I got up at
When I got to the platform, I saw the next train was due in about 8 minutes. When the train arrived, I got on. I rode to Lionel-Groulx and filmed my train pulling out. I then transferred to the orange line and rode to Bonadventure and filmed my train leaving. I then went to Terminus Centre-ville to meet the charter. We would be boarding at platform 19 which serves RTL routes 42 and 142; neither of which was run on Sundays.
Prior to
the charter, we were told we weren’t to take photos at the terminal. However, I
had taken photos there on my previous trips to
Our charter bus showed up shortly after I arrived. We got RTL Classic #9-017 which has a rollsign. I had to bring my suitcase on the bus because of time constraints. There were 39 people on this charter so the bus was a bit packed. We all got on and the bus left the terminal. Toby commented that 9-017’s seats were the same colour as the seats in the TTC’s own Classics. The bus departed and shortly after we left, we saw the Ocean in the station.
The bus didn’t go straight to Exporail. We had a few photo stops prior to visiting Exporail. The first one was a gravel filled lot where RTL route 61 runs. We took some photos of 9-017.
It was a
bit chilly out. We got back on the bus and headed off. We crossed the
Our next photo stop was a terminal which is served by RTL route 85 and CiT route 700. We photographed 9-017 and CiT suburban LFS # 2706.
Our next stop was the RTL bus garage. We posed 9-017 in the parking lot and took some photos.
We had arranged to pull out a new RTL 3rd generation LFS. We parked it next to 9-017.
Here’s one of RTL’s newest buses next to one of their oldest.
We were then given a ride on LFS #21016 around the block and past the back of the garage. We saw several retired Classics; many with their engines removed. We also caught a glimpse of RTL’s oldest bus: Classic 9-001 stored inside the garage. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed off to take photos.
Next was the lunch stop. We parked the bus near a shopping centre with some restaurants including a McDonald’s. I took some photos of the bus before I went for lunch.
What’s “Ireq?”
I then went
to McDonald’s which was very busy. I bought my food to go and ate it on the
bus. After everyone else got their food, we headed off. We were now heading to
Exporail. We soon got on the highway that ran parallel to the line that VIA
uses on its
We arrived at Exporail a little while later. Kevin got off to get the tickets. Admission into Exporail was covered in the charter ticket cost. Everyone else got off and I photographed 9-017.
We then got our tickets and headed into Exporail. The first thing I photographed was former CP RDC-4 #9250 which was on display outside the main building.
We gathered in the gift shop. We would have two hours to explore the museum. A display on the second floor of the display building had been organized by Robert Neveu, his wife, and Daniel Poirier. I went to check it out. There were bus photos, streetcar photos, and some parts from old buses. There was an album with photos from the STO 7901 charter last year. I took a lot of photos of the exhibit.
Here are photos from the STO 7901 charter.
I then went out to see the railroad museum. I started in the display building.
Ex CN 9400 was open for display. I went inside it. After, I photographed the exterior of 9400.
I then took a few more photos.
I photographed a CP caboose that looks like a sister to the one HCRR recently acquired.
I then photographed a Plymouth switcher which was numbered 12-012.
I then took some photos of CN electric #6711 which is sister to 6710 at Deux Montagnes AMT station.
I then photographed Montreal and Southern Counties interurban #611.
I then went outside. The first thing I photographed was a former TTC line truck Exporail acquired from the Halton County Radial Railway Museum.
I then photographed former VIA LRC locomotive 6921 and Sibley Park; the latter I kept photographing when I last went to Exporail.
Here’s another attempt to photograph Sibley Park’s interior.
I also noticed a board had been placed on Sibley Park’s vestibule end.
I then photographed two of Exporail’s newest additions: former CP cab car #1100 and an ex CP open auto rack. 1100 started life as an Alco C424 and in the mid 90’s had its prime mover removed and used as a cab car and run back to back with a powered locomotive which reduced turn around times on CP’s hotshot intermodel trains. I was aware 1100 was part of the Exporail collection, but not the auto rack.
I then photographed former VIA FP9 #6309.
I then photographed other locomotives in the yard.
I then photographed former CP RDC-1 #9069.
I noticed that 9069 was coupled to an ex CN baggage car which had accumulated dust. I saw that previous visitors had written messages in the dust including some people who believe the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were an inside job. I personally don’t believe that for among other reasons, President Bush wasn’t smart enough to pull something like that off!
I then photographed a set of 1930s vintage CN electric MU commuter cars that ran on the Deux Montagnes commuter line before the current equipment entered service.
Next, I went into a display barn and photographed various locomotives inside.
Up to now, I hadn’t seen any trolleys running on the line. I heard a compressor and went outside the barn and saw former Montreal open streetcar #8 accepting passengers. I also saw a train with former AMT coach #827 boarding passengers. I decided to ride the train instead of the streetcar. I photographed both before boarding the train.
The train ride went down a curvy line that resembles a backwards “S”. At the end of the line, the train backed to the starting point. I thought that Sibley Park would be interesting to use on this run once Exporail decides to restore it. I then took some interior shots of car 827 and then photographed the locomotive that was pulling it.
