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Post by lmtengs on May 3, 2010 14:15:39 GMT -8
He said there are a few rumours floating around such as when the escalators were removed all the concrete that had to be poured to form the stairs added to the weight of the ship. They used to have escalators?? Please say more... photos would be nice?
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Post by Kahloke on May 3, 2010 14:30:30 GMT -8
the one or two times I rode on Cowichan back in the late 80's, I distinctly remember the escalators. I thought that was really cool because I had never seen a ferry with escalators before.
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Post by lmtengs on May 3, 2010 15:23:30 GMT -8
I had never seen a ferry with escalators before. I know that NorAd had escalators before BCF bought and refitted her...
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Post by Ferryman on May 3, 2010 16:34:10 GMT -8
The Cowichan, Coquitlam, and Alberni had escalators from when they were built until they were given their MLU's in recent years. They were nice to have sometimes, but 80% of the time they were a real pain. When passengers would make their way upstairs from the car deck, the escalator would be running in the up direction. During the voyage they would usually be stopped so people could go up and down the stairs freely. Then they'd be set in the down direction when they expected you to go down to the car deck. BC Ferries obviously ended up regretting having those, because they were never installed on the next generation of C-Class, the Oak Bay and Surrey. I also vividly remember hearing the Chief Steward always making the announcements to abnoxious youth who were misusing the escalators...."Please stay off the escalator...". I know that Scott managed to get some good pics of the Alberni with her escalators just before she went in for her MLU in 2006. I miss those huge light up retro escalator signs that you'd see in the stairwells.
On an unrelated note...another thing seems to be giving the Coquitlam some troubles. I'm doing some work on a house thats right along the waterfront in Departure Bay, and had perfect views of the Cowichan/Coquitlam coming and going all day, and even the Quinsam went out for a test run. But what I was going to get to, was that the Coquitlam was running as a Single ender today. She would slowly coming into Departure Bay until she was about a ships length from the berth, and then both rudders were turned hard over to port, and she started to turn on a dime so that the cars would be pointed in the right direction. Then she would reverse into berth 2 once the turn was completed. So something is up with the #1 end of the ship, because the #2 end was used as the bow end all day.
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Post by lmtengs on May 3, 2010 17:55:48 GMT -8
Something is making me think that the older C-Classes are aging faster then they should be... might this mean early retirements?
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Post by nolonger on May 3, 2010 19:33:50 GMT -8
Something is making me think that the older C-Classes are aging faster then they should be... might this mean early retirements? They are aging just fine. One other reason the escalators were pulled was concerns over safety. There was a horrific accident on the Cowichan when she was the rte 3 vessel. A teenage girl either fell or was pushed down a moving escalator while the vessel was docking. Her hair became caught and her scalp was torn almost completely off before someone hit the emergency shutoff. Almost immediately afterward the Cow was moved off of rte 3 and the Surrey has been there ever since. The escalators were monitored by camera while running by engine room personnel. I doubt that the weight of concrete poured to replace the escalators would be heavier than the escalators themselves, considering the actual track, treads, belts and machinery. Concrete was only poured to bring the stairwell landings to a level to comply with code. The stairs themselves were steel. The escalators were replaced years ago so why is this a problem now.I remember a time during my tenure on the Oak Bay that we were sailing less than full. I'm having difficulty remembering exactly why but I do recall it was a TC issue. I'm not surprised that crew members are reluctant to offer up much info to joe public. They may be just in the dark as we are and are offering opinions or rumor. It is hard to say to an enquiring mind, "I don't know." when you are asked and are expected to know what is going on.
