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Brewster Inc.


C2045

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I had a chance to ride the Snow Coaches at Columbia Icefields recently. It actually is a very interesting tour and a unique ride (one hill that the coaches go up and down is a 42% grade).

These buses are in the process of being rebuilt and repowered. A firm in the US is doing the work even though the original buses were done by Foremost Industries in Calgary. As part of the repowering, they are getting Mercedes engines. They are also rewrapped in the newer branding of Brewster with different schemes. One is even running all white and has yet to be wrapped. I still prefer the older Canada flag wrap though.

Photos are attached of three of the Snow Coaches that have gone through the rebuilding process.

Brewster Tours - Unknown No - 12SEP14.jpg

Brewster Tours - Unknown No -- 12SEP14.jpg

Brewster Tours 532 - 12SEP14.jpg

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Interesting that they are being rebuilt! There were a certain number of them that had some minor refurbishing work done to them in the range of 7-10 years ago. Not sure how much of it was mechanical, though some cosmetic work for sure. At least a couple were spotted on flatbeds in Calgary sometime in the mid 2000's. Thanks for the update as always!

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It's true Brewster takes pride in there fleet but one would think that with Traxx making some big purchases, as well as many of the major BC bus company's making major purchases and the average age of there fleet pushing close to 15 years in age that they would bring in some new stuff to help out there company image and help keep other companies from taking business away from them!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had a chance to ride the Snow Coaches at Columbia Icefields recently. It actually is a very interesting tour and a unique ride (one hill that the coaches go up and down is a 42% grade).

These buses are in the process of being rebuilt and repowered. A firm in the US is doing the work even though the original buses were done by Foremost Industries in Calgary. As part of the repowering, they are getting Mercedes engines. They are also rewrapped in the newer branding of Brewster with different schemes. One is even running all white and has yet to be wrapped. I still prefer the older Canada flag wrap though.

Photos are attached of three of the Snow Coaches that have gone through the rebuilding process.

If i remember they have 50 series engines. They rebuilt the 50 series?

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If i remember they have 50 series engines. They rebuilt the 50 series

It was about half and half I think. Most if not all the 528 to 539 batch had Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engines. The later half were also built with Detroit Diesel Series 50 engines. While I have never seen an actual roster confirming so, I have been to the Icefields probably 6 or 7 times spread through many years now.

The rebuilt and re powered coaches have Mercedes Benz engines in them. I recently rode one and was able to photograph a couple.

Here are a few images. These units are from the 53X series as they have windows going all the way to the back. The 540-49 series do not.

brewster_5xx-1a.jpg

brewster_5xx-2a.jpg

Early in May I had the opportunity to visit the Columbia Ice field and Glacier Skywalk.

There is no parking lot being built for Glacier Skywalk. So public access is still by bus from the Columbia Ice field visitor Centre. So the service is still being operated by New Flyer D40LF buses leased from PWT. The Ex-OCTA units that is.

Spotted were #44 (5260), #45 (5262), #46 (#5257) #47 (5253- this one was working Spruce Meadows last summer for a bit).

Not sure if #40 (5247), #41 (5251), #42 (5254), #43(5255) are still part of the fleet, but I did not spot them.

The number in parenthesis are the PWT numbers.

Here are some photos of #45 and #46.

pwt_5262.jpg

pwt_5257.jpg

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Not sure if #40 (5247), #41 (5251), #42 (5254), #43(5255) are still part of the fleet, but I did not spot them.

I rode 43 and it is all in white! Photos forthcoming of it and other Brewster coaches. 201 and 207 were the 102-C3s I saw and operating on the shuttle to the transfer bays for the Glacier Adventure tour. MC-9 #2 was also operating.

230 was also out there and if I remember correctly 232? is missing the "Brewster" text on the side but has its maple leaf and livery. Not sure if it will get the bright blue wrap like 241 and 246.

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