In
winter/spring of 2013, I learned the CTHF which organized the articulated
Classic charter I was on last year was organizing a farewell charter to Calgary’s
fishbowls which has dropped to about 13 active units.

Despite how
disappointing my time at SAIT turned out to be, I still had plenty of fond
memories of riding Calgary’s
fishbowls when I was living in Calgary
from August of 2002 to April of 2003.

I had
joined VIA's preference program in 2007. I had accumulated enough points to go
part way from Toronto to Edmonton
on the Canadian in sleeper. My initial plan was to take the Canadian from Toronto
to Edmonton and catch a bus to Calgary.
I would spend a few days in Calgary
before I returned to Edmonton and
fly home a few days later. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a room on the
Canadian on the day I intended to leave. So I came up with another plan.

My final
plan was to fly from Toronto to Calgary
on the Wednesday before the charter. I would spend three nights in Calgary
before I attended the charter. After, I would head up to Edmonton
where I would visit the Edmonton Radial Railway Society at FortEdmontonPark
as they have one of the PCCs that were mothballed in 1995. I had seen the car
in 1998, but the photos I have aren't good. I would also visit the West
Edmonton Mall at some point. I would the ride the Canadian home from Edmonton.
The trip unfolded as follows:

September 11, 2013:

My dad gave
me a ride to the airport. Yes, I was flying on September 11. Life still
continues despite the event that happened 12 years earlier on the day.

My dad
dropped me off at Terminal 3 at Pearson. It was good flying an airline other
than Jetblue for a change! For the first time since 2009, I was flying Westjet.

I checked
in and cleared security. I then went to my gate though another flight was
boarding. I then photographed an El Al Boeing 767.

I then
wandered around and bought lunch. I returned to my gate and worked on this
report some more.My plan soon arrived
at the gate. I photographed it.

The plane
was a Boeing 737-800. I also photographed an Air Transat Airbus A-310.

Boarding
soon commenced. I noticed I had no one in my group of seats. The plane left on time.
I filmed the plane's take off. I watched the plane's satellite TV. I eventually
worked on this report some more.

Soon, we
were approaching Calgary. I filmed
the landing. We were soon parking at the gate. I got off and photographed the
plane.

I then went
to claim my suitcase. It took several minutes, but my suitcase eventually
appeared.

I then
waited for my cousin Trevor who I stayed with the last time I was in Calgary
on my Western Canada Trip. However, he was going out of town the next day, so I
was staying at a motel not too far from SAIT's main campus.

I couldn't
find Trevor at first, and I didn't have his phone number. I was about to log
into the Wi-Fi at the airport to look up his phone number when Trevor came. We
then left the airport and we headed onto the highway. We got off and drove past
Calgary Transit's spring garden garage. When I was living at SAIT, I was able
to get a tour of the garage! I will go into the story later. I did see two of Calgary's
remaining fishbowls parked near the front. I photographed them.

We
eventually got to my hotel which was a Canada's
Best Value Inn located two C-train stops west of SAIT's main campus. I checked
in and dropped my stuff at the room. We then went to a nearby Boston Pizza and
had dinner. After dinner, I returned to my room and Trevor went home.

I watched
TV and saw something about a freight train derailment in Calgary.
I thought I knew where it was so I decided to check it out. I left and walked
over to Banff Trail C-Train station. I just missed a C-Train heading towards
downtown. I bought a ticket which was good for 90 minutes. While waiting for
the next train, I photographed a C-Train going the other way.

When my
train arrived, I got on. Since I last visited Calgary
in 2007, Calgary Transit had adopted a new livery.Many SD160 LRT cars have received the new
livery though some were still in the older livery.

The train
left Banff Trail station. Two stops later, we passed SAIT's main campus. I booed
at SAIT. When we got downtown, I noticed that the downtown C-Train stops had
been changed. I got off the train at the first stop in the “free zone” and
filmed the train pulling out.

I then
walked two blocks south. I saw some ballast hoppers. At first, I thought they
were on the derailed train, but that wasn't the case. However, some of the
ballast hoppers were lettered for the SOO Line and the Milwaukee Road! Needless
to say, I photographed them.

After
awhile I walked back to the C-Train. I decided to ride a portion of the new
Western extension of the route 202 line. Trevor's wife Mary played a roll in
the construction of the extension.

I rode two
stops and got off. I eventually transferred to the route #72 bus. The route #72
is more of a circle that runs around a large section of Calgary
clockwise. Route #73 runs around counterclockwise. I believe Calgary Transit
routes 4 and 5 are similar.

I rode the
bus to Brentwood C-Train station where it went out of service. I waited for a
train north because since my Western Canada trip in
2007, the route 201 had been extended one stop further northwest to Crowfoot
station. I was delighted to see a train of older U-2 cars pull in. I boarded
the front car and rode two stations to Crowfoot. At Crowfoot, I got off and
photographed the train.

I saw my
ticket was about to expire. I bought a new one. The train I was on departed
before I could get back. I waited for the next train. I rode to Banff Trail
station and got off. I then walked back to my motel. I bought some milk and a
muffin at a McDonald's near my motel. I worked on this report some more and
called it a night.

September 12, 2013:

I got up
and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. After, I returned to my
room for a few minutes before I headed out. I walked to Banff Trail station and
bought a day pass. I boarded a train and rode one stop to LionsPark where I transferred to the
route #19 bus. I was going to visit Trains and Such. As we passed SAIT, I booed
again. I noticed that the North Hill Diner where I had eaten a few times while
at SAIT was now a steakhouse. A few minutes later, I got off and transferred to
the route 2. I saw the hobby store was no longer Trains and Such, but went in
anyway. I didn't buy anything while I was there. I then headed downtown. I then
transferred to the C-Train and boarded a route 202 heading for 69th
Street which is the new western terminus of the line. I boarded a train of
newer cars. Along the way, we passed through Calgary's
only underground station. When I got to 69th street, I photographed
the train.

