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Report From The Pacific NW

 
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Q65A



Age: 66
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 1764
Location: Central NJ

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:27 pm    Post subject: Report From The Pacific NW Reply with quote

My wife & I just returned from a 2-wk. vacation to Washington & Oregon, with a concentration on Seattle & Portland. This area is very scenic, with lots of things to see & do. It also is an area that boasts some pretty sophisticated transit operations.
For transit buses, the region is dominated by New Flyers (all LF) & Gilligs (mostly Phantoms of various sizes). The large fleets operated by King County Metro (Seattle) and TriMet (Portland OR) are prime examples. Seattle's Community Transit and Sound Transit also are similarly equipped. Tacoma's Pierce Transit uses NF C40LF's reminiscent of those based at JG in Bklyn. Intercity Transit (Olympia WA)appears to be an all-Gillig property, with Phantoms and Low Floors of various sizes (including 30' LF's, something I've never seen before). A one-day side trip to Victoria BC gave me a chance to see that city's buses: mostly NF D40LF's, with a few older MCI or Nova Classics in rush hour service. They also run what appeared to be an Alexander Dennis Trident double-decker in transit service (a vehicle that looked right at home in a very scenic, very British-looking city).
In Portland, I did see something that is very rare in the Pacific NW, but formerly a very common sight in NYC: a 40' RTS (operated by SMART).
Seattle is a great place to see trackless trolley operations. They run 40' Gilligs, 40' and 60' NF's, and 60' Breda dual-powers over an extensive network of routes.
Both cities have fareless downtown riding zones (something not seen in NYC). You can ride any bus free in a large portion of downtown Seattle or Portland during the workday. I did ride Route #99 (Waterfront Streetcar) in Seattle; it uses specially painted 40' diesel Gillig Phantoms. Check out www.transit.metrokc.gov/am/vehicles/vehicles.html to see KC Metro's fleet. Also for a good collection of Seattle bus shots, check out www.members.tripod.com/~KHartman/index.html
At Newark Airport, I also had the chance to ride PANYNJ's brand new Orion VII diesels (working the parking lot shuttles that only last year were running Nova LFS's).
Overall, a great vacation and a great opportnity to see bigtime transit bus operations in the Northwest.
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Q65A



Age: 66
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 1764
Location: Central NJ

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oops!
That KC Metro link should read:
www.transit/metrokc.gov/am/vehicles/vehicles.html
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Q65A



Age: 66
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 1764
Location: Central NJ

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, let's try once more...
Third time (hopefully!!!) is the charm:
http://transit.metrokc.gov/am/vehicles/vehicles.html
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Cyberider




Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 501
Location: Tempe, AZ

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad you made it back from your vacation, Bob. Mr. Linsky and I were getting worried about your long absence from the board. Glad you and your wife had a good vacation.
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bob (or should I say Mr. AWOL - only kidding!). Rolling Eyes

I've never been further north then the California wine country (on the left coast) but it sure sounds, from your description, like both Oregon and Washington are very similar to some of our more 'eastern' landscapes here in the 'Golden State'.

Glad you had a great time - and even more glad that you're back! Very Happy

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Jamaica, NY
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