TransferPoint is back with York Region's "end of summer" charter, chartering a 2002 Thomas-Dennis SLF-235 #203 from Miller Yard. This charter is expected to last 5 hours, and will tour around the sights and streets of Richmond Hill, with a couple of stops in King City and Markham.
The date of the charter will be August 22, 2010. Pickups will be offered by participants travelling by car/carpool ONLY at Miller Yard at 11:00 AM. No effort will be made to wait for the northbound 224B, as we will leave at 11:00 AM sharp. Participants travelling by bus are to meet at Platform 9 of Richmond Hill Centre Terminal at 11:30 AM. We will wait until the 11:33 AM northbound Blue arrives before departing, in case of late comers. We will hopefully end the charter before 4:00 PM at Miller Yard, where we will be treated to a yard visit, which will hopefully consist of a 2xx SLF posing, a tour of the 10xx D40LFs, and hopefully a bus wash ride inside the paving yard. If you need to leave before the yard visit, please notify us beforehand and we will drop you off at Richmond Hill Centre Terminal at around 3:00 PM.
The cost of the charter will be $30. Waivers will also be collected before boarding. Reminder that you were sent a waiver if you received a confirmation email. You will need to print it out, sign it, and give it to us on the day of the charter.
We will have a lunch stop approximately an hour into the charter at Smart!Centres Richmond Hill, also known as Metro Plaza. The plaza offers a McDonald's inside Wal-Mart, KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King, Mr. Sub, Pizza Pizza, and Bayview Court Chinese Restaurant.
Interested participants who emailed me before July 31 are confirmed for the charter. If you are still interested but have not emailed me, please do so and you will be put in a waiting list in the case some participants drop out between now and the charter.
Information about riding, transitfanning, etc. In Hong Kong
By: Calvin So
Introduction
Hong Kong is home to several privately-owned transit systems, working together to transport over 3 million people daily. Some of the major transit systems include Citybus, KMB, MTR, and New World First Bus.
Citybus, KMB, and New World First Bus provide the core of the bus service throughout Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories. MTR provides the underground rapid transit service throughout the three regions. In addition, MTR also provides feeder bus service in Tai Po District and in Northwestern New Territories, connecting passengers from railway stations to various housing estates, and a Light Rail service in the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts, to serve the population growth of the two districts.
Fares
Fares are calculated on a distance basis in most transit companies. Two exceptions include Hong Kong Tramways and the MTR Light Rail. Hong Kong Tramways, which provides tram (streetcar in the North American world) service in Hong Kong Island, charge a flat fee of $2 ($1 for seniors/children) upon exiting. MTR Light Rail charges by zone (similar to VIVA in York Region), and as long as you stay in the same zone, you will be charged the respective fare in the zone.
Local bus fares usually range from about $3 to $6 (half of that for seniors and children), depending on the length of your travel. Cross-harbour fares from Hong Kong to Kowloon start at $9.30 for buses, and would gradually increase as the distance from the harbour increases.
MTR fares are generally more expensive than bus fares if you’re travelling local. The lowest possible fare is $3.60 ($1.80 for seniors and children), while cross-harbour fares start from only $7.70. However, the drawback of this is unless you are boarding from several stations from crossing the harbour, getting a seat is unlikely, whereas bus rides across the harbour will almost guarantee you a seat, and will also give you a view of the city and the tunnel.
Tips on “Reducing Your Fares”
1. 1. Buy an Octopus card. MTR fares are generally lower when you use the Octopus card, and free transfers are also available to specific bus routes when you use your Octopus card.
2. If you’re not in a rush and travelling local (meaning staying in one region), don’t ride routes with an X in the end, or ride a 7xx route. While those routes will get you to places faster, the fare is usually $2 more expensive.
3. If you really need some time to kill and you’re in the island, ride the tram for a few stops and experience some sights of Hong Kong. It would only cost you $2, and although they don’t have A/C, the upper deck is actually quite cool.
3. 4. Don’t ride any 1xx, 3xx, 6xx, or 9xx routes unless your intent is to cross the harbour. 99% of the time there is another route that serves your area which has a cheaper fare compared to the aforementioned routes. The base fare for a cross-harbour route in a local area is $5.10, compared to only $3 for a local route.
a. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are west of Wan Chai, and your intended destination is east of Causeway Bay, ride the MTR. Vice versa also applies.
b. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are west of Wan Chai, and your intended destination is west of Causeway Bay, ride the Citybus Route 5, 5B, or 10. None of these routes exceed $3.40 in fares. Vice versa also applies.
c. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are east of Wan Chai, ride the New World First Bus Route 2 or 2A. Neither route exceeds $4.10 in fares.
d. If you’re in Kowloon, the KMB Routes 2 and 6 are your routes for quick local travel. Those routes and their branches cover about 90% of Kowloon.
4. 5. Try not to ride the bus after 12:00 AM. Fares are more expensive then, to cover the closing of the MTR and the expected increasing demand as a result of such closure.
Vocabulary
One way to “mix and mingle” well with natives is to understand their vocabulary. Two of the major ones that almost everyone knows are:
- “Doo doo”, which means the Octopus card
- “Ding ding”, which means the tram
Bus Depots
With a combined fleet of over 5000 buses, there are bound to be numerous bus depots scattered throughout Hong Kong. Here is a rundown of the depots in the major transit systems:
1. Citybus/New World First Bus
- Chai Wan Depot
- Kennedy Town Depot
- Wong Chuk Hang Depot
2. KMB
- Kowloon Bay Depot
- Lai Chi Kok Depot
- Sha Tin Depot
- Tuen Mun Depot
Railfanning
While railfanning in the MTR is considered exciting by most rail enthusiasts, there are some “hidden rules” while riding the MTR.
The major rule is that you are given 150 minutes to enter the paid area, travel, and exit the fare paid area. If you exceed 150 minutes, you would be charged the maximum fare possible, which would be roughly $50.
Platform screen doors, present in most stations, tend to be irritating when rail enthusiasts want to video trains coming in or exiting stations. Here is a list of stations that do not have platform screen doors:
1. Kwun Tong Line
- Kowloon Bay
- Kwun Tong
- Lam Tin
- Ngau Tau Kok
2. Island Line
- Chai Wan
- Heng Fa Chuen
3. Tsuen Wan Line
- Kwai Fong
- Kwai Hing
- Tsuen Wan
, and all stations on the East Rail Line. Sunny Bay Station is another possible station to fan on the Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort Lines, though video at the ends of the station to get a full view of the train.
When videoing trains in the above mentioned stations, do not stand over the yellow line, as you would trigger an announcement telling you to stand behind the yellow line.
Busfanning
Some locations that have an ample amount of bus activity include:
- Causeway Bay Moreton Terrace
- Chater Road and Pedder Street
- Connaught Road Central near Pedder Street
- Cross Harbour Tunnel Toll Plaza
- Gascoigne Road
- Hennessy Road and Yee Wo Street
- Mei Foo Station
- Nathan Road and Argyle Street/Prince Edward Road/Waterloo Road
- On Cheung Road and On Chee Road in Tai Po Central
- Queensway near Pacific Place
- Sha Tin Station
- Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road outside Tuen Mun Town Centre
Fleet numbers on KMB buses are located on the bottom left side of the windshield, where you would see a small fleet number on a red sticker. All other buses fleet numbers can easily be seen in the exterior of the bus.
If you’re fanning a MTR station terminal and are coming from a MTR station), one way to reduce your fare usage is to plan your trip ahead of time. "Station hopping" (going from one station to the next station) can result in a huge strain, especially if you're using single journey tickets. If you're planning to do consecutive stations, the best way to minimize fares would be to go to the farthest station first, then proceed from there.
Transitfanning is all about careful planning and execution, and Hong Kong is no exception, especially for the fact you are being charged distance fares, without any free transfers in most cases. The most I ever spent in a transitfanning trip was $50HKD, and I lived in Tuen Mun, which means $38HKD just to go from and back home. Choose routes wisely, research on fares beforehand, and I guarantee the fare issue won't be a burden in your budget. Hope you enjoy Hong Kong transitfanning if you ever visit this lovely city!
