Bus photos old and new from Angus McIntyre
Bus photos old and new from Angus McIntyre
Angus McIntyre, dear Buzzer friend and retired trolley driver, sent in a few photos for us to share today. (He’s sent in vintage photos before!)
Angus is a member of the Transit Museum Society and drove trolleys for over 40 years in Vancouver. We’ve spoken to him before on the blog — see his terrific reminiscences of transit and more here, here, and here.
Here’s what Angus says about these photos:
I was on a trip back east for a month, and when I returned I made a point of paying an extra $10 to get a window seat on the right side of the ‘plane. I had tried before to get these shots but the ‘plane landed eastbound. This time the weather was perfect, and this is the result. Please feel free to use these images any way you wish.
I have included two shots of PNE Parade Day, August 1974, showing how things worked for the detour at Hastings and Commercial. I’m sure Worksafe BC would have issues with this now.
Last two shots, looks pretty neat.
The gentleman riding the bumper in the first of the 2 photos is waiting to put the poles back up on the wires of a northbound 20 Granville bus (which was at the time paired with the 25 Victoria) as it crosses Hastings. 2 of the buses in the background are probably waiting to turn left to continue east on Hastings, like the 16 Renfrew in the 2nd photo.
My question is…the CCF-Brill trolleybuses had no batteries, so the only way they could coast for any distance with the poles down is if they had some momentum going already. How did the buses waiting to turn get enough speed going in the short amount of wire left in order to make the left turn with the poles down? Were there other people giving the buses a push?
One time when the grid section was out in east Vancouver they had a Busters tow truck pushing Brill trolleys, they pushed my Brill from Commercial & Broadway down to the westbound wire at Powell street, your air tanks only held about 80 pounds air for the brakes, by the time Hastings street appeared that’s it, all the air was gone and you’re waving out the window to the tow truck to stop pushing but he can’t see you, so it’s swinging your bus in a wide frantic left turn onto Powell street and finally stopping yourself with the Johnson bar, would somebody please throw some water on that person from health & safety who has just collapsed on the floor after reading this.
Other stunts & circus tricks you can try with the old Brill trolleys, try coasting down a deserted Dunbar street on an Easter Sunday with no passengers towards 41st & Dunbar loop (you’re going N.I.S. from there to Oakridge), get up to 50+ kph with foot off power pedal, throw direction select lever up into reverse, nothing happens, no loss of momentum, nothing, apply gradual pressure to power pedal which acts as a gradual smooth braking, stomp down on that power pedal and you get thrown down onto the steering wheel, the bus comes to an immediate stop and goes swiftly in reverse back up Dunbar if you don’t come to your senses quick enough to apply the brake, then the fun begins because inside those shrouds along both sides of the bus at floor level are the heating elements that turn red hot and incinerate 25 years of accumulated dust, candy wrappers, dead insects, many fleas & cockroaches etc. Then as you pull up at Oakridge depot farebox island as you open the door for the farebox attendant he tries to glimpse you through the intense smoke and heat and asks if you need a white card under your windshield wiper and should he direct you to the unservicable bus queue for the workshop. Happy days