Take nothing for granted, that’s the golden rule in this hobby.
Like CLRV’s and ALRV’s on Queensway and Lakeshore Blvd, for instance.
On Jan 8th 2017, all streetcar service west of Roncesvalles will end for a year or more, due to reconstruction of the Humber River Bridge on the Queensway.
By the time streetcar service retsumes in the west end, Bombardier may indeed have delivered another 40 or more new streetcars. There will still be old ones around, but no one should assume that it will be common to see them en masse, with no Flexities in the shot.
Soon they will be as rare as SD40-2s at Leaside.
If it matters – get ’em before January 8th.

I have always held two highly polarised views of Florida.

On the one hand, Florida seems to be mostly old people, overbuilt roads, an uncomfortable divide between rich and poor, and more old people. Not much actually happens there, time just ticks along. Most days, the only thing thicker than the humidity is the oppressive sense of senior white privilege.

On the other hand, it is beautiful beaches, a phenomenal colour pallette that changes by the hour, nature everywhere, and relaxed, easy living. The sun and sand heals what ails you: all those old people live longer and better for being there than they ever would up north in the cold. Pelicans soar effortlessly and then dive madly into the water. The sunsets have no equal.

This trip, I found a metaphor that resolves the Florida dilemma.

Florida is the third prong on your light plug.

The third prong is the one that drains your static, prevents your overload, keeps you balanced. It has no inherent potential, powers nothing, yet it drives you towards some things and pulls you away from others. It is a constant in a world of ever varying currents.

The third prong is a good thing to be attached to. The connection improves one’s ability to receive and sense the energy of the world at a distance. It forms the comparator against which strength is measured. Touch it on its own, and you will not die. Just don’t let the energy you have collected and saved get spent there.

In summary: Florida, like the third prong, serves a vital purpose. It is needed. Bypass it at your peril.

The best jobs of my career were the field assignments in the power plants . Something about the tiers of catwalks, the huge structural steel beams, the intriguing pieces of machinery, and the miles of conveyor belts and cable trays, was captivating and awe inspiring. And nature’s power – especially water, in the hydro plants – was always present, as much to be feared as to be contained

Watching Cuyahoga slide into Lock 3 on the Canal today, I was reminded of my time in the plants. The industrial architecture is so similar, and the tension of machine versus nature is just as apparent.

But power plants are stationary. The powerhouse never unties itself and motors away.

The guys I worked with in power generation had guts and determination, but operationally they were a relatively cautious bunch. I wonder how they would feel if they had to untie their plant, point it into a very narrow space, and inch it towards a (relatively) fragile barrier, with disaster lurking merely inches away. It must take a very special disposition.