York Region Transit ex-Markham Orion V Charter - The Day In Summary
By: Calvin So
I thought I'd post the summary of our charter held on April 18, for the people who missed out on the fun. This blog post will summarize the events before the charter, the charter routing, and my comments on how the charter went.
The charter's suspense started Saturday late night, when I received an email saying 2053 was out of service, and 2054 was going to be used instead. I was fine with that, since there really isn't much of a difference between the two buses.
I arrived at Miller Yard at 10:45 AM that morning with fellow organizer James Trinh, after checking out one final photostop at the Markham Civic Centre to see how the bus would fit in the parking spaces (due to the fact I was unable to find a good parking spot when I drove the routing on Friday). I was welcomed by charter driver Donovan arriving about 5 minutes after, and I was invited into the shops, where I met Miller dispatcher Tracy and Paul. From there, we inspected 2054 to make sure everything is alright, and we brought the bus out promptly at 11:05 AM.
At that time, more charter attendants have arrived, particularly those who are doing the shuttle car runs with me at Don Mills and Steeles. We left Miller Yard at 11:10 AM, arriving at Don Mills and Steeles exactly at 11:20 AM. 7 out of the expected 9 people showed up, but due to the tight scheduling (and my fair share of warnings given), we left immediately and told the other 2 to take the 224B up to Esna Park to meet us.
At 11:25 AM, fellow organizer Andrew Crawford received a call from James, saying 2054's battery died. While I originally panicked (as 2053 was deemed out of service), he also told him Miller managed to get 2053 starting, and that will be our charter bus. In addition, we managed to remove the rollsign disc stuck inside the sign, and I gave it to James as a souvenir.
Arriving back at the yard at 11:35 AM, I was welcomed by the arrival of 2053. A lot of charter attendants requested doing a group photo at the spot right now (even though not everyone arrived yet). I decided to go for it, as it would be the only chance I can get 2053 beside 2054 with good sun angle. I had Paul take the photo, with Donovan posing in the middle along with 16 of us surrounding 2053 and 2054.
While entering 2053, a charter attendant noticed a large pool of water by the middle of the bus. Seeing as how we still have time to kill, Donovan decided to get a mop and mopped the water off the bus. With the puddle gone, we were all set to go.
We left Miller at exactly 12:03 PM, 2 minutes earlier than expected, so we can pick up the leftover people at Esna Park and Woodbine. We met the 224B at 12:08 PM, though only 1 person showed up (instead of the expected 2). I later found out the last person was not feeling well, and had to back out the last minute.
We went south on Woodbine, and east on Esna Park at this point. The charter then went northeast on Alden Road, and east on 14th Avenue, to trace the 2A routing. Our first photo stop was at 14th Avenue by the CN Uxbridge/GO bridge. This used to be an at-grade crossing, but was converted to a bridge last year. The photo stop would also get a good view of the "business" side of 14th Avenue, as anything east of it would be residential.
Already at this point, I noticed my timings are going to be more off than I imagined. I originally put 7 minutes into this stop, but we ended up stopping for only 3 minutes. To make up for the time gained, I decided to improvise a stop at Middlefield and Highglen, in front of Middlefield Collegiate Institute. The stop here is served by one trip on the route 2 for each rush hour. It is meant as a school special for students attending MCI. We arrived at 11:25 AM, and left at 11:30 AM.
Off to the second planned photostop (third photostop of the day), which was only about 2 minutes away at Denison and Middlefield. I planned to meet the eastbound route 2 that was supposed to pass by at 12:42 PM. Unfortunately, we arrived about 5 minutes earlier than planned, at 12:32 PM. Since I was reluctant to skipping the meet with route 2, I decided to go ahead and wait for the 10 minutes until the 2 arrived. We decided to put some different signs in that photo stop, to waste some time before the 2 arrived. At exactly 12:44 PM, 933 passed by eastbound on the 2. After people taking pictures of the two side by side, we left immediately.
We proceeded east on Denison, we went south on Coxworth and east on Elson (we decided against racing 933). This traces part of the new route 203 routing, along with the reversal of the westbound route 2 routing. When we approached Markham Road, a charter attendant noticed TTC 7015 on the 53B laying over. Donovan decided to get off the bus and try to persuade the driver of 7015 to have a side-by-side pose. He agreed to it, so we all got off the bus, and Donovan posed 2053 beside 7015. While the sun angle wasn't the greatest, it definitely was worth a photo stop as it would be very rare to have a 1991 V beside a 1996 V in the future.
We went north on Markham Road, which becomes Main Street Markham north of Highway 407. As we passed Highway 7, we entered our first heritage district of the charter: Markham Village. Due to the high amount of traffic, we drove by there without passing 40 km/h. We turned east on Robinson Street, where Donovan showed us the ability of his quick hands, as Robinson Street is an extremely narrow road east of Main Street Markham. Heading east on Robinson, east on Joseph, north on Maple, and east on Church (tracing the route 1), Donovan showed us more of his ability, as these turns were narrow and quick in succession. Without further ado, we finally approached the next photo stop; Markham District High School.
The original photo stop location was the student parking lot at the east end of MDHS. However, Andrew researched that area earlier, and noticed that area was fenced off for demolition. Therefore, I decided to put the photo stop at the entrance to the drop off zone, having the bus face southeast with the ravine in the background. We arrived at 1:05 PM, which was right on schedule. The sign we put was the 409 MDHS via Bur Oak, as that was the most frequent route to see the ex-Markham Vs.
Leaving the photostop at 1:09 PM, we went straight on Church until Butternut Lane, where we entered the Markham-Stouffville Hospital loop. This loop is only served by the 9, 18, and 522. All other routes serving MSH use only Church Street. We put the 9 9th Line sign up, as a comical idea on how I erroneously saw 2054 on the 9 last winter. Arriving at 1:13 PM, I informed everyone there would be a Viva Purple and a route 1 coming eastbound. Sure enough, an A330 and 936 passed by eastbound in less than a minute.
Circling the MSH loop, we continued east on Church, and north on Bur Oak, where we encountered the first "passenger caught off guard". She gave an "arms wide open" signal, wondering why we passed the stop without picking her up. In reality, route 85 (the route that serves the bus stop) was supposed to show up in 15 minutes. Having a bit of laughter after that incident, we turned east on 16th Avenue, where I made the first major mistake of the charter. My original intent was to have the next photostop at White's Hill just east of Cornell Centre. However, I accidentally told Donovan to turn at Cornell Centre, instead of Cornell Rouge (the intended place to turn right). Realizing I made the mistake when we were at White's Hill, I quickly tried to look for a place to pose the bus. Ultimately, I chose White's Hill and Bur Oak. We arrived at 1:25 PM, and I put the 85 via White's Hill sign to pose with.
Before leaving, I double checked the stop where the confused passenger was standing, and I noticed she was walking away from the stop. So once we turn north on Bur Oak, she wouldn't bother chasing after the bus, right? Wrong. As we passed by her for a second time, she ran for the bus again, even though me and Donovan pointed to the sign, which said "Charter". Once again the charter attendants had a second laugh over that incident.
Continuing north (and then west) on Bur Oak, we arrived at Mount Joy GO Station, our next photostop. To take advantage of the lack of cars in the parking lot and the sun angle, I told Donovan to go right into the parking lot instead of having the photostop at the loop. We posed the bus in front of the station house, with the GO tracks to the right. However, one of the charter attendants told me the front pole was blocking part of the front of the bus. Therefore, Donovan decided to have the bus face a little more to the south, instead of the current southeast position.
A lot of people are now complaining on how they need the washroom (or at least something to eat). While I did warn that there was to be no lunch stop scheduled, I decided to tell everyone that there was a snack stall inside Angus Glen Community Centre, where the intended washroom stop was going to be. Arriving there at 1:55 PM via Bur Oak, Highway 48, and Major Mackenzie Drive, I told everyone to arrive back at the bus at 2:20 PM. To my amazement, no one took a photo of 2053 at the west entrance to Angus Glen CC except me and one other charter attendant. Oh well.
