Heritage Weekend was a week later!

 

            Hearing no response from Fred, I checked out of the hotel. I am determined not to return to the Budget Hotel Patricia again!

 

            There were a few bus and trolleybus routes that would take me to the new Canada Line that would take me to the airport. I will go more into the Canada Line in a little while.

 

            I photographed a few E60LFrs in service.

 

 

 

            Since I was in Vancouver last when they were running Flyer E902s and E40LFrs, Vancouver took delivery of some E60LFr trolleybuses which allowed them to retire the E902s. TRAMS; which is has a fleet of vintage buses and trolleybuses acquired E902 #2805 and a number of E902s were sold to Argentina. Unfortunately, vandals stole many components from TRAMS Flyer #2805 rendering the coach inoperative. They are hoping to either get new parts or another Flyer from Argentina.

 

            TRAMS also acquired former Edmonton BBC #132. It’s operational, but red tape is preventing it from being run on the streets of Vancouver but it has operated at the garage.

 

            I was hoping I would be able to ride an E60LFr to the Canada Line station, but a Nova LFS came first. I decided to ride it. The farebox wasn’t working, so the driver let me ride for free.

 

            I rode to the Canada Line station and got off. I filmed a couple trolleybuses before I headed off to the Canada Line.

 

            I paid my fare and went inside. I photographed one train and filmed the train I would ride to the airport. I then photographed it.

 

 

 

            From what I heard, Bombardier would have supplied the cars used on the Canada Line. They would have been similar to the Mark 2 cars on the Skytrain. It makes sense for parts standardization. However, other companies complained which made the contract go up for tender. Hyundai-Rotem won the contract. The Canada Line opened after my Western Canada trip.

 

            The trains on the Canada Line are driverless so I had a window looking out where I was going. I sat at the front of the front car for the whole trip.

 

            The first few stops were underground. We soon came outside. I photographed a couple passing trains.

 

 

 

            The Canada Line has a couple branches with only one serving Vancouver International Airport. I had made sure I was on the right train before I boarded.

 

            When I got to Vancouver Airport, I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then went into the airport. I bought a postcard before I checked in for my flight. I would be flying Air Canada home. I checked my suitcase and had lunch at the food court in the terminal. While I was having lunch, my friend Fred called. It was soon apparent wouldn’t be able to meet up. Since I was having lunch, Fred and I decided I should call him back after.

 

            After lunch I cleared security without incident. The line was somewhat long though, but I still had plenty of time before my flight was scheduled to leave.

 

            After clearing security and getting my stuff, I went to find my gate. My plane wasn’t there yet. I then looked for a payphone and eventually found one. I called Fred back and we talked for awhile.

 

            We talked about how a few years ago, VIA retired their last FP9 #6300 and #6300 was acquired by a group of people who gave it a bad paintjob. We also talked about steam locomotives #2816 and #2860.

 

            Fred mentioned that the Rocky Mountaineer Railtours is pretty much done for 2016 and they move all their cars in a large train to their shops for winter and that it must be a sight to see. Rocky Mountaineer runs luxury trains out of Vancouver to Prince George, Calgary, and Jasper. They are trying to get rid of the Canadian as well. Hopefully they won’t succeed at killing the Canadian.

 

            I told Fred how GO Transit bought some new cab cars with the promise of sending him a picture of one. We eventually ended the call.

 

            I returned to my gate and saw my plane was now leaving 20 minutes late.  When it showed up, I attempted to photograph it as well as a Korean Air Airbus A330.

 

 

 

            I would be flying home on a Boeing 777-300. This would be the largest aircraft I’ve flown on to date; bigger than the Lufthansa A330 I flew to Europe on last year.

 

            I went around to try to get another photograph of my plane from another vantage point. I found a semi-decent one.

 

 

            I returned to my gate and awaited boarding. We eventually did board. I had a window seat on the right hand side of the plane. We departed 20 minutes late. As we left, I photographed an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 and an Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300.

 

 

 

            When we took off I filmed the take off. We were soon at cruising altitude. I watched movies on the plane’s entertainment system including Star Wars the Force Awakens.

 

            The sun went down. I bought dinner on the flight. They didn’t have what I initially wanted, but eventually found something else.

 

            After awhile, we were approaching Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. We were coming in from the north. We flew through some clouds, but eventually broke through. I filmed the landing.

 

            A few minutes later, we were at the terminal. I eventually made it off the plane. I took one more photo of it.

 

 

            I stopped at an A&W near the gate and bought something to drink as I was thirsty. I then went to get my suitcase.

 

            I met my dad and we headed out. As it turns out, we needed to get gas and some groceries; (seriously?!?)

 

            We got gas and went to a Sobey’s in Richmond Hill which is open 24 hours and is out of the way. (Great, I have jet lag too).

 

October 2, 2016:

 

            It was after midnight when we lined up to pay. There was one person who needed a price check on an item!

 

           

            We soon paid for the milk and headed home. I was tired, but glad to be home.

 

Conclusions:

 

            San Francisco was excellent and I would go back again if money wasn’t a problem! I wish I was able to ride PCC #1074 which is one reason I want to go back.

 

            The Coast Starlight was night, but I wish we had gotten an actual Pacific Parlor car. I also wish I could have met up with Fred in Vancouver.

 

            I also wish that my dad had gotten milk and gas BEFORE he picked me up. As for me, I am pretty much done traveling in 2016. I’ve got at least two trips planned for 2017. Until next time…

 

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