Seems like a long long time ago, but when we were preparing to move out of Roseberry, Matthew Walker demonstrated the difference between streetcars and interurbans in the city, and Fraser Valley cars.
Whistlin’ Away
Author: admin
…and we’re back!
Happy New Year to everyone, members and non-members. 2024 will be an exciting year for the Transit Museum Society. We will be starting our new “Mobile Museum” project aboard our 1982 GM “Fishbowl” 4107.
Jason Sharpe applied our URL to 9753. You’ll notice that it’s in the same font and style as the old URL “www.bctransit.com.” All logos were taken off the coach before it was donated.
This week we’ve published our newsletter, The Transfer. You may know BC Electric as the predecessor of BC Transit/Metro Transit/BC Hydro Transit, but did youy know the in addition to operating buses and streetcars, the BCE also owned the Yellow Taxi franchise in Vancouver? We also explore the political life of Effie Jones. After WW2 she became “the number one foe” of the BC Electric, campaigning to have the private company taken over by government.
Angus shows us two photographs of our other “Fishbowl”, 4612: It was restored by BC Transit, but in the wrong livery! And we garner some more information about the oldest bus in BC. No, not our 1937 Hayes. Our President, Bryan Larrabee celebrates his 30th edition of “Shop Rags”, his review of the happenings at our facility in Langley, (but it started with Roseberry.)
Onward!
2023 Christmas Lights Tours
For the 2023 edition, we’re travelling around the Tri-Cities. Four public and two private trips are scheduled. All the public ones were sold out a month ago! The revenue generated will help fund our continued operation. Many thanks to our volunteers drivers and hosts!
Garage Sale
On Sunday December 10th, we held our second Garage Sale.
Waiting outside! Sue Walker with a few “non-transit” items. Matthew Walker shows a rear deck number display he’s modified for battery operation.
Organizers Sue & Lawrence Walk are to be congratulated for a sucessful event, as are our volunteers who helped. We raised over $3200 for our Society operations. Well done, everybody!
Surrey Santa Parade & Presentation to Mayor Sim
Santa returned to Surrey in the 16th Annual “Surrey Santa Parade of Lights” in Cloverdale. Our 1982 GM ‘Fishbowl’ T6H5307N made its last public appearance before we begin its conversion to our 2nd mobile museum. That explains the lack of seats! One person that had a seat was driver Trevor Batstone! So too did assistants Jen Norton and Ewen Streit.
(Room for lots inside! 4107 in the staging area. Photos by Ewen Streit)
Recently, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim expressed a keen interest in a Grant Money-Meter farebox. So Matthew and Sue Walker restored one of our surplus machines. On Tuesday December 4th, Matthew and Lawrence Walker presented it to the Mayor at a small ceremony at Vancouver Transit Centre. In the photo above, Matthew explains how to remove the safe. Ken Sim has said that any “fares” collected in the the farebox from visitors to the Mayor’s office will be donated to TMS. (Photo: Lawrence Walker)
At the presentation, Bryan Larrabee (TMS President), Mayor Ken Sim, and TMS Members, Matthew Walker, Lawrence Walker and Rhonda Larrabee.
We’re going to have another garage sale!
UPDATE –WE HAVE SET THE DATE Sunday December 10!
Just when we don’t know — watch our social feeds for details. To prepare, TMS volunteers, including Aden Wong and Kyle Little prepare some treasures for sale.
Noel News
TMS members continue to prepare for Christmas. Our Lights Tour is sold out, though we have a wait-list. Email tours@transitmuseumsociety.org if you wish to be placed on it.
GM #4107 will attend two events on behalf of TransLink – a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the head office on December 1st between 6 and 7pm, and the Surrey Santa Parade on December 3rd. The parade will take place in Cloverdale at the Fairgrounds at 3pm. Ewen Streit & Antony Sherest decorate 4107 while Matthew Walker attends to the interior lights.
Our volunteers continue readying NFI Low-Floor for service. In addtion to the the public lights tours, it will operate several private charters. Jason Sharpe & Richard Dyer replace the wipers and give it a wash.
Continuing the countdown to Christmas
Our shop crew, Sean Keating, Jason Sharpe & Milan Streit did a last minute check of the completed cooling hose replacement. Then Trevor Batstone took 9753 on a road test, confirming everything was in order. The cooling system was the major project because the the system had to be drained and refilled; over the next few weekends other hoses which do not involve that will be replaced, but essentially #9753 is ready for its assignment on our Christmas Lights Tours.
Speaking of which, there are very few seats remaining! We are working to “firm up” our route, ensuring a 40′ bus can navigate the roads of Coquitlam & Port Coquitlam, and checking proposed stopping places.
Bryan Larrabee, President of TMS, writes:
“Thanks to Sue and Savannah and their sales team at the Model Train Expo. Their efforts generated over $900 in sales! We had #4612 on display and had a number of present and past members drop by to say hello. The organizers were happy with the turnout for the two days but it hasn’t gone back to pre-COVID days.
(Photos by Lawrence & Sue Walker. )
Thursday and Friday (November 9/10), #4612 was the star at a TransLink Marketing video shoot at VTC. James Pearson was on hand to make sure they took care of our bus. I have no idea what the video was about, but everyone was happy with the shoot!
On Wednesday November 8th, Evan Russell, Oscar Kapsa, Lawrence and I took #3106 back to Deroche and brought #4107 home to the shop. We are temporarily putting the antlers and Rudolph nose on #4107 so it can go to TransLink’s Tree Lighting Ceremony and the Surrey Santa Parade.”
Keepin’ Cool
Before the Christmas season, our shop crew is working on replacing 9753’s coolant hoses.
First step is to drain and store almost 48 litres of expensive coolant! 
Then one by one the hoses are replaced with new ones assembled by Sean Keating. You can see the corrosion of the sheathing blocking the flow of coolant in the hose. 
Jason Sharpe, Milan Streit and Richard Dyer then have the task of threading the new hoses through the nooks and crannies of the Series 50 engine.
Richard Dyer shows us one of the the new hose installations. Then once all have been replaced, the vehicle road tested, it’s time for the Christmas Lights Tours!
A D40 “flies” back to Langley — briefly.
D40 #3106 makes a brief return to Langley. It is usually at our Valley storage, but last week TMS members Bryan Larrabee, Lawrence Walker and Milan Streit took #4107 out there. This created space at Langley to bring #3106 in. It is still loaded with spare parts that were stored inside during our move from Roseberry. After unloading, the two coaches will again trade places, hopefully on November 8th.
Issac Tam & Kyle Little unload the parts from 3106, and later, Issac gives the coach a good clean.
#4107 on route to Mission along the Lougheed Highway (Lawrence Walker)
Well, look who is here! #3334 will keep #4107 company for the next week or so (Lawrence Walker)
Christmas Lights Tours
These popular tours are back! There’ll be four trips –December 15th, 16th, 22nd & 23rd. All will depart from Coquitlam Central Station at 7.15pm. Reservations are now open. This year we have changed the reservation and payment procedure to make it easier for TMS members to reserve a seat.
You’ll receive a one-time-passcode via email. Enter this to make your reservation. We will not accept payment until we confirm that good weather is forecast for the departure date. Then you can pay online, or onboard the bus with cash or card.