After pulling into the layover bay, Donovan turned the bus off, and we all proceeded into the community centre. While I was inside the community centre, I was informed of a possible photo stop at the east end near the library. Realizing almost everyone was finished with the washroom break and buying their snacks, I decided to check out the stop. While I initially objected to it due to heavy car traffic, I noticed the cars were departing in rapid succession (due to the fact the loop was meant to drop off library books only). Therefore, I decided to risk it and called James and Donovan to bring 2053 over to the east side of Angus Glen. Sure enough, the photo stop turned out better than I expected, as we got the library, pool, and the flags in the background of 2053. However, the stop was short lived, as there was a large amount of car traffic stuck behind 2053. After unsuccessfully looping a few times to clear out the traffic, Donovan decided to take 2053 back to the west side of Angus Glen. The people outside (including me) decided to take the opportunity to do a video shoot of 2053 passing by Major Mackenzie.
As we were walking back to the west side of Angus Glen, probably one of the highlights of the charter occurred. A Canadian goose appeared and decided to block our way, which made a charter attendant decide to take some photos of the goose. However, this made the goose rather unhappy, as it started chasing after him. The people outside had a good laugh, as we never realized how aggressive geese can be. Realizing that time was becoming an issue, we quickly ran back to 2053, when we noticed TTC 7581 on the 68B laying over behind it. We decided to take photos of both the buses together, then we were finally on our way at exactly 2:26 PM.
The next photostop took us east on Major Mackenzie, and south on Kennedy to School House Road, where I was expecting a route 8 to show up. Arriving at 2:29 PM, I was determined the route 8 did not pass by yet. Sure enough 2 minutes later, 937 showed up on route 8. While the driver was originally confused on what's happening, Donovan proudly told him that we were transit enthusiasts, and we are interested in having the buses side by side. He happily agreed to it, and slowly drove 937 beside 2053, while we all took photos of it. Departing 2053, the driver gave a wave to us, and we all waved back in happiness.
Heading west on School House Road, north on Prospector's, and west on Major Mackenzie, it was time for an exciting part of the charter; a ride through a NIMBY neighbourhood. However, I was told not to enter Cachet Parkway, where we would see some of the biggest and richest houses in Markham. Therefore, I told Donovan to head south on Warden instead, and drove right through the valley and hills between Major Mackenzie and 16th Avenue. We had a rather bouncy ride, which people sitting at the back enjoyed thoroughly. Finally, we approached the peak of the hill just north of 16th Avenue at 2:40 PM, where Donovan stopped the bus for us to get a background of the hill. There was a route 85 that would be heading eastbound at this time, but the sun angle would have ruined the shot anyway, so I did not announce it.
Time to hit the highway! As we turned west on 16th Avenue, I informed everyone we were entering a highway portion. In excitement, a handful of charter members approached the front of the bus, hoping to get a front video of 2053 on the highway. Everyone started their videos at 16th and Woodbine (and probably got a video of a black Porsche Carrera turning right as the light turned green). We entered Highway 404, heading northbound for 8km to Stouffville Road, where we exited and headed west. I originally planned to have the highway portion end at Elgin Mills, but due to the fact I was denied having the charter on Highway 407, I decided to extend the Highway 404 portion 4 more kms. As we were waiting at the Leslie light, Donovan was greeted with a round of applause from all the charter attendants. Heading south on Leslie, we approached some rough terrain, as that portion of Leslie Street has not been paved for decades. Turning west on William F. Bell, we arrived at Richmond Green, our next photostop. Seeing on how the parking lot was empty, I decided to pose the school as the background, mainly due to the fact my original location would have no background, and for the fact my girlfriend used to go to Richmond Green, and I figure the photo would give her good memories of her high school.
Due to the abundance of heights around the photo location, a lot of different heights were experimented. Some attendants took the photo at a medium angle, while others used a low angle, and some others used a ground angle. In addition, I also noticed some people standing on the foot of the light stands, trying to get some high angles of the bus. Others took photos of the bus close up, while a few people even used the wide open space to try different backgrounds. Overall, this stop was probably the most well done in terms of variety and sun angle.
We were 5 minutes up leaving Richmond Green, when I decided to throw out the rest of the schedule, and proceed the charter intellectually. I decided to drop the meet with route 41 at Raymerville, to minimize time there and possibly improvise another photo stop at Warden and Enterprise. Little did I know a second factor was about to occur, which I will discuss later.
Heading back to Leslie Street, we went east on Elgin Mills, where we passed by a quaint intersection community called Victoria Square. We turned south on Woodbine, where I informed everyone of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, which is the mysterious cathedral that become a landmark of the subdivision of Cathedraltown. Donovan slowed down the bus in case people wanted to take photos of the cathedral. Continuing south on Woodbine, we went east on Calvert, hoping to influence Donovan to drive by my home street (which I failed to). We went south on Rodick and west/south on John Button, where we were welcomed by speed bumps and a second confused passenger. Turning east on Apple Creek and south on Town Centre, we approached the Markham Civic Centre. After observing the area in the morning, I told Donovan to pose the bus by the Unionville entrance, as my original location was closed off due to construction. In addition, with the 40 Unionville Local sign displayed, it only makes sense to pose by there. After all the photos were taken, we took the group photo, with all 20 attendants being in the shot. Unfortunately, Donovan had to take the group photo, due to the fact the person who was supposed to bring the tripod never showed up. Nevertheless, we already took a group photo with Donovan earlier, so he didn't mind.
With the group photo out of the way, it is time to quickly finish off the last few photostops. We went south on Town Centre Boulevard, east on Highway 7, north and east on Bullock, north on Snider, and west on Raymerville, where we approached a forested area just west of Norwich Drive. When I got off the bus, I expected the sun to shine at the driver's side. Oops...it was shining at the door side instead, with a considerable amount of shadows evident there. However, I did manage to get a rather interesting photo of 2053 "hiding behind a tree", which I found rather interesting. Donovan also had fun with the nature around the photostop, which reminded him of his favourite vacation area: Algonquin Park.
Departing Raymerville and Norwich, we continued west on Raymerville, which became Carlton Road west of McCowan. We then went south on Main Street Unionville, where we passed through the second of the historical districts: Unionville. This district was considerably busier and more lively than at Markham Village, therefore everyone was told to keep quiet, to prevent from attracting attention. Heading south past Highway 7, we approached our final photostop, at Main Street Unionville near Bill Crothers Secondary.
It was past 4:00 PM, and everyone started making dinner plans. We planned a charter dinner beforehand at Frankie Tomato's, so we dialed to make a reservation. However, all reservations were full after 5:00 PM, which means I had to end the charter immediately if I were to do a yard visit. Realizing I was hungry (along with most dinner attendants), I cancelled my improvised stop at Warden and Enterprise, and went straight back to Miller via the "back entrance", heading west on Enterprise, north on Warden, west on Clegg, south on Rodick, west on Miller, and west on Burncrest. We arrived at 4:25 PM, and quickly began the yard visit.
Observing around the yard, I was informed by a fellow charter attendant of 013 with a rack onboard. I decided to go take a look, and sure enough 013 was the Miller bike rack demonstrator. Beside 013 was 011, which was the only Orion V in operation that had no left ad (302 was the other one, but it was out of service due to an accident in the past week). Donovan took 011 to the west end of Miller to pose, where we were greeted by some charter attendants who wanted to take pictures of the 2000 ex-GO Orion V.
After finding some interesting signs (210 Lunch Express, 77 Highway 7-Centre via Clark, 98/99 Yonge Street), it was time to call the yard visit a close. 5:00 PM has struck, and it is time to head to dinner, and our separate ways.
At the end, a total of 17 photostops were made, with 4 being improvised.
I would like to thank the following people for the success of this charter:
- James Trinh, Andrew Crawford, and Wilson Lo who helped me plan the charter routing and photo stops. It was unfortunate Wilson Lo was unable to attend, as this one would be his first full charter (the first charter he attended, he exited halfway due to work).
- Our charter driver, Donovan, for volunteering his time and sacrificing his Sunday shift in order to drive the charter for us. He also sacrificed his habit of sleeping in mornings just to drive for us, and I congratulate him even more for that. In return, some charter attendants gave him a hefty tip for his excellent effort.
- Sandy Aivaliotis, John Stevens, David Alexander, and Lynn Yuile for allowing Donovan to drive the charter and giving the charter a discount rate due to Donovan volunteering to drive for free.
