November 5, 2017:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. After breakfast, I went back up to my room and got my stuff. I then headed out and walked a couple blocks to the bus stop. I learned the hard was that Sunday service on route 2 is bad. It took almost 40 minutes for the bus to come. Eventually, the route #2 came and I rode to the VIA station. By now it was almost 11:00 am. I had booked my car at 10:00 am.

 

            When I got there, I went to the kiosk in the corner of the station. As it turns out, I needed a way to check my email to unlock my rental car. Fortunately, I had an Ipod Touch which allowed me to get the email. However because I was late, the car wasn’t unlocked so I had to go back to the Kiosk and sort it out and they had to resend another email! This was increasingly frustrating! I was able to eventually unlock my car and I photographed it as well as VIA train #71 which had just arrived.

 

 

Here’s my rental car for this trip: a Mazda MX3.

 

 

            I then drove away from the VIA station. There were two places I wanted to visit. I drove to Tecumseh and stopped in a farm just outside there. I actually drove past it and parked in a parking lot of an antiques store a block away. That was probably for the best because stopping and parking was prohibited on the side of the road.

 

            I walked back to the farm and photographed a former Sandwich Windsor and Amherstburg Twin Coach. The Windsor and Amherstburg started out as a streetcar network which converted to buses. It was the predecessor to today’s Transit Windsor.

 

 

            I then photographed what I wanted to see: former Toronto PCC #4524. #4524 was stored in the early 90’s and was one of four cars that were considered for rebuilding into the 4600 series class A-15. The car would have been numbered between 4619 and 4622 if it had been rebuilt. When the 19 rebuilt PCCs were sent to their new homes (leading me to visit them in a course of 13 years), #4524 became a diner in Perkinsfield, Ontario until a few years ago when it vanished. It ended up on this farm.

 

            For the record, another rebuilding candidate PCC (#4529) was bought by Kenosha for parts for their PCCs. I’m not sure how much longer my quest would have gone had there been 23 PCCs instead of 19. Presumably if the last four cars were rebuilt, #4622 would be at Halton County instead of #4618.

 

 

            Both the PCC and the SW&A bus are sitting on a farm that looks like it’s in vintage village. This place is not open to the public but from what I could see, it looked interesting. However, I didn’t go on the property.

 

            I then walked back to my car and headed out to my next stop: the Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village near Essex. I was interested in visiting the museum because they had Transit Windsor’s last fishbowl in their collection.

 

            It was raining somewhat heavily when I got to the museum and parked the car. I saw the museum had a small 50’s style diner so I went there for lunch.

 

            After lunch I went to one of the museum’s offices and spoke to the woman inside. I told her I wanted to see the bus from Windsor and she said I could. She told me the bus was kept in the Heritage village behind the museum and gave me a piece of paper saying I’m allowed to see the bus as there are some people who actually live in the heritage village.

 

            I drove out behind the museum down a winding road into Heritage Village. I saw the fishbowl and pretty much drove up to it. I got out and photographed former Transit Windsor fishbowl #912.

 

 

 

 

 

            A few years before retirement, #912 was painted in the Sandwich Windsor and Amherstburg livery to commemorate the 130^th anniversary of the founding of the SW&A. It was stored at the Windsor garage for a few years before it went to the Canadian Transportation Museum. Unfortunately the bus is stored outside.

 

            #912 isn’t the first fishbowl owned by the museum. At one point they had a former London Transit fishbowl. However it sat outside in the elements and was eventually scrapped. I fear that #912 will suffer a similar fate. It seems to be Windsor’s equivalent of TTC 8058 when it was at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum until late 2015 when TTC took it back for restoration. I don’t see Transit Windsor asking the Canadian Transportation Museum for #912 back.

 

            However, #912 is occasionally started up and driven around the museum as it used to be stored out front.

 

            I then photographed a cutaway next to #912.

 

 

            I decided I was done so I got back in my car and headed out. I noticed the old Essex depot with a caboose next to it. The depot is not connected to an active rail line. I photographed the caboose next to the depot.

 

 

            I saw a gravel road leading out to the main road. I started driving down it thinking it would be faster than backtracking. However I saw there was a closed gate so I turned around and headed back the way I came. It ended up being no big deal.