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Post by Curtis on May 3, 2010 20:16:06 GMT -8
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Quatchi
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Engineering Officer - CCG
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Post by Quatchi on May 3, 2010 21:37:06 GMT -8
I doubt that the weight of concrete poured to replace the escalators would be heavier than the escalators themselves, considering the actual track, treads, belts and machinery. Concrete was only poured to bring the stairwell landings to a level to comply with code. The stairs themselves were steel. OK that makes sense, I was thinking solid cast concrete stairs like 18" thick. Cheers,
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Kam
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Post by Kam on May 4, 2010 12:37:48 GMT -8
Thats a bit of a dramatic exaggeration... From: www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/1995/m95w0145/m95w0145.aspSummary At about 1000(1), the "QUEEN OF COWICHAN" was approaching the ferry terminal at Langdale. Passengers, including a large number of teenage school children, were proceeding by escalators to the disembarkation point on the main car deck. Several children mistakenly left the escalator tower at the upper car deck level. When re-entering the escalator tower to continue down to the main car deck, they caused congestion at the foot of the upper escalator which caused several children to fall backwards on the moving escalator. One of those who fell cut her eyelid and nose on the escalator treads, her coat was pulled into the gap between the treads, trapping the fingers of one hand in the folds of the coat. A second child's clothing went between the treads and the side panels of the escalator which triggered the emergency shut down switch. The escalator stopped before causing more serious injury.
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Post by nolonger on May 4, 2010 16:01:30 GMT -8
unintentional "dramatic exaggeration". This was the description of the event that was given while explaining the reason the Surrey was being taken off of Rte 2. Thanks for posting the TSB report. Haven't seen that one before. Ergo, I stand corrected. Shows how things get distorted as they travel down the pipe. Either way, the poor girl had a very bad day.
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Post by princessofvanfan on May 17, 2010 22:54:35 GMT -8
I remember when the Cowichan and Coq first went into service in '76, the escalators were emphasized as one of their modern convenience features. It was kinda neat going up from the car deck effortlessly, but I also remember in later years the escalators were rarely ever running. Does anyone remember the original lounge seats in the original C class? They were an angular, very-modern-for-the-time design in gold and orange naugahyde. Very nice.
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Post by Kahloke on May 18, 2010 7:44:51 GMT -8
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Post by princessofvanfan on May 19, 2010 12:46:15 GMT -8
Ah, yes, thanks for that, Kahloke. Oh, the colors....yikes. Kinda hard on the eyes, but what flashback. Those seats were surprisingly comfy...you sort of just slipped right into them. I have to say that todays C-class interiors are much nicer aesthetically...much more tranquil and relaxing.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 19, 2010 14:43:17 GMT -8
Ah, yes, thanks for that, Kahloke. Oh, the colors....yikes. Kinda hard on the eyes, but what flashback. Those seats were surprisingly comfy...you sort of just slipped right into them. They were very comfortable; it's because in those days BC Ferries used real nauga hydes for their seating, as did many restaurants. The Chilean nauga has the smoothest, most supple skin of all the wild bovines. Unfortunately, in recent years it's been placed on the endangered species list, so BC Ferries had to switch from real nauga hydes to straight vinyl. Sad, really.
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Post by fargowolf on May 19, 2010 16:44:43 GMT -8
Mentioning the escalators brings back memories... I remember riding them back in 1985 on a trip to Texada Island. Even then, they were just the slightest bit on the jerky side, and somewhat dimly lit. Still really neat for a young kid though.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on May 20, 2010 19:22:52 GMT -8
I dont know really where to put this so I will put it here! If I was to take the 12pm Cowichan to Horseshoe Bay then take the 2pm Cowichan to Langdale would I have to get off the ship??? Or could I buy my ticket in the Gift Shop?? I know you usually do that on the major routes being it's the same ship going to Langdale I would think you would be able to!
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Post by ferryfanyvr on May 20, 2010 19:41:46 GMT -8
I dont know really where to put this so I will put it here! If I was to take the 12pm Cowichan to Horseshoe Bay then take the 2pm Cowichan to Langdale would I have to get off the ship??? Or could I buy my ticket in the Gift Shop?? I know you usually do that on the major routes being it's the same ship going to Langdale I would think you would be able to! Yes you can do that...I've done it several times in the past...it's the same as taking a round trip without disembarking at the other end. The only "glitch" I've ever encountered is when the Departure Bay based gift shop cashier doesn't know what the fare is From HSB to Langdale, but they usually get it figured out eventually.