- Ryan Tilley and David Vincent for being my charter advisors, and helping me with the positioning of buses to support the sun angle.
Hopefully we'll see all of you again at the SLF charter coming up in August!
I thought I'd post the summary of our charter held on April 18, for the people who missed out on the fun. This blog post will summarize the events before the charter, the charter routing, and my comments on how the charter went.
The charter's suspense started Saturday late night, when I received an email saying 2053 was out of service, and 2054 was going to be used instead. I was fine with that, since there really isn't much of a difference between the two buses.
I arrived at Miller Yard at 10:45 AM that morning with fellow organizer James Trinh, after checking out one final photostop at the Markham Civic Centre to see how the bus would fit in the parking spaces (due to the fact I was unable to find a good parking spot when I drove the routing on Friday). I was welcomed by charter driver Donovan arriving about 5 minutes after, and I was invited into the shops, where I met Miller dispatcher Tracy and Paul. From there, we inspected 2054 to make sure everything is alright, and we brought the bus out promptly at 11:05 AM.
At that time, more charter attendants have arrived, particularly those who are doing the shuttle car runs with me at Don Mills and Steeles. We left Miller Yard at 11:10 AM, arriving at Don Mills and Steeles exactly at 11:20 AM. 7 out of the expected 9 people showed up, but due to the tight scheduling (and my fair share of warnings given), we left immediately and told the other 2 to take the 224B up to Esna Park to meet us.
At 11:25 AM, fellow organizer Andrew Crawford received a call from James, saying 2054's battery died. While I originally panicked (as 2053 was deemed out of service), he also told him Miller managed to get 2053 starting, and that will be our charter bus. In addition, we managed to remove the rollsign disc stuck inside the sign, and I gave it to James as a souvenir.
Arriving back at the yard at 11:35 AM, I was welcomed by the arrival of 2053. A lot of charter attendants requested doing a group photo at the spot right now (even though not everyone arrived yet). I decided to go for it, as it would be the only chance I can get 2053 beside 2054 with good sun angle. I had Paul take the photo, with Donovan posing in the middle along with 16 of us surrounding 2053 and 2054.
While entering 2053, a charter attendant noticed a large pool of water by the middle of the bus. Seeing as how we still have time to kill, Donovan decided to get a mop and mopped the water off the bus. With the puddle gone, we were all set to go.
We left Miller at exactly 12:03 PM, 2 minutes earlier than expected, so we can pick up the leftover people at Esna Park and Woodbine. We met the 224B at 12:08 PM, though only 1 person showed up (instead of the expected 2). I later found out the last person was not feeling well, and had to back out the last minute.
We went south on Woodbine, and east on Esna Park at this point. The charter then went northeast on Alden Road, and east on 14th Avenue, to trace the 2A routing. Our first photo stop was at 14th Avenue by the CN Uxbridge/GO bridge. This used to be an at-grade crossing, but was converted to a bridge last year. The photo stop would also get a good view of the "business" side of 14th Avenue, as anything east of it would be residential.
Already at this point, I noticed my timings are going to be more off than I imagined. I originally put 7 minutes into this stop, but we ended up stopping for only 3 minutes. To make up for the time gained, I decided to improvise a stop at Middlefield and Highglen, in front of Middlefield Collegiate Institute. The stop here is served by one trip on the route 2 for each rush hour. It is meant as a school special for students attending MCI. We arrived at 11:25 AM, and left at 11:30 AM.
Off to the second planned photostop (third photostop of the day), which was only about 2 minutes away at Denison and Middlefield. I planned to meet the eastbound route 2 that was supposed to pass by at 12:42 PM. Unfortunately, we arrived about 5 minutes earlier than planned, at 12:32 PM. Since I was reluctant to skipping the meet with route 2, I decided to go ahead and wait for the 10 minutes until the 2 arrived. We decided to put some different signs in that photo stop, to waste some time before the 2 arrived. At exactly 12:44 PM, 933 passed by eastbound on the 2. After people taking pictures of the two side by side, we left immediately.
We proceeded east on Denison, we went south on Coxworth and east on Elson (we decided against racing 933). This traces part of the new route 203 routing, along with the reversal of the westbound route 2 routing. When we approached Markham Road, a charter attendant noticed TTC 7015 on the 53B laying over. Donovan decided to get off the bus and try to persuade the driver of 7015 to have a side-by-side pose. He agreed to it, so we all got off the bus, and Donovan posed 2053 beside 7015. While the sun angle wasn't the greatest, it definitely was worth a photo stop as it would be very rare to have a 1991 V beside a 1996 V in the future.
We went north on Markham Road, which becomes Main Street Markham north of Highway 407. As we passed Highway 7, we entered our first heritage district of the charter: Markham Village. Due to the high amount of traffic, we drove by there without passing 40 km/h. We turned east on Robinson Street, where Donovan showed us the ability of his quick hands, as Robinson Street is an extremely narrow road east of Main Street Markham. Heading east on Robinson, east on Joseph, north on Maple, and east on Church (tracing the route 1), Donovan showed us more of his ability, as these turns were narrow and quick in succession. Without further ado, we finally approached the next photo stop; Markham District High School.
The original photo stop location was the student parking lot at the east end of MDHS. However, Andrew researched that area earlier, and noticed that area was fenced off for demolition. Therefore, I decided to put the photo stop at the entrance to the drop off zone, having the bus face southeast with the ravine in the background. We arrived at 1:05 PM, which was right on schedule. The sign we put was the 409 MDHS via Bur Oak, as that was the most frequent route to see the ex-Markham Vs.
Leaving the photostop at 1:09 PM, we went straight on Church until Butternut Lane, where we entered the Markham-Stouffville Hospital loop. This loop is only served by the 9, 18, and 522. All other routes serving MSH use only Church Street. We put the 9 9th Line sign up, as a comical idea on how I erroneously saw 2054 on the 9 last winter. Arriving at 1:13 PM, I informed everyone there would be a Viva Purple and a route 1 coming eastbound. Sure enough, an A330 and 936 passed by eastbound in less than a minute.
Circling the MSH loop, we continued east on Church, and north on Bur Oak, where we encountered the first "passenger caught off guard". She gave an "arms wide open" signal, wondering why we passed the stop without picking her up. In reality, route 85 (the route that serves the bus stop) was supposed to show up in 15 minutes. Having a bit of laughter after that incident, we turned east on 16th Avenue, where I made the first major mistake of the charter. My original intent was to have the next photostop at White's Hill just east of Cornell Centre. However, I accidentally told Donovan to turn at Cornell Centre, instead of Cornell Rouge (the intended place to turn right). Realizing I made the mistake when we were at White's Hill, I quickly tried to look for a place to pose the bus. Ultimately, I chose White's Hill and Bur Oak. We arrived at 1:25 PM, and I put the 85 via White's Hill sign to pose with.
Before leaving, I double checked the stop where the confused passenger was standing, and I noticed she was walking away from the stop. So once we turn north on Bur Oak, she wouldn't bother chasing after the bus, right? Wrong. As we passed by her for a second time, she ran for the bus again, even though me and Donovan pointed to the sign, which said "Charter". Once again the charter attendants had a second laugh over that incident.
Continuing north (and then west) on Bur Oak, we arrived at Mount Joy GO Station, our next photostop. To take advantage of the lack of cars in the parking lot and the sun angle, I told Donovan to go right into the parking lot instead of having the photostop at the loop. We posed the bus in front of the station house, with the GO tracks to the right. However, one of the charter attendants told me the front pole was blocking part of the front of the bus. Therefore, Donovan decided to have the bus face a little more to the south, instead of the current southeast position.
A lot of people are now complaining on how they need the washroom (or at least something to eat). While I did warn that there was to be no lunch stop scheduled, I decided to tell everyone that there was a snack stall inside Angus Glen Community Centre, where the intended washroom stop was going to be. Arriving there at 1:55 PM via Bur Oak, Highway 48, and Major Mackenzie Drive, I told everyone to arrive back at the bus at 2:20 PM. To my amazement, no one took a photo of 2053 at the west entrance to Angus Glen CC except me and one other charter attendant. Oh well.