 

            I then left the museum and drove back to Windsor. I still had plenty of time before I had to drop my rental car off so I made a detour to Windsor’s airport. Even with the fact I had picked up the car an hour after I intended, it ended up being not a problem.

 

            Windsor’s terminal is very small as Air Canada, Porter Airlines, and Sunwing serve Windsor. I know Westjet at least used to serve Windsor as well so the runways can accommodate Boeing 737s. I didn’t take any photos in the terminal, but believe me, it wasn’t very big.

 

            I then backtracked in the direction I had come from to a plaza where I stopped at a TD Canada Trust and used an ATM. I then headed back stopping for gas. It cost less than $10 to fill the tank.

 

            I then drove back to the VIA station and parked the car. I put the key in the glove box as I had been told to do when I dropped the car off.  I followed the instructions in the email but I had problems so I went back into the VIA station and used the kiosk to end my rental. I photographed a hockey helmet with a VIA LRC locomotive on it.

 

 

            By now the rain had stopped. I walked back to the bus stop and caught a route #2 bus. I returned to my hotel. I went online for awhile and worked on this report some more.

 

            After awhile, I decided to go out for dinner. I walked to the bus stop only to realize I had left my day pass in my room so I had to go back and miss the bus. I went online for another 40 minutes before I headed out again.

 

            When my bus came, I saw it was one of Transit Windsor’s newest Nova LFS buses. I rode to the intersection of Ouellette Avenue and Tecumseh Road. I got off and photographed the bus.

 

 

            I filmed the bus pulling away. The intersection is next to the park where in 1998 my sister’s ball team was playing. It was because of her softball I first came to Windsor in 1998. I had ridden a couple Transit Windsor buses from that stop including what was my only ride on a fishbowl in Windsor. I didn’t have a camera and I don’t remember the number, but I remember it had McKay gates like fishbowls that ran in Montreal.

 

            I walked to a nearby Wendy’s for dinner. After dinner I went to a gas station across the street and bought a lottery ticket. I then caught a bus to my hotel. I went online and worked on this report. I also watched TV. I eventually set the alarm on my phone for 8:30 am and called it a night.

 

November 6, 2017:

 

            I got up at 8:30 am and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. After breakfast I returned to my room and finished packing. I then checked out of my hotel. While waiting for a bus to the International Transit Terminal, I photographed a D40i going the other way.

 

 

            I boarded DE40LFr #601 and rode to the International Transit Terminal. I got there and photographed a couple buses.

 

 

 

            Orion 6 #418 pulled into the terminal on route #5. This was the Orion 6 I had seen back on Friday. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            There was a little girl on the bus who ended up removing her boots and socks for some reason. The parents didn’t discourage it. However, they had no influence in how far I rode.

 

            I rode a few stops before I got off and filmed the bus pulling away. I walked back to the terminal. I stopped to photograph the Detroit People Mover across the river.

 

 

            I went back to the terminal and photographed D40i #670.

 

 

            I saw Nova LFS #549 pull in. #579 was built in 1997 and is now Transit Windsor’s oldest bus. I photographed it

 

 

            I boarded #549 and went for a ride.

 

            Transit Windsor is now the only property in Ontario to still use the first generation of Nova LFS buses. Last year, I had the privilege of riding the last run of a first generation LFS in Guelph which was the second last property to use this version in Ontario. I was hoping that I would get to ride #549’s sister #553 today since it was the first Nova LFS I ever rode. It would have been nice if it was the last first generation LFS I would ride in service.

 

            I wondered if Transit Windsor considered the first generation LFS buses as wheelchair accessible as certain properties had problems with the ramps and decided that they did not want to deal with them and called them non accessible. Two cities that did this were Halifax and Montreal. The problem was the ramp slid in and out instead of swinging out like on other low floor buses.

 

            However, I got my answer when a person in a wheelchair wanted to board #549. The driver deployed the ramp which swung out like on other low floor buses instead of sliding out. The person in the wheelchair would get off before me.

