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Vintage Ottawa-Gatineau Transit Photos & Discussion


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Inspired by the TTC thread, here is a thread for old bus photos from Ottawa-Hull/Gatineau. I'll start off with some of my earliest photos:

7403 on Slater Street near Elgin in June 2000:

OC7403.jpg

7845 pulling away from Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC7845.jpg

Ex-STO 8013 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC_8013.jpg

Ex-SMMBL 1770 laying up near Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC1770.jpg

8790 on the Mackenzie King bridge at Elgin Street on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC8790.jpg

9030 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC9030.jpg

9109 at Lebreton Station on December 27, 2000:

OC9109.jpg

Brand-new 9126 next to 6101 during the OC Transpo Roadeo at Lansdowne Park on May 26, 1991 (one of my earliest bus photos):

OC9126.jpg

9207 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997.

OC9207.jpg

9244 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC9244.jpg

9321 at Hurdman Station on December 20, 1997:

OC9321.jpg

7901, the STO's historic bus, at Confederation Square on December 20, 1997:

STO7901.jpg

8307 at Confederation Square on Dec. 20, 1997:

STO8307.jpg

8404 at Confederation Square on Dec. 20, 1997:

STO8404.jpg

8911 at Confederation Square on December 20, 1997:

STO8911.jpg

9511 at Confederation Square on Dec. 20, 1997:

STO9511.jpg

9601 at the Rideau Centre on Dec. 20, 1997:

STO9601.jpg

2392 at Tunney’s Pasture in May 2000:

STO2392.jpg

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Here are a few more from my collection:

8752 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC8752.jpg

8859 at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC8859.jpg

8899 (ex-TTC 6361) on Albert Street at Bank Street in June 2000:

OC8899.jpg

8945 unloading riders at Hurdman Station on Dec. 20, 1997:

OC8945.jpg

A group shot from the OC Transpo Roadeo at Lansdowne Park on May 26, 1991:

OCLineup.jpg

ex-SMMBL 1765 with Autobus Galland 73 on Wellington Street at Metcalfe on June 4, 1999:

Galland73.JPG

1761 (ex-Big Blue Bus 4919) on Bank Street near Queen Street on Dec. 27, 2000:

OC1761.jpg

A couple of retired Flyers (8701 and 8715) parked at "Jurrasic Park" on Feb. 20, 1999:

OC8701.jpg

OC8715.jpg

And finally, Thom Transit 57 on the Rockcliffe Air Base on June 17, 1999:

AECL57a.JPGAECL57b.jpgAECL57c.jpg

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On June 27, 1999, I was on a tour of Ottawa once on board 5931, and when we were stopped at a red light on the Aviation Parkway at Montreal Road, I saw what looked like a Classic painted in the Maple Leaf scheme. The bus got my attention because at that time none of the Classics had been repainted yet. Then, as it got closer, I saw it wasn't a Classic at all, but an articulated GM TA-60102N, the first to operate in Ottawa since the late 1980s, operating on route 2 toward Westboro. As soon as the tour was over, I made my way to the Rideau Centre and was able to catch the bus, riding it all the way to the end of its route at Westboro Station, where I took these photos. Ah, the wonderful growl of an 8V71N engine coupled with a V735 transmission really made my day! ^_^

OC8222a.jpgOC8222b.jpg

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I remember the first time I ever saw 8222. I was at the intersection of Laurier and Metcalfe and was looking up towards Slater. To my amazement I saw a 'stretch' GM for the first time in ages in Ottawa. I managed to ride 8222 a handful of times over the 4 or so years it was in service.

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The first time I saw the GM Artics where when they passed my High School dowtown.back in 1982 or was it 1983? so long ago hard to remeber, anyway I remeber them. The doors wouldn't open properly sometimes. OC even came up with a system where by the rear doors there was this button you pushed which rang a door bell at the front where the driver was to open the rear doors at off peak times. Most of the time they where on route 65 now the 85. Then I remeber using them all the time in 1985 when I was going to Algonqiuin College, thaty and the Orion-Ikaruses.

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Here are a few shots of the original GM Artics. These were taken on my first visit to Ottawa on 21 August 1986...Enjoy!

Here is relatively new Orion/Ikarus on the same day

Great shots, thanks! :D I also liked seeing the photos you took of old 1960s-era buses, as those brought back old memories.