After pulling into the layover bay, Donovan turned the bus off, and we all proceeded into the community centre. While I was inside the community centre, I was informed of a possible photo stop at the east end near the library. Realizing almost everyone was finished with the washroom break and buying their snacks, I decided to check out the stop. While I initially objected to it due to heavy car traffic, I noticed the cars were departing in rapid succession (due to the fact the loop was meant to drop off library books only). Therefore, I decided to risk it and called James and Donovan to bring 2053 over to the east side of Angus Glen. Sure enough, the photo stop turned out better than I expected, as we got the library, pool, and the flags in the background of 2053. However, the stop was short lived, as there was a large amount of car traffic stuck behind 2053. After unsuccessfully looping a few times to clear out the traffic, Donovan decided to take 2053 back to the west side of Angus Glen. The people outside (including me) decided to take the opportunity to do a video shoot of 2053 passing by Major Mackenzie.
As we were walking back to the west side of Angus Glen, probably one of the highlights of the charter occurred. A Canadian goose appeared and decided to block our way, which made a charter attendant decide to take some photos of the goose. However, this made the goose rather unhappy, as it started chasing after him. The people outside had a good laugh, as we never realized how aggressive geese can be. Realizing that time was becoming an issue, we quickly ran back to 2053, when we noticed TTC 7581 on the 68B laying over behind it. We decided to take photos of both the buses together, then we were finally on our way at exactly 2:26 PM.
The next photostop took us east on Major Mackenzie, and south on Kennedy to School House Road, where I was expecting a route 8 to show up. Arriving at 2:29 PM, I was determined the route 8 did not pass by yet. Sure enough 2 minutes later, 937 showed up on route 8. While the driver was originally confused on what's happening, Donovan proudly told him that we were transit enthusiasts, and we are interested in having the buses side by side. He happily agreed to it, and slowly drove 937 beside 2053, while we all took photos of it. Departing 2053, the driver gave a wave to us, and we all waved back in happiness.
Heading west on School House Road, north on Prospector's, and west on Major Mackenzie, it was time for an exciting part of the charter; a ride through a NIMBY neighbourhood. However, I was told not to enter Cachet Parkway, where we would see some of the biggest and richest houses in Markham. Therefore, I told Donovan to head south on Warden instead, and drove right through the valley and hills between Major Mackenzie and 16th Avenue. We had a rather bouncy ride, which people sitting at the back enjoyed thoroughly. Finally, we approached the peak of the hill just north of 16th Avenue at 2:40 PM, where Donovan stopped the bus for us to get a background of the hill. There was a route 85 that would be heading eastbound at this time, but the sun angle would have ruined the shot anyway, so I did not announce it.
Time to hit the highway! As we turned west on 16th Avenue, I informed everyone we were entering a highway portion. In excitement, a handful of charter members approached the front of the bus, hoping to get a front video of 2053 on the highway. Everyone started their videos at 16th and Woodbine (and probably got a video of a black Porsche Carrera turning right as the light turned green). We entered Highway 404, heading northbound for 8km to Stouffville Road, where we exited and headed west. I originally planned to have the highway portion end at Elgin Mills, but due to the fact I was denied having the charter on Highway 407, I decided to extend the Highway 404 portion 4 more kms. As we were waiting at the Leslie light, Donovan was greeted with a round of applause from all the charter attendants. Heading south on Leslie, we approached some rough terrain, as that portion of Leslie Street has not been paved for decades. Turning west on William F. Bell, we arrived at Richmond Green, our next photostop. Seeing on how the parking lot was empty, I decided to pose the school as the background, mainly due to the fact my original location would have no background, and for the fact my girlfriend used to go to Richmond Green, and I figure the photo would give her good memories of her high school.
Due to the abundance of heights around the photo location, a lot of different heights were experimented. Some attendants took the photo at a medium angle, while others used a low angle, and some others used a ground angle. In addition, I also noticed some people standing on the foot of the light stands, trying to get some high angles of the bus. Others took photos of the bus close up, while a few people even used the wide open space to try different backgrounds. Overall, this stop was probably the most well done in terms of variety and sun angle.
We were 5 minutes up leaving Richmond Green, when I decided to throw out the rest of the schedule, and proceed the charter intellectually. I decided to drop the meet with route 41 at Raymerville, to minimize time there and possibly improvise another photo stop at Warden and Enterprise. Little did I know a second factor was about to occur, which I will discuss later.
Heading back to Leslie Street, we went east on Elgin Mills, where we passed by a quaint intersection community called Victoria Square. We turned south on Woodbine, where I informed everyone of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, which is the mysterious cathedral that become a landmark of the subdivision of Cathedraltown. Donovan slowed down the bus in case people wanted to take photos of the cathedral. Continuing south on Woodbine, we went east on Calvert, hoping to influence Donovan to drive by my home street (which I failed to). We went south on Rodick and west/south on John Button, where we were welcomed by speed bumps and a second confused passenger. Turning east on Apple Creek and south on Town Centre, we approached the Markham Civic Centre. After observing the area in the morning, I told Donovan to pose the bus by the Unionville entrance, as my original location was closed off due to construction. In addition, with the 40 Unionville Local sign displayed, it only makes sense to pose by there. After all the photos were taken, we took the group photo, with all 20 attendants being in the shot. Unfortunately, Donovan had to take the group photo, due to the fact the person who was supposed to bring the tripod never showed up. Nevertheless, we already took a group photo with Donovan earlier, so he didn't mind.
With the group photo out of the way, it is time to quickly finish off the last few photostops. We went south on Town Centre Boulevard, east on Highway 7, north and east on Bullock, north on Snider, and west on Raymerville, where we approached a forested area just west of Norwich Drive. When I got off the bus, I expected the sun to shine at the driver's side. Oops...it was shining at the door side instead, with a considerable amount of shadows evident there. However, I did manage to get a rather interesting photo of 2053 "hiding behind a tree", which I found rather interesting. Donovan also had fun with the nature around the photostop, which reminded him of his favourite vacation area: Algonquin Park.
Departing Raymerville and Norwich, we continued west on Raymerville, which became Carlton Road west of McCowan. We then went south on Main Street Unionville, where we passed through the second of the historical districts: Unionville. This district was considerably busier and more lively than at Markham Village, therefore everyone was told to keep quiet, to prevent from attracting attention. Heading south past Highway 7, we approached our final photostop, at Main Street Unionville near Bill Crothers Secondary.
It was past 4:00 PM, and everyone started making dinner plans. We planned a charter dinner beforehand at Frankie Tomato's, so we dialed to make a reservation. However, all reservations were full after 5:00 PM, which means I had to end the charter immediately if I were to do a yard visit. Realizing I was hungry (along with most dinner attendants), I cancelled my improvised stop at Warden and Enterprise, and went straight back to Miller via the "back entrance", heading west on Enterprise, north on Warden, west on Clegg, south on Rodick, west on Miller, and west on Burncrest. We arrived at 4:25 PM, and quickly began the yard visit.
Observing around the yard, I was informed by a fellow charter attendant of 013 with a rack onboard. I decided to go take a look, and sure enough 013 was the Miller bike rack demonstrator. Beside 013 was 011, which was the only Orion V in operation that had no left ad (302 was the other one, but it was out of service due to an accident in the past week). Donovan took 011 to the west end of Miller to pose, where we were greeted by some charter attendants who wanted to take pictures of the 2000 ex-GO Orion V.
After finding some interesting signs (210 Lunch Express, 77 Highway 7-Centre via Clark, 98/99 Yonge Street), it was time to call the yard visit a close. 5:00 PM has struck, and it is time to head to dinner, and our separate ways.
At the end, a total of 17 photostops were made, with 4 being improvised.
I would like to thank the following people for the success of this charter:
- James Trinh, Andrew Crawford, and Wilson Lo who helped me plan the charter routing and photo stops. It was unfortunate Wilson Lo was unable to attend, as this one would be his first full charter (the first charter he attended, he exited halfway due to work).
- Our charter driver, Donovan, for volunteering his time and sacrificing his Sunday shift in order to drive the charter for us. He also sacrificed his habit of sleeping in mornings just to drive for us, and I congratulate him even more for that. In return, some charter attendants gave him a hefty tip for his excellent effort.