 

            When I got off, I filmed #549 departing and caught a bus back to the terminal. When I got back to the terminal, I photographed D40i #676 driving through the part of the International Transit Terminal intended for Greyhound buses as well as second generation LFS #558.

 

 

 

            I saw #418 has returned to the terminal. I photographed it.

 

 

 

            I saw a first generation Nova LFS approaching the terminal. I was hoping it would be #553 but it turned out to be #549 returning to the terminal. I photographed it as well as some more buses. I also filmed #418 departing the terminal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I saw second generation Nova LFS #559 arrive on route #5. I saw that it was driven by the driver from the charter! She recognized me as well. We spoke briefly. I photographed #559.

 

 

            I decided that if #553 didn’t show up on the next pulse of buses, I would leave on the next route 1A bus. When #553 didn’t show up, I boarded #601 again and rode to my hotel and had lunch at the McDonald’s next door. After lunch I saw and photographed #549 for the last time on this trip.

 

 

 

 

            I then walked a couple blocks to pick up the route #2 to the VIA station. I was hoping #553 would be on the 2. Nova LFS #561 showed up instead. I rode to the VIA station where I got off and photographed it.

 

 

            The equipment for train #76 was already in the station. I photographed it as well as a tank car on a siding near the station.

 

 

 

 

            I saw my rental car from the day before was right where I left it. I photographed it.

 

 

            I then walked over and photographed the front end of train #76.

 

 

            I then went back into the station and went online. I worked on this trip report some more. At one point I saw a ship belonging to the same shipping company as the Arthur M. Anderson which was the last ship to speak with the Edmund Fitzgerald before she sank in 1975.

 

            After awhile it was time to board the train. I was seated in LRC coach #3309. The coach was refurbished and repainted. I had a window seat on the left hand side of the train. I got a seatmate right away. The train left on time.

 

            Shortly after we left, I filmed the yard with the shells of former Transit Windsor fishbowls. I went back to my seat. I logged into the Wi-Fi and went online. I also worked on this report some more.

 

            We stopped in Chatham. I photographed the CN painted baggage car near the station.

 

 

            East of Chatham, VIA train #73 passed, but I was unable to film it. The equipment on #73 seemed to be the same from when I rode it on Friday. The train stopped at Glencoe. At Glencoe, I photographed a caboose near the unmanned VIA station.

 

 

            We soon left Glencoe. We stopped at London a little while later. When we departed, I filmed the equipment that would be today’s train #88. East of London, we stopped to let a CN freight pass. We were soon underway again and passed non stop through Woodstock. I continued to work on this report.

 

            The train stopped at Brantford a little while later. East of Brantford the sun went down as we approached the outskirts of Hamilton. VIA train #75 passed and I attempted to film it. We stopped in Aldershot a few minutes later.

 

            There was a GO train in the station as we departed. A little while later, we stopped at Oakville. As we departed Oakville, I saw several Oakville Transit buses departing the station.

 

            As the train passed VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Center, I filmed the equipment in the yard. I returned to my seat and found my laptop had frozen and I hadn’t quite saved my report in the few minutes I was away. We were approaching Toronto and I had to shut it down in advance of arriving.

 

            Train #76 arrived 14 minutes late. I got off and photographed the train.

 

 

 

 

 

            I went downstairs and booted up my laptop. I was able to recover most of my report and was able to retype the rest which wasn’t a whole lot so crisis averted.

 

            I phoned home and let my dad know I was back in Toronto. I then boarded a northbound train to Finch which took a bit longer than I expected. I met my dad at Finch and headed home.

 

Conclusions:

 

            The charter in Windsor was excellent and I was really impressed with the new Q Line streetcar. However, I don’t know what the “Q” stands for.  Hopefully the Q line will be expanded in the future and not suffer a similar fate as the People Mover.

 

            Visiting Windsor was also excellent. While I’m glad I got to ride LFS #549, I would have liked to have ridden #553 as well which would have been perfect.

 

            I hope the Canadian Transportation Museum will take better care of fishbowl #912. If they expand, they should move it inside. However, they occasionally drive it around so there may be some hope.

 

            As far as I know, I’m done travelling for 2017. I’ve got at least two or three trips planned for 2018 though. Until next time…

 

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