Growing up in Ottawa in the 1980s, I clearly remember GM TDH-5303 buses from as far back as 1963 in service, along with the GM artic, Orion I, Flyer D800 and D800B buses. Further back, I just barely remember the Flyer D700 buses and GM TDH-5301 buses from the early 1980s. As for the CTCRO buses, I only recall buses from 1972 in service, though apparently they had 5303s in service in the 1980s as well.

The last time I rode an OC Transpo 5303 was when I was in the 7th grade in the fall of 1988, when a 67xx bus pull up as a school tripper. By the time I started high school in Sept. 1990, the oldest buses I saw in service were 72xx buses in Ottawa and 74xx buses in Hull. By the time I seriously started taking photos in late 1997, the Flyers and Orion Is were long gone and the oldest original OC buses were from 1974, while the oldest STO bus was 7901, though a few 80xx and 83xx buses were also in service. My favourite buses at that time were the ex-Santa Monica buses, still all-white and sporting their original 8V71N engines.

Ah memories... ^_^ Keep 'em coming, and let the old times roll!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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I thought I had a shot of a Rekvee in OC colors, but the closest I could get is the shot below along with OC 9751.

All shots are taken in August 1976. Also in the Tele-Transpo fleet were Twin Coach (Highway Products) TC-25 and even an International school bus (possibly with a Wayne body).

The final two shots are of OC Transpo 7600 new looks at the GMC plant in London. Note that the buses have not even been numbered yet.

OC Transpo 9751 and 9761 - August 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 9762 and 9751 - August 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 9751 - August 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 9753 - August 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 9735 - August 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 7600 at GM London - Aug 1976.jpg

OC Transpo 7600 at London GM - Aug 1976.jpg

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I thought I had a shot of a Rekvee in OC colors, but the closest I could get is the shot below along with OC 9751.

All shots are taken in August 1976. Also in the Tele-Transpo fleet were Twin Coach (Highway Products) TC-25 and even an International school bus (possibly with a Wayne body).

Dang it! Someone asked me about the Tele Transpo buses a few months ago and I tried to find photos for him, but I came up empty. Now I can't remember who he was... :rolleyes:

The final two shots are of OC Transpo 7600 new looks at the GMC plant in London. Note that the buses have not even been numbered yet.

I noticed that the two fishbowls have destination signs with "Carleton Hgts" and "Laurier" on them. I've also seen a photo of an Orion I at the St. Laurent garage displaying "33 CFB/BFC Rockcliffe". This certainly wasn't the rollsign used in the 1980s, and it wasn't the same as the OTC rollsign now installed in 5931. Does anyone have any more information on the 1970s rollsigns?

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I noticed that the two fishbowls have destination signs with "Carleton Hgts" and "Laurier" on them. I've also seen a photo of an Orion I at the St. Laurent garage displaying "33 CFB Rockcliffe". This certainly wasn't the rollsign used in the 1980s, and it wasn't the same as the OTC rollsign now installed in 5931. Does anyone have any more information on the 1970s rollsigns?

Maybe an early version of the black mylar ones?

Strange - Both of them appear to have a runbox that lights up! How long was that used?

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Strange - Both of them appear to have a runbox that lights up! How long was that used?

One of the two buses in the photos has a white-on-red EXPRESS sign in the runbox area. It couldn't have lasted long though, as there is a photo of 7603 on busdrawings.com taken in 1977 that does not show the box. I remember riding OC fishbowls in the early 1980s and I don't remember ever seeing Express signs in the windshield.

Here is another shot. In late 1995, OC leased a few buses from STO. The only OC identity was in the ad boards on the side of each bus. This shot is taken at the St. Laurent garage in September 1995.

The ex-STO buses ran in blue for about a year or so before being purchased by OC Transpo and being repainted in red and white. For a while, there were two blue and white buses in Ottawa-Hull numbered 8015--one running for the STO and the other for OC Transpo. I remember having to take a good look at the buses while waiting on on Rideau and Wellington streets to make sure I caught not just the right route but the right transit system!

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The small display case next to the run number ran mainly during the early 1970's. It was introduced when the express and peak routes where introduced. The difference was that on regular routes it was left blank.

on express routes it was green with express written in white on a green back ground. The peak routes where the same but in red back ground with peak in white lettering.It was to tell riders which where Express routes,Peak routes

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