- Sandy Aivaliotis, John Stevens, David Alexander, and Lynn Yuile for allowing Donovan to drive the charter and giving the charter a discount rate due to Donovan volunteering to drive for free.
- Ryan Tilley and David Vincent for being my charter advisors, and helping me with the positioning of buses to support the sun angle.
Hopefully we'll see all of you again at the SLF charter coming up in August!
York Region Transit ex-Markham Orion V Charter
UPDATED AS OF APRIL 11, 2010
TransferPoint is proud to announce its first charter since its formation, a 1991 Orion V 05.501 #2053, previously operated by Markham Transit, now operated by York Region Transit.
This charter will take us throughout all the Markham routes this bus has served in its 19-year life, along with some scenic and unique spots this bus has never served (or dare to serve) before.
This will be a 5 hour charter on April 18, 2010, with a 30 to 45 minute yard visit at the end of the charter at Miller Yard.
The charter will start at 12:00 PM at Miller Yard. To maximize the charter time and photo stops, this will be the only pickup point for the charter.
For those who need a ride up to Miller Yard, DJ Orion and I will be providing shuttle car runs at the Tim Horton's at Don Mills and Steeles. We will depart at 11:20. If another run is necessary, a 11:40 trip might be added.
The charter bus will be 2053, with 2054 as the backup if needed.
The cost will be $30.
If you're interested, please email us at transferpoint2009@gmail.com, and provide us with the following information.
Name:
Username:
Do you need a ride up/down: Yes/No
Email:
Anyone driving to the charter, parking will be available at the south side of Burncrest Drive. Do not park at the north side of Burncrest, as that is the employees parking lot, and you will get tagged or towed for being an unauthorized parker. For those who went to the MCI Classic Charter, it's the same location. The bus will be at the cul-de-sac at the north side of Burncrest Drive.
Thanks a lot, and we promise this will be a day you will surely not forget!
Church Street Reconstruction
This post will be updated (nearly) daily with the latest on what's happening with the reconstruction of the streetcar tracks on Church Street, particularly between Dundas and Gerrard Streets. This project is also coupled with watermain construction of Church Street.
Day 1: Monday October 26, 2009
Day 14 - Sunday November 8, 2009
Day 23 - Tuesday November 17, 2009
Day 1: Monday October 26, 2009
- Although construction south of Dundas has been progressing for a long time, today was the first day crews started working north of Dundas. Crews were starting to dig into the concrete and rails starting a driveway north of Dundas, stretching to about 50m south of Gould. Traffic was restricted to southbound only starting at Gould.
- Work continues south of Gould, today work was stretching up all the way to Gould. Dumpsters have been dropped off on the northbound curb lane of Church north of Gould, and barriers were being set up along both sidewalks to prevent pedestrians from jay-walking across the construction site.
- Construction today consists of removing the steel rails from the road and removing them from the site.
- Lots of activity today north of Dundas. The section from 50m south of Gould to 25m north (including the intersection of Church/Gould) has been excavated. By noon all the rails and concrete was dug up, with a few remaining wooden ties being removed. Gould Street has been closed between Church and Mutual because of the construction, and pedestrians must now cross 25m north of Gould, underneath the overpass. Pedestrians crossing Gould may still do so at the intersection; only E-W traffic is affected.
- By 3:00 (when I went to photograph in the rain), concrete was being poured for the base from about 50m south of Gould and heading northward - suggesting that they want to get the intersection reopened as soon as possible. I cannot find any rails in the vicinity of the site though.
- South of Dundas, no work is proceeding today. The block south of Dundas is in various stages of construction - the track looks untouched for a few metres past the intersections with Dundas and Shuter, and heading north, progresses from dug hole (dirt bottom) to 1st concrete layer, then rail supports, then rails on top of the supports, then a 2nd concrete layer to the bottom of the rails. Very interesting to watch the progression in the levels of track construction in one block. Oh - TTC vehicle #607 "Swingmaster" is present on the north side of Shuter. Looks like some sort of front-end loader type vehicle but possibly used for rail placement.
- Significant progress has happened. The section 50m south of Gould to 25m north of Gould has had the first layer of concrete completely poured (which would've been done last night) and by noon the section had the streetcar rails set up and suspended. Between noon and 2:00 TTC engineers (or at least people wearing TTC safety vests) were surveying the tracks. The Swingmaster (607) had made its way to north of Gould and assumedly it installed the rails earlier that morning. There were a number of TTC vehicles present including two trucks and 697, a front-end loader.
- Boxes of rails and rubber cushioning were delivered overnight onto the curb lane of northbound traffic (currently blocked off), and some of the rails were used this morning while there are still a lot of rails in the boxes.
- A 2nd layer of concrete was poured (from the 1st layer to the bottom of the rails) was poured during the evening in the Gould Street intersection to 25m north of Gould.
- Besides for the busy activity on the section crossing Gould, no other work has happened on the other sections of the project.
- In the morning, due Thursday's Pub Night a smashed pumpkin now resides in the tracks south of Gould (assumedly this would get cleaned out before any concrete was poured).
- Prep work was being done for the final top layer of concrete in the Gould intersection, which was poured during the evening.
- Again, no other work was done on other sections.
- The 3rd layer was unmolded during the morning, and the Gould St. intersection was reopened to pedestrians (although still closed to vehicles, presumably to allow the track to fully harden).
- Church and Gould becomes fully reopened (well, excluding northbound traffic).
- Excavation of the section of Church north of Gould has started.
- Supports for rails have been put up between Gould and Dundas, installation of the rails is pending (presumably will be installed either later today or on Tuesday).
- Concrete is being poured for the top layer only in the portion between the rails for the section south of Dundas. This goes right up to the existing track at Dundas Street.
- Rails were laid in the early morning for the remaining portion between Dundas and Gould, but they have not been aligned or attached to the steel ties.
- Excavation continued between Gould and Gerrard.
- Today was mainly about concrete pouring. The last bits of the top layer of concrete north and south of Gould were finished, and a significant amount of concrete south of Queen was poured (2nd and final layers).
- The rails between Gould and Dundas were straightened, aligned and attached to their ties.
- Pouring of the 1st layer of concrete commenced in one steady pour north from Gould towards Gerrard.
- Rails were laid out on the section between Gould and Gerrard.
- More concrete was poured on the sections just south of Gould, so only the top layer between the middle rails needs to be poured.
- The rails laid out yesterday (Gould-Gerrard) were attached to their steel ties, and alignment of the rails began. I also believe the laid out rails were welded to the rails put in at the Gould intersection.
Day 14 - Sunday November 8, 2009
- No work was done this weekend.
- The Swingmaster (607) was parked on Gould behind a front-end loader (697) which has been parked there for most of the week.
- Tracks have all been aligned and attached to their steel ties between Gould and Gerrard.
- The 2nd layer of concrete was poured for most of the section between Gould and Gerrard. A small portion was still unpoured during the afternoon south of Gerrard, as crews were working on something with the rails.
- The top layer of concrete was poured between the rails and between the outside rails and the asphalt for the entire section between Gould and Gerrard. Pouring started between the southbound rails, then progressed to the northbound side.
- Another section of the top layer between the middle rails was also poured between Dundas and Gould, along with other pouring just north of Dundas.
- Tracks were laid out north of Gerrard.
- The concrete poured on Wednesday was covered in tarps, and therefore no other work could be done north of Gould.
- Finally, the very last bit of concrete pouring commenced. The section between the middle rails from Gould to Gerrard and a final small section between Dundas and Gould were poured.
Day 23 - Tuesday November 17, 2009
- All work was done at this point
- Tracks were uncovered between Gould and Gerrard, with the concrete inspected by TTC personnel.
- Signs showing that Church is about to fully reopen are evident, as the metal barriers have been removed and grouped on the two middle lanes between Dundas and Gerrard. Only the orange and black pylons remain blocking traffic from the other 3 lanes.
- Those metal barriers in groups were removed during the day, although Church is still closed. Nothing else seems to be blocking them from reopening the lanes.
York Region Transit 610-618
Manufacturer: New Flyer Industries
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
610-618 were delivered in late 2006.
