Posted on Leave a comment

GMC Fishbowl Museum Project

Exciting progress is being made on our 4107 GMC Fishbowl Museum Project! The restoration and transformation of this iconic bus into a mobile museum is well underway, and we are thrilled to share the latest developments with our members and supporters.

One of the major milestones we have recently achieved is the completion of vinyl coverings for all the windows. This crucial step prepares the bus for the application of various transit logos that will showcase the rich history of public transportation in British Columbia and beyond. Some of the logos under consideration include those from Metro Transit, Coast Mountain Bus Company, TransLink, BC Transit, BC Hydro, and many more. These visual elements will help tell the story of how transit has evolved over the decades, making the 4107 a rolling time capsule for enthusiasts and the public alike.

In addition to the exterior restoration, we are pleased to announce a new digital component to the museum bus, made possible by our continued partnership with BC Tech. Thanks to their generous support, we will be

equipping the 4107 with a state-of-the-art computer system, including two interactive kiosks. These kiosks will provide an engaging and educational experience for visitors, allowing them to explore transit history through multimedia displays, interactive maps, and archival footage. The kiosks will also feature sound and voice interaction to accommodate visually impaired visitors, ensuring accessibility for all.

Further enhancing the digital experience, we will be installing six display monitors at the back of the bus three on the left and three on the right where images and historical photos can be changed regularly to showcase different aspects of transit history. Additionally, a center TV, similar to the setup in Unit 730, will provide a focal point for educational videos and presentations. These features will help bring the past to life in a dynamic and engaging way.

Austin and Michael will be leading the development of the kiosk programming, ensuring that the content is both informative and userfriendly. With these cutting-edge tools, visitors will be able to dive deep into the history of transit, learn about the evolution of vehicles like the GMC Fishbowl, and engage with a wealth of historical data in an exciting and interactive way.

This project is moving forward step by step, and we appreciate the support of our members, volunteers, and partners who are helping bring the vision of a fully functional transit museum bus to life. We will continue to provide updates as we reach new milestones, and we encourage everyone to stay tuned for more exciting developments!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Each step brings us closer to making the 4107 a truly unique and immersive museum experience.

Posted on Leave a comment

Ridin’ The Rails

The rails of the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Cloverdale, that is! In collaboration with the FVHRS, we offered our first fantrip of the 2025 Summer Season.

Lawrence, myself and Milan believe  that everyone had a wonderful time. We had many opportunities to chat with everyone.  The people we chatted with were very happy with this excursion. I myself was very impressed on the trip. The Heritage Railway was very welcoming to everyone and invited us to their BBQ. Lawrence and Milan did a great job in organizing this trip: Milan picked wonderful places on the second part of the excursion.  The area that 4612 was for a photo shoot was fantastic. It was a bonus that there was a train that also came by. The fans were over the moon with that photo opportunity.  The weather was fantastic! Great first 2025 excursion for The Transit Museum Society.

Sue Walker

Posted on Leave a comment

Day of Pink

TMS honoured to be asked by Unifor Local 111’s Pride Committee to help them celebrate

April 10th marks International Day of Pink. The Day of Pink is a worldwide anti-bullying and anti-homophobia event held annually during the second week of April. Though similar to Pink Shirt Day (held in February) in that it also seeks to end all bullying, the Day of Pink is more specifically aimed towards anti-LGBTQ+ bullying. The Unifor Local 111 Pride Committee held a special event on the previous evening at the 12th St. Union Hall recognizing the special day. TMS was invited to attend.

“It was Wednesday night from 6:30pm -9pm. We were asked to set up a table to introduce ourselves. The was a DJ, videos, entertainment including Mandy Kamp, and some goodies. Myself, Lawrence, Rob, Bryan , and Angus represented us., and Dale popped in. We were also helping sell Pink t shirts for the union. We were greeted with open arms and it was very informative and we all enjoyed ourselves.”

Sue Walker  (who also took the photos– thanks, Sue!)

