Since we have left the Pacific Northwest, there won’t be too many encounters with the BC Ferries fleet for a while. I have taken a couple of ferry rides up there in the recent past and got a few shots of the boats as we went along. Some were the passenger ferries, but I also got one of the other operators that only does freight movements. I’ll stick them in anyway, even if they aren’t BC Ferries. I shall now get to see a whole new selection of ferries in the UK so stay tuned for more ferry action before too long.
Tag Archives: transportation
Some Unusual Maintenance Vehicles from CPKC
While we were staying in Canmore, we got plenty of train traffic passing us by. Most of the time, it was just the regular freight train movements but there was some maintenance work underway in the vicinity and we had a train come by that was not like the others. The locomotive was a different looking beast and it was pulling some flat cars including one with a backhoe loaded on it. I assume that they were heading to or from a work site, but I don’t know where it might have been. They train did look pretty clean so maybe it was not that old?
Lynnwood Link Opening Day
Sound Transit has a series of extensions to the Link light rail system coming online at the moment. In September 2024, it was the turn of the Lynnwood Link Extension to open. This was not one we were involved with, but I was keen to see the new extension come online and also to catch up with some colleagues that would be there.
The sun was shining so it was a great day for an event. There were plenty of dignitaries there for the opening and a lot of speeches. Each station was going to be holding celebrations throughout the day, but I decided against taking a ride on the first day. There were so many people there to see it open and the line to board the trains was lengthy. Let everyone have fun and I can check it out another time. (As a side note, I still haven’t ridden the line. I kept meaning to do it and now the chances that I will are diminished.)
I did watch the first few services come and go and the teams all boarded along with media before the rest of the riders could then have their go. I understand the extension has been very popular both for commuters and those heading downtown for events like games and shows. The parking garage can get quite full from what I am told. Great to see this new extension getting well utilized and, when the Eastlink connection opens and additional vehicles can access this section of the system, the frequencies should improve too.
Something Large to Bypass the Pleasure Craft
When it isn’t peak boating season, the smaller lock at Ballard is the main one to get used. It can accommodate much of the traffic and there isn’t too much demand to require the big lock to be utilized. There are priorities about what traffic goes through the lock and commercial traffic will always get precedence over the leisure craft. There were a few boats lined up to come in when a tug and some barges came in from Puget Sound. It got priority and, since it was far larger than the small lock could deal with, the big lock needed to be used.
What You Need to Go on the Glacier
Go up the icefield parkway in Alberta and you see plenty of glaciers around the mountains that tower over you. You can do a trip out on to the glacier while you are there, and a special vehicle is provided to get you out there. It required more time than we wanted to give up to do the full tour but I did want to see the buses that they use to go out on the ice. Giant tires, loads of clearance and very tough looking construction. These things look immense.
There is one in the parking lot by the visitor center so you can get an up-close look. I don’t know whether this is the same as the ones currently in use or if it is an old version that has been superseded. We did see the active buses out on the roads and heading up on the ice. I bet they are not the most comfortable ride but a fantastic way to get to somewhere special.
Angel’s Flight Railway
I first heard of Angel’s Flight Railway in one of the early Harry Bosch novels that was named for it. Prior to that, I had never heard of this funicular railway in Los Angeles. More recently it was also the subject of a TV series that I started to watch but never continued with. In my many trips to LA, I had never actually seen it. Work took me there a short while ago and my hotel was only a few minutes walk from the railway and, since I seem to have sought out some funiculars recently, I figured I would head to this one after work before it got dark.
I ended up arriving at the top of the railway. Apparently, it has undergone some rehabilitation and modernization, and it certainly seemed it great shape. The top station still has a vintage feel to it, though. There is a stairway that runs down the hill parallel to the track so, rather than ride down, I walked down the stairs to watch the trains as they passed me. The cars are on separate tracks, but they are only spaced to pass halfway up the hill. At the top and bottom, the alignment comes closer together. As the cars approach each other, they move to the side and them come back towards the middle once clear of each other.
The loading is done through end doors at the top and bottom so no need to worry about complex platform issues. Everything seems to be managed from the station at the top. When I got to the bottom, it seemed that people would board freely, having to pay when they made it to the summit. It does provide a good way up the hill, but it isn’t that big of a hill, and I wonder why the railway was necessary when it was built. Now it seems to be a tourist attraction as opposed to a key element of the transit system. Good to have finally seen it, though, and another funicular to visit.
Watching the Ferries While I Work
I was getting my car serviced up in Everett and was working from the dealership’s lounge while they were busy with it. When they finished, I didn’t have much time before my next call so, since I couldn’t get back to the office in time, I parked down on the waterfront to take my calls. I ended up spending the rest of the day working there (and having my lunch). It was a lovely day, and the ferries were coming in and out of the Mukilteo terminal. I did take a moment every once in a while, to grab some photos of the two ferries as they went back and forth.
Italian Day Brings Out the Wealth
I have done quite well this year with getting to feature days at Exotics@RTC. The Italian Day is always going to be a popular one and the number of Ferraris and Lamborghinis in the area is going to provide a good basis for the event with a bunch of other cars of varying vintages being able to fill in the gaps with a bit of variety. I do not know much about these cars so, when I walk around, I am either looking for something I recognize or something that looks totally different. Here is a selection of shots of cars that fit those criteria.
Crossing I-405 in Style
A while back I posted some photos from the opening weekend of the Link light rail on the east side of Lake Washington. Part of the construction of that extension involved a bridge arose I-405. As a regular user of that freeway, I watched the bridge take shape and then get fitted out as they got closer to opening. Now, to take a ride across it, I got a new perspective on I-405 to that I have had before. Being elevated makes things look so much smaller than when you are at ground level.
Kitsap Fast Ferry
This Kitsap ferry left Seattle shortly after we had departed on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We did see the same ferry later as part of our return journey. What caught my eye was its name. It is called Solano which was a location in Northern California. Turns out this boat used to provide services across San Francisco Bay and, when Kitsap County bought it, they didn’t decide to change its name. Consequently, it is quite different to the other ferries in the region that have local names.