Snowy South Coast Circle

[Retrovision]

Yesterday I travelled aboard the Queen of New Westminster from Tsawwassen terminal to Duke Point terminal, thanks to Scott took a ride from there to Nanaimo Harbour and terminal and eventually to Departure Bay terminal, took the Queen of Cowichan to Horseshoe Bay terminal and then took the bus home.

Some of the highlights, that were only accentuated by the snow all around, included...

Hail, snow and heavy wind crossing the Strait of Georgia...


...But the skies cleared just as we approached Entrance lighthouse as we made the broad turn around Gabriola Island before swinging the stern into the berth at Duke Point terminal, passing the Quinsam, that had accumulated quite a layer of snow tied-up at Gabriola's Descanso Bay terminal on the way



Notice the "Vessel Assist" pleasurecraft at left, being utilized as the a foot passenger water taxi

Only main-deck loads upto and including the 1015 sailing of the 'New West from Tsawwassen, so the upper deck ramp/roadway at Duke Point terminal was still blanketed in snow


Thanks go out to Scott, especially because of the surprisingly longer-than-usual drive due to the snow, for a ride to Nanaimo Harbour terminal and Departure Bay terminal later.

The only two ploughs that I saw all day:


We soon arrived at the terminal in downtown Nanaimo, the scene of Tuesday night's accident involving the Quinsam. We didn't see much more than a news crew, a Deas crew and another crew looking-at / working on the ramp




(For a larger-sized version of the following pic, click: i64.photobucket.com/albums/h185/indyinsane/other/P1080328W-1.jpg)


Testing the ramp


And then it was off to Departure Bay terminal, where fill from a nearby quarry is starting to be used for the foundation of necessary expansions at the terminal


The Queen of Cowichan arriving


All of this will soon change drastically



The Strait was still quite choppy, but the Queen of Oak Bay was the ferry on route 2 from Horseshoe Bay, this sailing-time, that was travelling into the wind


And we were met by the Queen of Capilano, on her way to Bowen Island, when we arrived at the end of dusk


During my layover in downtown Vancouver, I caught a crew working on and then testing-out the primary northbound trolley switch for the entire network.

Here one of the fleet of old early-80s-built trolleys, with a body built by Flyer - predecessor-company to New Flyer(of Winnipeg), body-builder for the new fleet of E40LF trolley-buses - testing the switch by passing through polls-up


Testing the new trolley-model's staying power while not attached to its primary power source of the overhead wires


Cheers,
Graham

[Political Incorrectness]

Nice pics of the snow graham

[Curtis]

ferrymaniac101 said:

Nice pics of the snow graham

What He Said.
You'd think they would do a better job clearing the Show at the Berth at Duke Point

[Retrovision]

prqueenkid16 said:

You'd think they would do a better job clearing the Show at the Berth at Duke Point

I'm guessing that it wasn't cleared because they didn't anticipate needing to use the upper deck for vehicles bound for Tsawwassen on the 12:45 sailing.

[Retrovision]

tsawwassenterminal said:

Hail, snow and heavy wind crossing the Strait of Georgia...

[Ian]

I wouldn't want to drive down the upper ramp at duke point with that much snow. ekk