Posted on Leave a comment

The wheels on the bus…

…. go round and round. But care must be taken to make sure they stay on! That is where a torque wrench comes into the picture. A torque wrench is a specialized tool used to apply a specific amount of torque to a fastener, such as a nut or bolt. Torque wrenches are essential for ensuring that fasteners are tightened to the correct specification, preventing over-tightening or under-tightening, which can lead to mechanical failures or safety issues. Some torque wrenches have an extension (called a ‘breaker bar’) which allows a mechanic to exert up to 500 ft/lbs of torque to tighten the wheel nuts. TMS Mechanical Consultant Sean Keating prefers a standing orientation which utilizes the mechanics weight to exert enough force. Some transit properties use a longer bar and tighten by hand. Either way, the operation produces a ‘clicking’ noise when the desired torque is achieved. Recently, Sean showed helper Milan Streit how to torque the wheel nuts on our 1964 GM coach, #4612. Helper Richard Dyer assisted.

Posted on Leave a comment

New Board & Appointees

This past Friday (7th May 2025), members met to elect a new Board of Directors. Two members of the old Board decided not to seek re-election: TMS wants to thank Sue & Lawrence Walker for their service as directors and their guidance in its affairs. (Although they will ‘step back somewhat’ from their other roles within the Society, they will still be active members. Sue will help in Sales, Lawrence will continue to organize our Events attendance.)

Members re-elected the remaining six directors; they elected Evan Russell and Savannah Dewolf to fill the remaining two seats. Welcome, Evan & Savannah!

The new Board then elected the Executive positions: Bryan Larrabee returns as President; Michael Taylor-Noonan as Vice President, Angus McIntyre as Treasurer and Jason Sharpe as Secretary.

The Board met in-camera on Sunday, 9th March, to fill various positions within the Society. At the Friday meeting, members were asked to show interest in being appointed to these positions. For some roles, the Board felt a committee would best be able to handle the responsibilities, in other cases the role was given to one person to act alone or as a ‘supervisor’ to those who generously offered to help. Over the next few weeks, we’ll organize things, and get everyone ‘up to speed’.

Appointments

4107 Project Leader: Jason Sharpe

Events Co-ordinator: Lawrence Walker (working remotely from home.) The Directors decided to create at least four Host Supervisors to set up and manage the TMS volunteers at the events.  Names withheld pending acceptance from the individuals.

Excursions: Milan Streit

Drivers Co-ordinator: Evan Russell

Librarian/Archivist: Michael Taylor-Noonan

Newsletter: Michael Taylor-Noonan

Webmaster (Technical): Michael Taylor-Noonan

Webmaster (Content): Austin O’Keefe

Charters & Coach Rentals: Bryan Larrabee

Membership: Bryan Larrabee and Lawrence Walker.

Shop Management Committee: Bryan Larrabee, Jason Sharpe, Richard Dyer, Milan Streit

Social Media Co-ordinator: Milan Streit

Sales & Marketing: Savannah Dewolf

Posted on Leave a comment

4107 Project Update

Museum Makeover

As you now doubt know, we are building a new “mobile museum” in our 1982 GM “Fishbowl” bus, #4107. Project leader Jason Sharpe has always insisted that this will not be merely a replacement for our present museum bus, 730. So, this project is not about taking the cabinets and exhibits out of the 1957 GM bus (if we could fit them through the doors!) but starting from scratch – examining what our visitors would want to see.

730’s exhibits focused on the history of transit from 1890 to the formation of TransLink. No one era was predominantly displayed. 4107, however, will be biased towards our transit history from the 60s and 70s onwards. We will keep 730 active, and available to attend events so that we can still present a full picture of Vancouver’s transit past.

Interest in transit is shown across many generations. But what we have discovered is that 730 isn’t very interesting for younger enthusiasts. The cabinets housing the displays are too high for youngsters to view! There are no “interactive” displays. Jason says he’ll address these issues by mounting cabinets vertically on the walls of 4107. He’ll include interactive features such as fareboxes and a destination blind which can turn to show different termini.

