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Is Silver Spring still operating the T-2 on weekends?

 The Great Scale Model Train Show and Railroad Marketplace will take place Saturday (9-4) and Sunday (10-4), April 12-13, 2014 at the Cow Palace on the Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium MD.  "Largest selection of scale  model railroad items and accessories in the Mid-Atlantic."  Admission: $18/family for both days, solo adult admission $9, kids under 15 free.

Spotted Maryland Transit Administration 179-C on the eastern shore heading westbound on US-50 west of Salisbury displaying TRAINING in the destination sign boxes. 

According to the MTA website it is inaugurating new service from Severna Park, Davidsonville and Kent Narrows to Washington DC on September 1, 2014 using Route 50 (Routes 230, 250, 260), but that is still a long way from Salisbury.

[STORY HIGHLIGHTS]

updated 2:00 PM EDT, Mon March 24, 2014  Train derails, slams into platform     STORY HIGHLIGHTS

   
• NEW: Almost all of the 32 people hurt have been released from hospitals, official says
• NEW: NTSB investigators are waiting to talk to the train operator after she is released
• NEW: Video from the train and station wil be examined by investigators
• Blue Line train passes end of line, moves up escalator

(CNN) -- A federal investigator said he's never seen a train climb an escalator like the one that jumped the tracks at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport early Monday.
The crash of the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train injured 32 people, although none seriously, according to Chicago Fire officials.
The eight-car train failed to stop at the end of the line when it arrived at the airport station at 2:52 a.m., a Chicago Fire official said. The lead car appeared to have climbed an escalator adjacent to the passenger platform.
      Photos: Chicago train derailment    "I've investigated many accidents and trains do different things," National Transportation Safety Board investigator Tim DePaepe told reporters. "It's all about kinetic force. I have not seen an accident like this personally."
NTSB experts will examine video from station cameras and one on the front of the train for clues to the cause of the crash, DePaepe said.
Almost all of the 32 people taken to four hospitals had been released by the afternoon, he said.
Investigators are still waiting for the train operator to be released from the hospital so that they can talk to her, he said.
The wrecked train will not be moved at least until Tuesday so that investigators can examine it, DePaepe said.
Shuttle buses are carrying airport passengers to and from a nearby Blue Line station until then, a CTA official said.

Excellent coverage and reporting.  I like the BRTs.  Are all the Israeli passenger trains operated by diesels?   Thank you very much indeed.

An advertisement in the March 12, 2014 edition of THE GAZETTE newspaper is seeking shuttle bus drivers for Dulles Airport.  Class B CDL with passenger and air brake endorsements, current DOT physical and 3 years of passenger driving experience required.  Full time positions, 24 hour operation, must be able to work all shifts.
Contact Sehon Ross from 10:00am to 3:00pm at 703-572-7621703-572-7621.
You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

Yes, probably.  I went there last year and spent some money. 

Greenberg's Train and Toy Show, a huge hobby marketplace will take place at Show Place Arena, 14900 Pennsylvania Avenue, Upper Marlboro MD 20772 on Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, 2014 from 10:00am - 4:00pm.  Admission: $8 for adults good for both days, kids under 12 are free. 

I rode the 201 from Gaithersburg P&R to catch a flight at BWI Thurgood Marshall airport on 2/5/2014 and returned on the 201 on 2/8/2014.

2/5/2014: the on-time1:00pm departure from Gaithersburg was operated by MCI D4500 coach #172C.  One passenger boarded at Gaithersburg, 4 passengers boarded at Shady Grove, 2 passengers boarded at Georgia Ave. P&R.  Three passengers alighted at Arundel Mills and 4 passengers alighted at BWI.

2/8/2014: the on-time 3:05PM departure from BWI was operated by MCI D4500 coach #180C.  Two passengers boarded at BWI, 3 passengers boarded at Arundel Mills.  One person alighted at Burtonsville P&R, 2 passengers alighted at Shady Grove Metro and 2 passengers alighted at Gaithersburg P&R.

If you want to try riding on a MTA commuter bus try the route 201 which runs hourly all day in both directions 365 days a year between Gaithersburg and BWI Thurgood Marshall airport.  Fare is $5 cash each way or MTA commuter card.  It stops at Shady Grove Metro.  The route uses MCI D4500 rest room equipped coaches that display the best wrap in the area.  It is a fast ride using the ICC, I-95 and other highways. 

Cool!  I like the triple articulated LRVs.  I wonder how long it would take to walk inside from one end to the other? I think it would feel like looking down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland  .

Metro-North system shutdown caused by human error  (TRAINS Magazine)
Published: January 24, 2014 Photo by Michael T. BurkhartNEW YORK – Human error is blamed for a computer problem that shut down three Metro-North commuter lines Thursday evening, WCBS-TV reports. Trains were stopped about 7:45 p.m. due to a failure in the dispatchers' computer system. The outage lasted almost two hours, but delays continued into the night.

The signal outage was caused when one of two main power supplies was removed from service for replacement, according to the report.

"Last night's failure was unacceptable, pure and simple," MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast says. "The project should have been analyzed for risks and redundancy before it began and it should not have been performed when thousands of customers were trying to get home in cold weather."

The shutdown only affected the signal system. Stopped trains still had power for heat and lights. Trains were instructed to proceed to the next station at restricted speed to wait for the restart of the signal system.

The Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines were unaffected as they are dispatched by NJ Transit under contract.

The state-owned commuter railroad faces increased federal oversight following a year of missteps that includes a fatal derailment.

Greenberg's Train and Toy Show hobby marketplace will take place at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, 2371 Carl D. Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg  VA  22401, Saturday and Sunday February 8-9, 2014 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  There will be 250+ tables, 60+ vendors and many operating scale model railroads.
Admission: $8 for adults, good for both days, children under 12 are free. 

"The largest selection of scale model railroad items and accessories in the Mid-Atlantic!  See over 20 exciting operating layouts."
In the Cow Palace at Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium MD.
Admission: Saturday $9, kids under 15 free, Family $18 -- covers both days
Admission: Sunday $8, kids under 15 free, Family $15.

The Belgians are so torn between French and Flemish that I'm not surprised you didn't see any English at the station .