Bus Photos of the Month:
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| January 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: More Better
Buses #332 is a 1970 GM T6H5305, formerly Red Deer Transit #7118.
This bus was Red Deer Transit's first GM "New Look" and is now
operating in Calgary, Alberta since the Fall of 2003. #332 is More
Better Buses backup bus that was specially chartered for the Alberta
Transit Fans Winter 2004 Charter that took place on December 23,
2004. The photo I chose for my photo of the month was taken at the
top of Crescent Heights overlooking the downtown area, showing #332 all
decorated with some Christmas lights. This bus is powered by the
Detroit Diesel 6V71N engine with the Allison VS2-6 "Super V" 2
speed overdrive transmission. This bus still feels like the day it
was delivered to Red Deer Transit with the amount of power in the engine,
however More Better Buses has changed the interior seats to Calgary
Transit Colors replacing the old Red Deer Transit seats. #332 is the
only bus in More Better Buses active fleet with the original livery from
where the bus was purchased from. Red Deer's colors suited well for
More Better Buses two other active GM's, #330 and 331 (Ex-Edmonton Transit
#965 and 946). For more photos of More Better Buses, click
here or visit their website at www.morebetterbuses.com
for more information |
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Martin Parsons Pick: A Blue Sky
Limo GMC RTS is seen here parked in south Edmonton next to The Standard
nightclub. This bus is believed to be an ex Brewster unit that ran in
Banff. |
| February 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: None Picked. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: Edmonton Transit BBC #110 was
photographed by Doug Cowan while sitting on a layover at Southgate as a
route 9 NAIT. |
| March 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Perimeter
Transport #656 is a 1967 GM TDH5303 (Ex-Calgary Transit #606) shown
photographed in September 1988 sitting retired near an air field after
being used as a parking lot shuttle in Vancouver, BC for Expo 1986.
When Perimeter Transport purchased the bus, they had decided not to
repaint all the Ex-Calgary Transit buses they purchased. 656 was
part of the 16 buses (Ex-Calgary Transit #606 to 621) that was purchased
in March 1986 and were numbered 656 to 671. Today, 656 now serves
for Red Arrow Luxury Motorcoach as the same number, operating the Spruce
Meadows LRT shuttle service bus with 4 other buses that were sold to
Perimeter Transport. For photos of this bus and the other buses
operating the Spruce Meadows LRT shuttle service, please click
here. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: None selected |
| April 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Red Deer Transit #7143 is a 1980 GM
T6H5307N. This bus is the last GM that is owned and in revenue
service for Red Deer Transit that is not rebuilt. The other 14 GM
T6H5307N's that Red Deer Transit owns and operates were rebuilt between
2000 and 2003 at Metro Collision in Mississauga, Ontario. With 7143
being the last not rebuilt GM, it makes it rare to see it out. This
bus usually operates during rush hours as an extra. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: None selected |
| May 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Lethbridge Transit #133 is a 1990 MCI TC40102N
"Classic" shown in Calgary, Alberta while on a charter with a
local high school group at the Calgary Zoo. It's not too often you
can spot a Lethbridge Transit bus in Calgary, but it does happen from time
to time. The first photo shows 133 loading up passengers at the
Calgary Zoo north parking lot (Next to the Calgary Zoo LRT Station) while
the second photo shows 133 on Deerfoot Trail southbound past 17th Avenue
SE as it passes by a Calgary Transit 1992 MCI Classic #5091 on April 8th,
2005 |
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Martin Parsons Pick: Click here
for a set of pics from my trip out to eastern Canada! |
| June 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Brandon Transit #37 is a Flyer D901A shown
photographed as a Route 6 - Victoria East on August 25, 1997. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: A Setra demo bus ran for Strathcona
County Transit on their route 401 for a couple of days between May 31 -
June 2 or 3 2005. These photos show it first turning into the terminal and
then waiting to leave on its next trip. |
| July 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: New York Bus Service #1501 is a 1982 GM T8H5308A,
shown in what could be it's last day(s) of service on July 1, 2005
operating as a Route to the Pelham Bay park in the Bronx. 1501 and
1505 did go out this day after "A mad takeover by MTA of the New York
Bus service." Starting July 1, 2005, New York Bus Service
equipment started appearing with the MTA name all over them. With
this take over, this could be the end of these buses unfortunately.