616-617: Miller (Markham)
618: Miller (Richmond Hill)
Note: 618 appears on Markham routes much more frequently than Richmond Hill routes.
610 had a wrap applied of a possible paint scheme - a gradient scheme fading from white to blue. It had two blue Y logos applied over the rear windows. 610 was eventually repainted into the now-standard scheme.
As repainted vehicles, all buses had the white Y logos applied in November 2007. The Miller units were especially prone to ripping off, so they were removed by February 2008.
Repainting schedule:
610 - November 2007 (logos June 2007)
611 - June 2007 (logos June 2007)
612 - July 2008
613 - August/September 2008
614 - August/September 2008
615 - July 2008
616 - May 2008 (logos November 2008)
617 - September 2008 (logos November 2008)
618 - May 2008 (logos 2009)
Recommended Sightings: 52, 53, 55, 57, 98
Miller only has 3 units that are hard to find, although they may be found on major routes like 1, 2 and 8. First Student's are easiest to find, just look for any major route out of Newmarket Terminal.
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
610-618 were delivered in late 2006.
Divisions
610-615: First Student616-617: Miller (Markham)
618: Miller (Richmond Hill)
Note: 618 appears on Markham routes much more frequently than Richmond Hill routes.
History
All buses were originally delivered in Ghost scheme, as the new YRT livery would be debuting soon. All buses had a set of old YRT logos applied though.610 had a wrap applied of a possible paint scheme - a gradient scheme fading from white to blue. It had two blue Y logos applied over the rear windows. 610 was eventually repainted into the now-standard scheme.
As repainted vehicles, all buses had the white Y logos applied in November 2007. The Miller units were especially prone to ripping off, so they were removed by February 2008.
Repainting schedule:
610 - November 2007 (logos June 2007)
611 - June 2007 (logos June 2007)
612 - July 2008
613 - August/September 2008
614 - August/September 2008
615 - July 2008
616 - May 2008 (logos November 2008)
617 - September 2008 (logos November 2008)
618 - May 2008 (logos 2009)
Recommended Sightings: 52, 53, 55, 57, 98
Miller only has 3 units that are hard to find, although they may be found on major routes like 1, 2 and 8. First Student's are easiest to find, just look for any major route out of Newmarket Terminal.
York Region Transit 601-609
Manufacturer: New Flyer Industries
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
601-609 were delivered in late 2005, and were the last D40LFs delivered in the old gold/blue livery.
607-609: First Student
Units 605-609 were originally part of Can-Ar's roster. Service cuts to 5 and 99 in July 2008 resulted in a surplus of D40LFs at Can-Ar, while Miller had a bus shortage and First Student had few 40 ft vehicles. As a result, in August 2008 units 605-606 were transferred to Miller (as well as 582-585), and 607-609 were transferred to First Student.
Recommended Sightings: 1, 18, 53, 98
Miller puts these buses on fairly varied routes, although they are most likely to be found on routes 1, 2 and 18, especially during rush hours. First Student often puts them on 98, and occasionally other routes like 52 and 53.
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
601-609 were delivered in late 2005, and were the last D40LFs delivered in the old gold/blue livery.
Divisions
601-606: Miller (Markham)607-609: First Student
History
This series was supposed to be delivered in early 2006, however they got pushed ahead and got delivered in late 2005. Their numbers reflect the fact they were supposed to be 2006 vehicles, partially because the 5xx series was full.Units 605-609 were originally part of Can-Ar's roster. Service cuts to 5 and 99 in July 2008 resulted in a surplus of D40LFs at Can-Ar, while Miller had a bus shortage and First Student had few 40 ft vehicles. As a result, in August 2008 units 605-606 were transferred to Miller (as well as 582-585), and 607-609 were transferred to First Student.
Recommended Sightings: 1, 18, 53, 98
Miller puts these buses on fairly varied routes, although they are most likely to be found on routes 1, 2 and 18, especially during rush hours. First Student often puts them on 98, and occasionally other routes like 52 and 53.
York Region Transit 571-585
Manufacturer: New Flyer Industries
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
571-585 were delivered in early 2005. They were the first series delivered with the more rounded Metropolitan seats, which became standard through to the 2009 E-Z Riders.
579-581: Can-Ar
582-585: Miller (Richmond Hill)
Originally, 571-573 were Markham based, and all of 579-585 were based out of Can-Ar. However, due to service cuts on routes 5 and 99, as well as shortages at Miller, units 582-585 were moved to Miller
Recommended Sightings: 83, 85, 90
Since Can-Ar only has 3 units, they are very hard to spot. Miller sends their 5xx series out on major routes 85 and 90 often, and they may also appear on 83/A, especially the midday runs.
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
571-585 were delivered in early 2005. They were the first series delivered with the more rounded Metropolitan seats, which became standard through to the 2009 E-Z Riders.
Divisions
571-578: Miller (Richmond Hill)579-581: Can-Ar
582-585: Miller (Richmond Hill)
History
This series was intended to be numbered 557-572, but production delays by New Flyer delayed the delivery of this series and the fleet numbers were swapped with the EZR IIs.Originally, 571-573 were Markham based, and all of 579-585 were based out of Can-Ar. However, due to service cuts on routes 5 and 99, as well as shortages at Miller, units 582-585 were moved to Miller
Recommended Sightings: 83, 85, 90
Since Can-Ar only has 3 units, they are very hard to spot. Miller sends their 5xx series out on major routes 85 and 90 often, and they may also appear on 83/A, especially the midday runs.
York Region Transit 401-412
Manufacturer: New Flyer Industries
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
401-412 were delivered in 2004.
409-412: Can-Ar
408 and 411 were used as the 2004 Holiday buses, and had a Holiday-themed wrap applied. The remnants from this wrap are still visible with the livery 'swoosh' overtop of the rear windows.
Recommended Sightings: 300, 301, 302, 303
Miller typically runs most of the lighter expresses with the 4xx series, and the easiest way to find them are at Finch. At Miller, they rarely go out for weekend service, and see occasional midday service. Can-Ar sends theirs out more for midday service, but they are still hard to find.
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
401-412 were delivered in 2004.
Divisions
401-408: Miller (Markham)409-412: Can-Ar
History
The arrival of this series allowed more contractor equipment to retire, and increase service.408 and 411 were used as the 2004 Holiday buses, and had a Holiday-themed wrap applied. The remnants from this wrap are still visible with the livery 'swoosh' overtop of the rear windows.
Recommended Sightings: 300, 301, 302, 303
Miller typically runs most of the lighter expresses with the 4xx series, and the easiest way to find them are at Finch. At Miller, they rarely go out for weekend service, and see occasional midday service. Can-Ar sends theirs out more for midday service, but they are still hard to find.
York Region Transit 311-335
Manufacturer: New Flyer Industries
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
311-335 were delivered in 2003, and were part of the first heavy-duty, full-size bus order for YRT.
Can-Ar: 311, 314, 318, 320, 322, 324, 326, 328, 329, 332, 333, 335
Miller: 312, 313, 315, 316, 317, 319, 321, 323, 325, 327, 330, 331, 334
312 and 313 were based out of Markham, all other Miller buses were out of Richmond Hill.
During 2004 there was a sharp increase in demand on route 85, and 333 and 335 were transferred over to Miller Division.
This series was eventually concentrated at Can-Ar in April 2006, when operation of routes 88 and 91 were transferred from Miller to Can-Ar.
Being the oldest D40LFs, this series has begun to be repainted.
333 - October 2007
330 - June 2008
320 - November 2008
Recommended Sightings: 88, 91, 99
Can-Ar has all of the series, and these 3 routes are all based out of Finch and (in the case of 91 and 99) are accessible, although typically 88 only runs with D40LFs. Spend 10 minutes at Finch and you should see at least one.
Model: D40LF
Engine: Cummins ISL
Transmission: Voith D864.3
311-335 were delivered in 2003, and were part of the first heavy-duty, full-size bus order for YRT.
Divisions
311-335: Can-ArHistory
Originally the series was delivered scattered between divisions:Can-Ar: 311, 314, 318, 320, 322, 324, 326, 328, 329, 332, 333, 335
Miller: 312, 313, 315, 316, 317, 319, 321, 323, 325, 327, 330, 331, 334
312 and 313 were based out of Markham, all other Miller buses were out of Richmond Hill.