Austin Terpstra-O’Keefe has recently joined the “conversion team.” He has brought with him a desire to include more multi-media exhibits than we originally intended. This was mainly because of the extra cost this would involve. But Austin has struck up a relationship with the BC Technology for Learning Society. It offers gently used computer technology at free or low-cost to schools, low-income individuals, Indigenous groups, and fellow non-profit societies. The donated computers are refurbished by youth technicians who get paid work experience.

“We discussed our requirements, and BC Tech is enthusiastic about collaborating with us, expressing great confidence in our concept…. They are exploring options to provide us with low-cost or free devices,” says Austin. He also drew up these mock ups of what the rear of 4107 will look like. We can’t wait for the project to be finished. It’s certain to be a great success with our visiting public!

A room with seats and a television on the wall

Description automatically generated

A blue seats in a train

Description automatically generated

Posted on Leave a comment

Hello to 2025!

Happy New Year to all our members and supporters!

As we begin the new year, we’d like to just explain what has happened to the blog posts you may wish to re-read. As a Society, our mission is “preservation.” Sometimes the Internet can be quite the reverse — posts can disappear. (Though, I suspect those posts you regret may still be available deep inside the Goggle servers!) Because our blog posts often contain information which should be retained, every year we archive them and place them in our online library called TOPICS. There they are searchable, backed up, and always available. (You can search using the term ‘blog’.)

May 2025 be all you wish it to be!

Posted on Leave a comment

Ho Ho Holiday Lunch

Bryan Larrabee, President, Transit Museum Society

A Visit From Santa and Mrs. Claus

This week we were invited to attend the Richmond Transit Centre (RTC) Holiday lunch, so Angus, Lawrence, Matthew and I took #4612 to join the festivities.  We were treated to a full turkey dinner and met many of the RTC operators, mechanics and staff.  Lawrence fixed up the story boards and put them in the bus and we gave tours.  A nice surprise was a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

It was an honour and a pleasure to be invited and of course our 1964 GM Fishbowl (#4612) was a big hit.  We took the opportunity to photograph some of the remaining 9 Orions as well as one of the Santa Buses. 

Of course Angus McIntyre knew nearly everyone and posed for several pictures himself.

Lots of transit talk and comparison of the Fishbowl with the current fleet.  The non-ergonomic driver’s area drew a lot of comments especially from operators wondering what it must have been like to have no power steering, no adjustable steering wheel and seat.  The advertisements in the bus were popular and Angus was more than willing to talk about driving in the old days.

Posted on 1 Comment

Flyer fits in a Ford

Writes Sue Walker, our Sales Manager:

“There was a gentleman that came by our Langley shop yesterday to pickup the last two bench seats removed from our D40LF during Jason Sharpe’s refresh project. He is doing a project of his own, but his involves a 1921 Ford Model T Runabout. The seats fit perfectly into the car. He was so impressed with what we do and who we are, that he gave us a small donation.” Definitely not OEM!

Posted on 1 Comment

All Aboard

for what was our last big event of the year. 

Sue Walker

We all had a great time! We had some special guests visit us… 

Sandra MacDonald and Fred Bradley and his wife Sue Bradley from The Sunshine Coast. Sandra and Fred have corresponded on line many times but had never met until the train show.  They had a great chat. John Streit from CKNW radio also paid us a visit. He was there in a professional capacity: he did a great news report about the train show. This was also seen on Global News. 

Our sales team also did a fantastic job in chatting with people and doing sales. The final tally was over $1000 in sales!  We tried a new idea to make some mugs with the same art work as Lawrence’s prints of the buses.. it was a fantastic hit. We even sold a early 1900’s train switch lantern. Our Social Media person (Stephen Goodman) did a fantastic job in covering all the different areas of the Train show. I think we got a lot of exposure by being near the miniature train. Many people were taking pictures of our beautiful 4612 fishbowl bus.

I would like to thank  all the members and guests that took the time to volunteer and visit us at our booth  representing  the Transit Museum Society.