In the first photo of 1501, it is shown at the Pelham Bay park after it
finished it's last run and in the second photo, 1501 is shown from the IRT
Subway overpass as it deadheads back to the garage, possibly for the last
time. We'll see after the Independence Day long weekend if any more
fishbowls appear from NYBS. Thanks to Joe Caronetti for letting me
use these two photos! Shortly after this bus was chosen for my Photo
of the Month, 1501 and the other NYBS Fishbowls were pulled off the road
and all but one put up for sale by tender. The one that didn't get
sold was held for preservation. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: None Picked |
| August/September 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Edmonton Transit #140 is a 1982 Brown Boveri
Canada (BBC) HR150G Trolley bus. It is shown proudly after it had
been refurbished and put on the road shortly before this photo was taken
on July 27, 2005. July 2005 is also the one year anniversary after
Edmonton City Council voted in favor to keep the trolley bus system going
until 2008 when it will be put under review at that time. With the
anticipation of the news that a handful of BBC Trolley buses would be
refurbished, I was expecting to see the first trolley emerge as the Blue
and Silver livery that the GMC Diesel buses of the same age and older are
being repainted into. This spin-off of the Blue & Silver livery
gives the Trolleys a new look and still makes them feel like new.
Thanks goes out to the personnel of Edmonton Transit for keeping our clean
trolley buses on the road and giving them a second life! |
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Ken Baker's Bonus Photo: Banff Transit 3 is a 1988 New Flyer D40 that was formerly AC Transit
(Oakland, CA) #2535 is shown here photographed departing the Sulphur
Mountain Terminal as a Route 3 - Sulphur Mountain. Banff Transit
doesn't use fleet numbers for their buses, but are referred to by which
route number it normally operates on. Check out the new photos added
to the Banff Transit section, with new photos added September 4th, 2005!!! |
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Martin Parsons Pick: As usual, with the summer being my busiest time at
work, I certainly haven't done the amount of work I would like to have
done on the website. Despite being busy, I did manage to take off to
Vancouver for the unveiling of E40LF #2101. These pics were taken on July
19, 2005 as the bus was heading out for testing. |
| October 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Calgary Transit 5112 is a 1990 TMCI AC40102A bus,
purchased used through a Canadian bus reseller. This bus originally
was Ex-Connecticut Transit #9107 and built through MCI Canada. The
model AC40102A is a spin off of the Canadian model system TC40102A, in
which I believe the A at the beginning of the model number stood for
American specification bus. At the time of this photo, taken
September 24, 2005, this bus was still under receiving final touches after
being delivered to Calgary Transit. It is photographed inside of the
Victoria Park Garage about a week before it went into revenue service and
transferred to the Anderson Garage where it will be assigned to operate
from. The last photo of the series shows the TMCI serial plate
instead of the traditional MCI serial plate that was installed, noting the
difference between a Canadian and an American specification
"Classic" bus |
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Martin Parsons Pick: OK... So, a wee bit late for October, but early
for November. Never the less, a double shot.
Both from Regina Transit.
First, #701 a former Dennis/ Thomas SLF 200, posed at the garage for
photos.
Second, 1987 MCI TC-40102N #549 repainted into a paint scheme like the
Nova Bus's after its rebuild. |
| November 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Well, usually I don't pick the same bus twice for
photo of the month, but I just had to use Ex-Edmonton Transit #22
again. 22 is a 1969 GM T6H4521 that I completed the restoration
process on in the past two years. Originally I wanted to restore the
bus to it's "as retired" look, but after some encouragement, I
decided to restore it to it's 1978 look in the old fired orange and light
cream colors. The first two photos show 22 after I had applied the
fleet numbers to the bus for these photos and the last two photos show
22's rear at the paint shop as it waited to be picked up. All 4
photos were taken on November 3, 2005. For more photos of 22 and all
about it's restoration process, click
here to visit it's section or click the Preserved Bus link above and
select the Ex-Edmonton Transit #22 link. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: OK... So, a wee bit late for October, but early
for November. Never the less, a double shot.