During 2004 there was a sharp increase in demand on route 85, and 333 and 335 were transferred over to Miller Division.
This series was eventually concentrated at Can-Ar in April 2006, when operation of routes 88 and 91 were transferred from Miller to Can-Ar.
Being the oldest D40LFs, this series has begun to be repainted.
333 - October 2007
330 - June 2008
320 - November 2008
Recommended Sightings: 88, 91, 99
Can-Ar has all of the series, and these 3 routes are all based out of Finch and (in the case of 91 and 99) are accessible, although typically 88 only runs with D40LFs. Spend 10 minutes at Finch and you should see at least one.
Toronto Transit Commission 1000-1149
Manufacturer: Orion Bus Industries
Model: Orion VII HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1000-1149 were delivered in 2006. These were the first HEVs ever to be delivered to the TTC.
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the Sealed-Lead Acid (SLA) batteries they were delivered with, their batteries are being converted to Lithium-Ion batteries at MTB.
1133 had Aries seats installed as a prototype - as no future purchases have them, it seems to have been unsuccessful. 1062 was the prototype for replacing the SLA batteries for Lithium Ion batteries, and therefore has a more square enclosure.
Wilson: GM New Look
Malvern: A few units in the 113x series were lent to Malvern for training in mid-2007, as they would be receiving the new 1200-1423 order. Units 1100-1149 were transfered in November 2008 in exchange for 50 NG units.
Wilson: Wilson recieved 1050-1099 in exchange for 25 diesel units (7900-7924) for Arrow and a number of NGs and New Looks that were moved to Mount Dennis.
Recommended Sightings: 60, 85, 106, 108
Although the series is evenly split between the 3 divisions, these routes tend to have more than others.
Model: Orion VII HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1000-1149 were delivered in 2006. These were the first HEVs ever to be delivered to the TTC.
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the Sealed-Lead Acid (SLA) batteries they were delivered with, their batteries are being converted to Lithium-Ion batteries at MTB.
1133 had Aries seats installed as a prototype - as no future purchases have them, it seems to have been unsuccessful. 1062 was the prototype for replacing the SLA batteries for Lithium Ion batteries, and therefore has a more square enclosure.
Retirements:
Malvern: Flyer D901, GM New LookWilson: GM New Look
Division Histories:
Arrow: All 150 units were originally delivered to Arrow. Their arrival at Arrow allowed the S50EGR VIIs to be concentrated at Birchmount and Eglinton. Currently, only 1000-1049 remain at Arrow, as they were traded to Malvern and Wilson for NGs, many of which went to Mount Dennis. The extra space at Arrow now allowed them to accept more deliveries.Malvern: A few units in the 113x series were lent to Malvern for training in mid-2007, as they would be receiving the new 1200-1423 order. Units 1100-1149 were transfered in November 2008 in exchange for 50 NG units.
Wilson: Wilson recieved 1050-1099 in exchange for 25 diesel units (7900-7924) for Arrow and a number of NGs and New Looks that were moved to Mount Dennis.
Recommended Sightings: 60, 85, 106, 108
Although the series is evenly split between the 3 divisions, these routes tend to have more than others.
Toronto Transit Commission 1700-1829 (Orion VII NG HEV)
Manufacturer: Orion Bus Industries
Model: Orion VII NG HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1700-1829 were delivered in 2009.
They came pre-equipped with Lithium-Ion batteries, unlike the two earlier deliveries. Currently this is the last order of hybrids the TTC is purchasing; all further deliveries are expected to be regular diesel buses.
Wilson: GM New Look
Wilson: Wilson started accepting this series halfway through delivery. This allowed most of the remaining 14xx to go to Arrow and much of the 1500-1689 series to Mount Dennis.
Recommended Sightings: 85, 95, 133, 134
Although they may appear on any route at Malvern or Wilson, the 17xx series make up comparatively more of Malvern's LF roster and therefore they are easier to find on any Malvern LF route.
Model: Orion VII NG HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1700-1829 were delivered in 2009.
They came pre-equipped with Lithium-Ion batteries, unlike the two earlier deliveries. Currently this is the last order of hybrids the TTC is purchasing; all further deliveries are expected to be regular diesel buses.
Retirements:
Mount Dennis: 1991 Orion V (6640-6745), GM New LookWilson: GM New Look
Division Histories:
Malvern: Malvern was the first division to accept deliveries. They mainly displaced the 1200-1423 series to Arrow.Wilson: Wilson started accepting this series halfway through delivery. This allowed most of the remaining 14xx to go to Arrow and much of the 1500-1689 series to Mount Dennis.
Recommended Sightings: 85, 95, 133, 134
Although they may appear on any route at Malvern or Wilson, the 17xx series make up comparatively more of Malvern's LF roster and therefore they are easier to find on any Malvern LF route.
Toronto Transit Commission 1500-1689 (Orion VII NG HEV)
Manufacturer: Orion Bus Industries
Model: Orion VII NG HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1500-1689 were delivered in 2008-2009. Due to production issues this series was delivered at the same time as the earlier order (1200-1423).
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the Sealed-Lead Acid (SLA) batteries they were delivered with, the last 5 units (1685-1689) were modified at the factory before delivery, and came with Lithium-Ion batteries. The remaining 185 vehicles will also be converted by MTB at a future date.
Malvern: GM New Look
Mount Dennis: 1991 Orion V (6640-6745), GM New Look
Queensway: New Flyer D40-88/89, 1991 Orion V (6640-6745)
Wilson: GM New Look
Malvern: Although Malvern concentrated on receiving 1200-1423 buses, they also received numerous buses from this series. All of them went to Mount Dennis or Wilson, as the 1700-1829 series started arriving.
Mount Dennis: As the 1500-1689 series was newest when Mount Dennis opened, much of this series was moved from the other 3 divisions.
Wilson: Delivery started at Wilson Division, where they pushed out. These vehicles were delivered primarily to Wilson Division, with Arrow and Malvern also accepting deliveries. When Mount Dennis opened in November 2008, much of the fleet was moved to that division (as they have a lower mileage than the 1200-1423 series).
Recommended Sightings: 32, 41, 47, 63
Although they may appear on any route at Arrow, Mount Dennis or Wilson, they are most common at Mount Dennis and therefore the highest chance will be on any large Mount Dennis route.
Model: Orion VII NG HEV 07.501
Engine: Cummins ISB
Transmission: BAE Systems HybriDrive
1500-1689 were delivered in 2008-2009. Due to production issues this series was delivered at the same time as the earlier order (1200-1423).
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the Sealed-Lead Acid (SLA) batteries they were delivered with, the last 5 units (1685-1689) were modified at the factory before delivery, and came with Lithium-Ion batteries. The remaining 185 vehicles will also be converted by MTB at a future date.
Retirements:
Birchmount: GM/MCI Classic, 1991 Orion V (6640-6745)Malvern: GM New Look
Mount Dennis: 1991 Orion V (6640-6745), GM New Look
Queensway: New Flyer D40-88/89, 1991 Orion V (6640-6745)
Wilson: GM New Look
Division Histories:
Arrow: Although Arrow concentrated on receiving 1200-1423 buses, they also received numerous buses from this series. Most of them have since gone to Mount Dennis in exchange for buses from the 1200-1423 series.Malvern: Although Malvern concentrated on receiving 1200-1423 buses, they also received numerous buses from this series. All of them went to Mount Dennis or Wilson, as the 1700-1829 series started arriving.
Mount Dennis: As the 1500-1689 series was newest when Mount Dennis opened, much of this series was moved from the other 3 divisions.
Wilson: Delivery started at Wilson Division, where they pushed out. These vehicles were delivered primarily to Wilson Division, with Arrow and Malvern also accepting deliveries. When Mount Dennis opened in November 2008, much of the fleet was moved to that division (as they have a lower mileage than the 1200-1423 series).
Recommended Sightings: 32, 41, 47, 63
Although they may appear on any route at Arrow, Mount Dennis or Wilson, they are most common at Mount Dennis and therefore the highest chance will be on any large Mount Dennis route.
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