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FNS
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Post by FNS on May 20, 2010 21:14:03 GMT -8
I dont know really where to put this so I will put it here! If I was to take the 12pm Cowichan to Horseshoe Bay then take the 2pm Cowichan to Langdale would I have to get off the ship??? Or could I buy my ticket in the Gift Shop?? I know you usually do that on the major routes being it's the same ship going to Langdale I would think you would be able to! Yes you can do that...I've done it several times in the past...it's the same as taking a round trip without disembarking at the other end. The only "glitch" I've ever encountered is when the Departure Bay based gift shop cashier doesn't know what the fare is From HSB to Langdale, but they usually get it figured out eventually. When I did my round trip aboard the QUEEN OF COWICHAN from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo and back during the Olympics, I was able to get a return ticket aboard the ferry. At the HB terminal, I asked for advice on doing this and the seller said go to the Chief Steward's office and tell the CS that you are doing this and then get the return ticket in the gift store. This was advised by the BCF folks as I would miss the return voyage had I gone ashore to buy my return ticket in the terminal. It was that easy to do this and I didn't have to get off and reboard. Just stand by the debarkation area and show your return boarding pass to the crew after all the others got off. Then enjoy the return voyage. I really enjoyed my four hours aboard that ferry. While at Nanaimo, I tapped into BCF's wireless site on my web based cell phone to see the DB cams just for fun to see the ship I was aboard. I did the same aboard the QUEEN OF COQUITLAM a week later at Langdale. Really fun to "see yourself" on a live webcam!
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Jun 6, 2010 15:57:40 GMT -8
Just went for a ride on the Coquitlam today....1320 from HSB and 1430 from Langdale. Due to her gear box issues, she is doing end-for-end turns leaving HSB and arriving Langdale. I spoke to a very informative deckhand who provided me with some info. The Coquitlam cannot be fixed while on the run so she'll be sailing single-ended for a while. He also said that he just heard the best case scenario regarding the Surrey's return is the END OF JULY, so it looks like Langdale terminal won't have 2 ships for the summer although there haven't been any changes made to the summer schedule as of yet.
He said the Coquitlam's issues shouldn't impact the schedule too much. Under normal circumstances the ship slows right down when approaching Langdale berth 1 to make the sharp turn into the berth. Right now the Coquitlam just approaches it from the other direction, kind of alongside berth 2. He also said that the couple minutes lost when turning around after leaving HSB are easy to make up because the Coquitlam can go a bit faster than the Surrey.
I am wondering... if the Surrey's return is in fact so delayed, will the Cowichan be used on some sort of creative triangle route when the summer schedule starts? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but it looks like the C-class curse is starting a bit earlier than usual this season.
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Post by lmtengs on Jun 6, 2010 17:40:14 GMT -8
Just went for a ride on the Coquitlam today....1320 from HSB and 1430 from Langdale. If this is so, then I believe I took a picture of you today while driving south on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Has anyone seen all the new signs? All the directional signs, signs marking creeks, rivers, and waypoints, and pretty much every other sign on the highway had both English and some aboriginal language on it. I thought Canada was English and French Bilingual, not English and Aboriginal?
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FNS
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Post by FNS on Jun 6, 2010 19:45:39 GMT -8
Just went for a ride on the Coquitlam today....1320 from HSB and 1430 from Langdale. Due to her gear box issues, she is doing end-for-end turns leaving HSB and arriving Langdale. I spoke to a very informative deckhand who provided me with some info. The Coquitlam cannot be fixed while on the run so she'll be sailing single-ended for a while. He also said that he just heard the best case scenario regarding the Surrey's return is the END OF JULY, so it looks like Langdale terminal won't have 2 ships for the summer although there haven't been any changes made to the summer schedule as of yet. He said the Coquitlam's issues shouldn't impact the schedule too much. Under normal circumstances the ship slows right down when approaching Langdale berth 1 to make the sharp turn into the berth. Right now the Coquitlam just approaches it from the other direction, kind of alongside berth 2. He also said that the couple minutes lost when turning around after leaving HSB are easy to make up because the Coquitlam can go a bit faster than the Surrey. I am wondering... if the Surrey's return is in fact so delayed, will the Cowichan be used on some sort of creative triangle route when the summer schedule starts? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but it looks like the C-class curse is starting a bit earlier than usual this season. When leaving HSB, did the COQUITLAM sound three short blasts on her whistles? Three short blasts announces to all mariners that a ship is going astern.