I then went back into the display barn and took photos of more of the equipment inside.
I then photographed former Montreal PCC 3517.
Next I photographed CN 4-6-4 #5702 and former Montreal streetcar #1959 which was operating the last time I was at Exporail.
I then photographed CP Alco switcher #7077 which was the first diesel locomotive to cross Canada. 7077’s trip was the beginning of the end for mainline steam operation in Canada.
I then left the barn and photographed ex ONR Alco #1400.
I then went by a barn that isn’t open to the public. I managed to squeeze my camera through a crack in the door and took a photo of what was inside. When I looked at the photo, I believe I could see former TTC Witt #2300. 2300 had been stored in the John Street Roundhouse in Toronto for many years. It was moved back to Exporail in 2008. I was there when it left Toronto. I could tell the car was 2300 because it had a white tarp over it when it left Toronto and there was a streetcar with a white tarp on it!
I believe 2300 is on the right.
I took this photo the day 2300 left Toronto for Exporail.
I then photographed ex CN/VIA sleeping car Eureka.
I then walked behind the main display building and photographed an ex CP crane and some boxcars behind the building.
I then went to take a ride on the miniature railway. I photographed it before I took a ride.
After my ride, I saw other people on the charter lining up for a ride. I then left waited for streetcar #8 to arrive. I photographed it and then rode it to the front of the museum.
When I got to the front, I photographed RDC 9250 again before I went inside the main display building.
I then photographed Royal Hudson #2850 from the ground and then underneath it.
This in what the underside of the Royal Hudson looks like.
I then took similar shots with former CN FPA-4 #6765.
Now here’s the underside of CN 6765.
I then went to Exporail’s model railway and took some pictures of it.
I then went to the gift shop and bought some postcards. It was now time to meet up. After a few minutes, I went back to 9-017.
9-017 was moved and I took some more photos.
This is where the group photo. After I then took some unofficial group photos.
We got back on the bus and we left. We stopped at a bus terminal where one person got off. We then went back to Terminus Centre-ville. Again we couldn’t take photos there. So I got off and ran to the corner to film 9-017 depart. I saw the door to the bus terminal open, but a RTL Van Hool AG300 departed on route 45. I filmed it anyway. A few minutes later, I filmed 9-017 pull out of the terminal.
I then walked back to Central station. I had a couple hours before my train left. I wandered around the terminal and then looked in an underground mall. I then went back to the station and bought some snacks from the convenience store in the station before I lined up.
Boarding began shortly after 6:00 pm. I was seated in Hep2 coach #4110. Prior to boarding, I wondered if there would be any equipment deadheading on my train 69, but there was nothing deadheading that day.
I took a window seat on the left hand side of the train. I watched as train 26 departed for Quebec City and train 39 departed for Ottawa. Once both trains were gone, I could see the Ocean a few tracks over.
Train 69 departed on time. I filmed the combined Ocean and Chaleur as we left. I saw the train was led by three rebuilt F40PH-2s: 6437, 6452, and 6403. I settled in for the long ride home.
We stopped at Dorval and had a long stop. We then left and a little while later, we crossed back into Ontario. East of Cornwall, we stopped to let train 64 pass, but I was unable to film it. We then stopped at Cornwall.
I then proceeded to buy dinner. We then stopped at Brockville. The sun went down. A little while later, we stopped at Kingston. West of Kingston, train 668 passed, but I was unable to film it.
We stopped at Belleville. A little while later, we stopped at Cobourg. It was dark out unless we passed through a town.
A little while later, train 69 stopped in Oshawa. It felt good to be back in GO Transit territory again. I know I say this on a lot of my trips, but it does feel good at the end to be back in GO territory again because I know I’m almost home.
As we passed through Rouge Hill, we passed a westbound GO train. We then stopped at Guildwood. We departed before the GO train arrived. Soon we were approaching Toronto Union station. I readied my stuff before arrival.
Train 69 arrived three minutes late. I got off and took some photos.
I went downstairs and phoned my dad. We arranged to meet at Finch. I went and caught a subway train to Finch. I boarded a train of H-5s.
September 6, 2010:
It was after midnight when the train stopped at York Mills. They didn’t open the doors on our train or the ones on a southbound train. There was some sort of incident to delay us. After a few minutes, they opened the doors on the other train, than my train. We soon left and arrived at Finch a few minutes later.
I had to wait for 8 minutes before my dad showed up. He finally did and I went home.
Conclusions:
Aside from what happened at Montmorency with the AMT security guard and not finding STM Classic #12-012 after the 11-087 charter, this trip was excellent. I’ve now realized how well I’ve come to know the transit scene in Montreal. I love visiting Montreal and I’m already planning on visiting there at least once in 2011!
Both charters were good. Many people including TTS president Kevin Nicol believe we should have had more time at Exporail and it would have been nice to see TTC 2300 and possibly other cars in the barn that isn’t open to the general public.
I’m not sure when my next trip will be. It could be possibly late October or early November. I’ll just have to wait and see. Until next time…
Click to go home.
