Here is 5172 awaiting restoration at the buseum enjoy.
Nice! I miss those baby Flxibles. I'll always remember riding 5168 & 5169 on the F4, during RUSH HOUR. Are you all planning to restore it to it's original paint scheme?
I used to see #5167 on the T-4 in rush hours running to/from Bethesda & Twinbrook, when I was w/ RideOn in the late 80's.
Always liked seeing the baby Flxi's. I also liked the 8000 - 8600 series Flxi's.
Growing up, I always got a thrill, when a 6800 Flxi came by the house on the S9, and turned around at the end of the street, to return to the garage.
I never did see the 6800 series in WMATA service. However, I did experience them in early 80s as a few of them made the trip up north when NYCTA borrowed WMATA buses. NYCTA had borrowed mostly GMCs and they also had similar version of those buses. This made it easy as we had to replace two lost WMATA buses. At the time NYCTA's Edgewater Depot was on a pier and part of it collapsed. Several buses (including one WMATA GMC and Flxible new look went to the bottom of New York Harbor. This is why NYCTA sent two of their similar buses (102 inch wide) back when they returned the WMATA buses.
WOW....that's a bit unfortunate history up there in NYC and a unfortunate end to some nice buses I bet....if there \'s a good part well at least the fish got a nice home.
As for the restoration I believe it's on slate to be like it is, however the time maybe the issue for the guys down there got a lot on the plate right now. Oh and last time I drove it, it ran good. Here one more shot.
Thanks for the memories man! I remember riding these on the F4 and 84!
I'm happy that 5172 is being saved, but did that ever run in Virginia? I also think it may have been one of the buses to run for Ride On on the Bethesda 8, no?
::) I remember one of the two buses New York sent back to D.C. It was numbered 4000 and it was a FLX. Much like the 2600 or 6800 series FLXIBLES Metro bus had. They had the full rear window. Not the smaller window of the 8000 to 8500 series buses. Never found out what the GM bus number was. It must not have lasted long either once it came to D.C.
Quote from: Tritransit Area on January 27, 2010, 10:41:20 AM
I'm happy that 5172 is being saved, but did that ever run in Virginia? I also think it may have been one of the buses to run for Ride On on the Bethesda 8, no?
Yes, 5172 was one of the buses painted in Ride On colors.
Quote from: Bryan on February 25, 2010, 06:40:18 PM
::) I remember one of the two buses New York sent back to D.C. It was numbered 4000 and it was a FLX. Much like the 2600 or 6800 series FLXIBLES Metro bus had. They had the full rear window. Not the smaller window of the 8000 to 8500 series buses. Never found out what the GM bus number was. It must not have lasted long either once it came to D.C.
Here's NYCTA's #4000 when it was just a few years old. These buses were pretty much a 102-inch wide version of WMATA's 6800 Flxibles.
(http://gallery.bustalk.info/albums/ripta42/joet/TA4000onRtB37atShoreRd_3Ave5-16-72DG.jpg)
I think the GM that NYCTA sent to WMATA was our #8800 which was a GMC T6H-5305A like WMATA's 3800s.
(http://gallery.bustalk.info/albums/ripta42/joet2/TA8802onRtBX56atGrandConcourse_161St8-23-74DG.jpg)
Both photos are not mine and they're posted in the photo galleries at Bustalk.info
Thanks for the two photos. I really liked seeing 4000. Paint wise it looked like the 6800's. The dead give away was the green all side way facing seats.
Here's a great photo of it on Trevor Logan's TTMG site. Photo taken by Mr. John Pappas.
http://www.ttmg.org/photos/jpappas/WMATA_Flxible_4000.jpg (http://www.ttmg.org/photos/jpappas/WMATA_Flxible_4000.jpg)
Cool! It's interesting that WMATA decided to let it keep it's NYCTA fleet number. I recogize those plexiglas windows anywhere. They were notorious for being very noisy on bumpy streets and after numerous trips through the bus wash they'd become translucent.
Quote from: Bryan on February 26, 2010, 08:30:53 PM
Thanks for the two photos. I really liked seeing 4000. Paint wise it looked like the 6800's. The dead give away was the green all side way facing seats.
I guess it came from New York with the WMATA buses and got it's new paint job. When it arrived here it was either two-tone blue or white/blue. Since it was based in Brooklyn, I rarely saw it and don't recall if it was ever painted into NYCTA's white/blue. Also, that seating style (perimeter seating) was a NYCTA/MABSTOA standard on their local GM and Flxible new looks after 1964.
The Fishbowl kept the same number too. I was waiting on Riggs Road one day for either the C2 or the R8 and I saw it go by out of service. It had what appeared to be blue high-back seats in it and an 8800 number. I kept thinking I was seeing things.
I did see 4000 once at Fort Totten on I thought it was the E2 or E4, can't remember.
Quote from: Perry on February 27, 2010, 10:12:24 AM
The Fishbowl kept the same number too. I was waiting on Riggs Road one day for either the C2 or the R8 and I saw it go by out of service. It had what appeared to be blue high-back seats in it and an 8800 number. I kept thinking I was seeing things.
That makes sense. Most of the buses in that group (8800-8933) had high back seating for express service. While comfy, the seats were really low as they weren't on platforms and were lower that the regular transit seating.