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Jun 6, 2010 20:28:42 GMT -8
Just went for a ride on the Coquitlam today....1320 from HSB and 1430 from Langdale. Due to her gear box issues, she is doing end-for-end turns leaving HSB and arriving Langdale. I spoke to a very informative deckhand who provided me with some info. The Coquitlam cannot be fixed while on the run so she'll be sailing single-ended for a while. He also said that he just heard the best case scenario regarding the Surrey's return is the END OF JULY, so it looks like Langdale terminal won't have 2 ships for the summer although there haven't been any changes made to the summer schedule as of yet. He said the Coquitlam's issues shouldn't impact the schedule too much. Under normal circumstances the ship slows right down when approaching Langdale berth 1 to make the sharp turn into the berth. Right now the Coquitlam just approaches it from the other direction, kind of alongside berth 2. He also said that the couple minutes lost when turning around after leaving HSB are easy to make up because the Coquitlam can go a bit faster than the Surrey. I am wondering... if the Surrey's return is in fact so delayed, will the Cowichan be used on some sort of creative triangle route when the summer schedule starts? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but it looks like the C-class curse is starting a bit earlier than usual this season. When leaving HSB, did the COQUITLAM sound three short blasts on her whistles? Three short blasts announces to all mariners that a ship is going astern. Not that i noticed, but I was rather indisposed at the time we started making the turn due to the copious amounts of coffee I had consumed beforehand
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Post by Ferryman on Jun 6, 2010 22:58:25 GMT -8
Ah yes, it's always interesting when the C-Class run single ended. I can remember being aboard the Cowichan while she was running as a single ender on Route 2 back in about 2000, and also on the Alberni back during the summer of 1998.
I wonder if this has been a lingering problem with the Coquitlam, and now finally the shet hit the fan. When she was replacing the Oak Bay on Route 2 in April/May, I noticed every odd sailing she'd end up doing a full 180 degree turn like the V-Class would in Departure Bay. But then also during other sailings she was back to her normal double ended self.
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Mill Bay
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Post by Mill Bay on Jun 7, 2010 13:51:21 GMT -8
While we're on this subject, I felt I might make the prediction that, as the C-class get older, and the gear boxes wear with age, they might act up more often and we might see the C-Class running as single enders more frequently. Especially if they keep treating the Cowichan (and the Coquitlam for that matter) like the garbage scows of the fleet.
So... what to do for route 3 for the summer. Well, there is the possibility of two three route schedule for one of the ships. They could also cancel route 40 and put the Queen of Chilliwack on as a relief ship, or bring the Island Sky down and leave the Chilliwack on Jervis Inlet for the summer. Should have kept at least one V around for at least one more season, i guess, although that still doesn't solve the problem of when they will ever build another ship, even if only an intermediate one, so this may end up being a seasonal summer problem. Again, especially as the C's get older and not maintained properly without regular crews, then get pressed into service and presto! instant gear issues.
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Post by hwy19man on Jun 7, 2010 15:58:33 GMT -8
Ah yes, it's always interesting when the C-Class run single ended. I can remember being aboard the Cowichan while she was running as a single ender on Route 2 back in about 2000, and also on the Alberni back during the summer of 1998. I remember the Surrey doing the single ended manoeuvre into SWB back in 1992. The Alberni had this problem for a while in 1995 until it went in for its annual refit. I have been told that all the C class vessels do this every once in a while. It would not surprise me if the new C-class vessels do this too.
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