Happy Saturday everyone! I have returned! Well, not quite. I could not gain access to the top level of the parkade as I did three (3) years ago. And probably won't be able to for another six (6) months considering all the upkeep being done. Another tribute to Lord Janitor the great God of Maintenance. 'Blessed are the many who change a light bulb'. So I had to settle for two levels lower and about five (5) metres to the 'north'. And I had to take this shot from a sweltering, glass encased stairwell. 1980's city design at its most dreaded. I nearly passed out in the heat. Fortunately, this picture promises a better future. This is the now fully rebuilt and in service - tracks in place- intersection of Charles and Benton Streets in Kitchener Ontario. 'East' of the downtown, the iON LRT runs on the wider Charles Street rather than on King one block to the 'north'. The directional terms are quoted here because, as I have mentioned before, between the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, directional absolutes are non-existent. This is reflected in the rather bendy-flexy heritage of the local road system. Previously, I had mentioned that LRT construction had made the intersection of Charles and Benton somewhat infamous. As with most LRT projects, underground utilities have to be either moved or modernized - usually both. Some sewer sections underneath King Street had been in place for over a century. This is why the digging gets to be so deep when it comes to the installation of surface tracks. In the case of this intersection, the crews uncovered a mysterious concrete vault which they did not expect. It was not recorded on any city or regional plans. They had found Hitlers bunker!

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ASIDE: The City of Kitchener used to be called Berlin. The area was settled by an influx of German immigrants in the early to mid 1800's - via Pennsylvania in many cases. Indeed, KW has the largest Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Germany to this day. Not Paraguay as some still claim. The local railway station had trilingual arrival/departure announcements - the only place in Canada or anywhere else to my knowledge. In any case Berlin, Ontario changed its name to Kitchener during WWI - for some reason.

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Gosh, how we laughed. In truth the vault looked more like an abandoned nuclear core than an underground administration complex. And the story appears to be that it was housing to protect or insulate underground water and sewage interchanges which had a pesky habit of bursting in the depths of the February cold - those brass monkey balls again. Supposedly this was built back in the 1970's when ad hock fixes were a City of Kitchener thing. And indeed, back then the city fathers might well have had seizures over the thought of professional urban planning. They certainly celebrated when the last echo of the old streetcar system - electric trolley buses - and its infrastructure was retired in 1973. The vault was removed and all the lines were rebuilt, something that was to be done anyways. In this scene we are looking 'east' down the very straight Charles Street in Kitchener. I can say 'very straight' because the trams can really boot it along Charles. Almost as fast as on the Waterloo spur which is completely removed from other traffic. People used to joke about Charles being an "over grown bowling alley", also back in the 1970's. 'Westbound' LFLRV 504 is curving 'north' on to Benton Street, which itself will change into Fredrick Street after passing King Street. And after another block 'north' she will curve 'west' again on to Duke Street. In this shot we get a clear look at the top of an iON LRV. As with all FLEXITY model trams, the top is uncovered though this does not compromise the vehicle's streamline design or look - from most perspectives. Power, communications and air conditioning units are placed there. Part of how the vehicle can be low floor - the 'LF' in LFLRV. I expect the top is uncovered to allow for efficient heat expulsion which gives itself away by means of distortion in some photographs. I originally thought that effect was just poor photography on my part. After making its way through Kitchener's core, this tram will swing on to King Street and head to Waterloo. Where 'westbound' abruptly becomes 'northbound'. Thanks again for your visit and kind comments. Sorry, no nudity. Notes: GRT: Grand River Transit LFLRV: Low Floor Light Rail Vehicle Janitor: Pronounced 'Yan-ee-Tor' iON: Official Name for Waterloo Region's Rapid Transit Service (Light Rail and Rapid Buses) LRT: Light Rail Transit KW: An abbreviation referring to the the two (separate) cities of Kitchener and Waterloo. WWI: World War One LRV: Light Rail Vehicle (also called a 'tram') FLEXITY: Brand Name for iON LRVs