I then left
the station and explored the area. I could see the Rocky Mountains
off in the distance. I photographed them.

I then made
my way back to the C-train and headed out. Since 2007, the line had been
extended three stations at the other end from Whitehorn which was where it
ended when I was at SAIT.

Past
Whitehorn, we passed a new yard. With the new extensions, I guess the two yards
couldn't handle more trains. The line now ended at Saddletowne station. I got
off and photographed the train.

I then got
back on and rode to Marlborough. On
the train, I saw someone with some model trains. I asked him where he got them
and he told me it was at a different hobby shop. I decided to go there the next
day.

I got off
at Marlborough ate lunch at a
nearby Wendy's. I had eaten at that Wendy's when I was going to SAIT at least
once per week. After lunch, I went to Marlborough Mall across the street. I
looked around for a few minutes and then headed out on the C-Train. I got off
near Center Street and walked over to the intersection of 5th and
Center. I was hoping to see some high floor buses. After awhile, I only saw one
Classic, but I was unable to photograph it. I decided to go where I had done
fanning when I was at SAIT. When I got there I saw a lot of Classics. I
photographed many of them.

The driver
of Classic #5092 waved at me and asked why I was taking pictures. When I gave
him an honest answer we had a nice talk.I soon went back to photographing Classics.

I was
hoping a fishbowl would show up. However, none did. I eventually boarded Classic
#5038 and went for a short ride. I got off and photographed it before I filmed
it pulling away.

I returned
to the area and photographed a few more buses.

I
eventually got on a D60LFr and rode a few blocks. I got off and walked to the
C-Train. I saw my train consisted of U-2 cars. I photographed the train before
I got on.

I rode to
Dalhousie station. I got off and transferred to the route #137 bus to Market
Mall.

When I first
got to Calgary in 2002, my dad and
I got the stuff I needed at the Zellers in the mall. We had to make multiple
trips there. Eventually, my dad started referring to it as the “Damn mall”! I
would go there throughout the two semesters I lived in Calgary
but this was the first time I visited the mall in over 10 years. Like many
Zellers stores, the one at Market Mall was now a Target.

I had
dinner at the food court. After dinner, I bought some milk at a Safeway in the
mall. When I was going to SAIT, I bought my groceries at Safeway. However, I
didn't buy them at the Market Mall location. There was a Safeway grocery store
one C-Train stop in either direction from SAIT. The bags they gave would often
fall apart before I got back to my dorm.

I then caught
a bus back to the C-Train and rode to Banff Trail. I then walked to my hotel. I
watched TV for a little while and looked in the phone book and saw the address
of the hobby shop where the guy I saw on the C-Train had bought the model
railway cars. I also saw that Trains and Such had moved to a new location near
Chinook C-Train station. I worked on this report before I called it a night.

September 13, 2013:

I got up
and got dressed. I went to the lobby for breakfast. After, I returned to my
room for a few minutes before I headed out. I walked to Banff Trail station and
bought a day pass again. I rode the train one stop to LionsPark station and transferred to the
route #19 bus. This time I stayed on longer. We passed the stop where I got off
the times I took the Route #19 bus to class at SAIT and stayed on.I got to the hobby store a few minutes later.
I looked around but didn't buy anything. I then caught a route #72 bus to
Whitehorn station. I then caught a C-Train downtown and transferred to C-Train
route 201 and rode to Chinook. I then went to find Trains and Such. It took me
a few minutes, but I eventually found it. I looked around for a few minutes
before I bought a book on train wrecks that was displayed in the break room at
SAIT. I then left Trains and Such and walked to the Chinook Center Mall. I
looked around and had lunch in the food court. While I was there, I
photographed the steam locomotive/helicopter on the mobile which I also
photographed on my Western Canada trip.

I went into
an HMV and bought a book. I then caught a cutaway on route #506 back to Chinook
C-Train station. I then rode the C-train downtown and transferred to the route
#202 C-Train and headed to the place I was the day before where I saw all those
Classics. I waited and I eventually saw some Classics arrive. I photographed
them.

I was there
for two hours. I eventually left on Classic #5111, which is a Classic Calgary Transit
had bought second hand from somewhere in Connecticut. I rode a few blocks
before I got off and photographed #5111.

I then
boarded a D40LF on route 24 and rode out to Ogden.
I saw some cars for the CP Holiday train. I could tell because they said
“Canadian Pacific Holiday Train”. I took some photos.

I then
walked up further and took some more photos.

I then
caught a bus back to Alyth yard. I photographed a couple CP freights and I got a
glimpse of CP FP9As #4106 and 4107 which pull the Royal Canadian Pacific.

I then
caught a bus back to downtown. I got on the route #201 C-Train. I was feeling
hungry and I decided to go to Arby's for dinner. However to get there, I had to
cut through SAIT's main campus, but I didn't feel like taking the long way. I
grudgingly made my way from the SAIT C-Train stop and went to Arby's. After
supper, I caught a route 19 bus back to my hotel. I went online and worked on
this report some more. I saw on the Canadian Public Transportation Board that
someone had seen a Calgary Transit fishbowl in service in the area I was! If I
had stayed there for 30 minutes longer, I would have ridden it! That was a
major disappointment!

I eventually
asked for a wake up call at 8:00 am
and called it a night.