Both from Regina Transit.
First, #701 a former Dennis/ Thomas SLF 200, posed at the garage for
photos.
Second, 1987 MCI TC-40102N #549 repainted into a paint scheme like the
Nova Bus's after its rebuild. |
Rail Photos of the Month:
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| January 2005 to April 2005: |
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Neither Ken Baker or Martin Parsons made a selection for these months. Sorry :-(
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| May 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: CP Rail EMD SD40-2 #5782 is shown photographed in
Wyckoff, NJ leading Northfolk Southern Locomotives 1616 and 6176. on a
sunny afternoon. Look for some new CP Rail photos to be added
sometime in the month of May! |
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Martin Parsons Pick: VIA Rail F40PH-2 #6402 is seen in the middle of a
consist with LRC's ahead and Renaissance cars behind. 6402 and the Renaissance
cars are probably a train that is deadheading. |
| June 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: CN #1570 is a 1972 EMD SW1500 shown photographed
in Wisconsin Rapids, WI on July 5, 2003. Come check out the new CN
Updates uploaded on June 7, 2005!!! |
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Martin Parsons Pick: VIA Rail P42DC #908 backs a train into
Montreal's main train station on a soggy April day in 2005. The metal
structures on the bridge are the cantenary bridges erected for CN's
electric operations, now operated by AMT. |
| July 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: CP Rail 6606 is a 1980 EMD SD40-2 Locomotive,
formerly SOO Line, shown freshly repainted into the "Rodent" or
"Beaver" scheme as referred to by rail fans. 6606 was
trailing behind CP Rail 5663 near Mile 171 of the Brooks Subdivision in
Calgary, Alberta next to the Ogden Shops. This train was waiting to
head Eastbound with a bunch of autoracks. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: None Picked |
| August/September 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: The CP Rail "Silver Solarium" dome
car/observation car is shown here in Calgary, AB at the tail end of a
passenger service train led by CP Rail #2816, the Royal Hudson. The
"Silver Solarium" was on lease from "Rail Journeys
West" at the time of this photo in July
2005 for the CPR Steam Special rail tours. This photo was taken near
the Fort Calgary Historic Site off of 9th Avenue at 5 Street SE as this
car and it's consist appears to be heading back to the Alyth Yards in
Calgary. |
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Ken Baker's Bonus Photo: Rocky
Mountaineer Railtours 8012 and 8013 are shown heading through the Rocky
Mountains near mile 62 of the Laggan Subdivision at the Gap - East signals
just west of Exshaw, AB. Also shown in the last photo is one of the
Rocky Mountaineer Railtours Gold leaf dome passenger cars at the tail end
of the train, shown on August 24, 2005 |
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Martin Parsons Pick: Not only did I manage to get a bus photo of the
month up, but a rail one as well!
Here we see Canadian National #102 and 103. Both are E-8 locomotives used
to haul CN's official trains. They were aquired, I believe, in the take
over of Illinois Central.
They were photographed by Mike Dasher at Edmonton's VIA Rail station on
July 17, 2005 when they were in Edmonton for the Grand Prix.
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| October 2005: |
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Ken Baker's Pick: Union Pacific 8240 is a GMD SD90MAC, built
sometime between 1995 and 1998. This locomotive is seen as part of
the consist including CP Rail 9810 leading (GM AC4400CW) followed by CEFX
124 (GMD SD90MAC-H) as it passes by the Chinook LRT Station in Calgary,
Alberta on September 20, 2005. This photo was taken along mile mile
4 or 5 of the MacLeod Subdivision at approximately 61 Ave SW near MacLeod
Trail. |
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Martin Parsons Pick: None picked |
