Just doing an informal survey -- what are your favorite routes in the DC area? And do you have any past routes that you were also fond of that no longer run anymore?
I like the 90 a lot, it is hard to believe you are still in Montgomery County for most of that one. The 70 is also fun, and I like the long, sustained high speed sections on the 10, 26, and 74, among others.
I tend to like the oddball stuff, particularly the peak only routes - something like the WMATA J5. There are a few such routes I'd like a ride on, like the D5 for example, and I might finally take the G2 one day.
Speaking of "Ride-On," the 100 and 70 are always a treat, and the Nickel (5) is good for a local bus.
And who can't like the T2?
NoVa?!? Not a lot to like there route wise from what I've seen. The 24P is cool though.
The L and N in DC are cool as is the S.
NOVA often gets ignored because we don't have as many transit dependents, and service suffers accordingly. It's not the type of place where you can just show up and expect to get a great ride in mere minutes, but if you time yourself (with a schedule), you'll get some good riding in.
What about you rail people? Is Metrorail actually diverse enough for anyone to have a favorite subway line?
WMATA: Z2 Between Olney and Colesville is the best segment, T2 Just love looking at how the other half live, N4 I like to look at the various embassy's, S2-4 My favorite way to get downtown, 80 Something about the North Capitol Street, D6 riding the Macarthur Blvd segment is cool especially when you see the whole J. Crew catalog :P , 24P Fast ride between the 2 major transfer points and good equipment and the the 38B pre Orion VII days ::)
My favorite eliminated route was the N7/9 express from Montgomery Mall-Federal Triangle. That was a fun ride!
Ride On: 1 via Leland St especially, the 5 is my all time favorite, 34, 46 just like to cruise the pike, 47, 54, 61 love the park section on Clopper, 63 best ride between Rockville and Shady Grove, 67, 70 especially the reverse rush trips because there not crowded and the operators roll!!, 76 I've never seen so many corn fields from a REAL bus before!!, 90 especially if you want to see animals such as cows, deer etc!! and love the quick fast ride of the 100!
36, 52 & 53 if they had real buses it would be nice!! Maybe next year.....
Fairfax Connector: Can't think of any except MAYBE the 574
I have alot of favorite routes spread across the region.
WMATA: 3 line, 9 line, 13 line, 15 line, 16 line, 22A, 23A, 24P, 28 line, 38 line
42, 79, 80, C2/C4, C8, D6 (western part), H line, J line, N line, Q2, S line
RideOn: 1, 5, 9, 15, 17, 20, 34, 46, 47, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 67 (Dufief Mill portion), 70, 74, 100
Connector: 171, 310, 401, 505, 950
ART: 41, 52
DASH: 3, 4, 5
PRTC: PMD, CCC
Loudoun: Dulles North, Reverse Commute
Yes, the Metrorail is diverse enough for me to have favorites.
Best to worst
1. Red
2. Orange/Green (tie, it depends on the day)
4. Blue
5. Yellow
I like the T2 as well, haven't been on that one in awhile. I agree about the 63 being the best Rockville-Shady Grove route. I think I would have greater appreciation for the 100 if I hadn't ridechecked it so much when it was new.
WMATA
32/36 (and the old 34): The quintessential DC bus ride. Congested, but shows contrasts of a DC so many people don't see. Of course, I could also put the D6, X3, and any of the 90's in here for the same reasons, but this one works best.
79: Fancy buses and the thrill of leaving so many of the 70's in the dust makes this worth the ride alone.
83/86: Long as hell, my one ride was from IKEA to Rhode Island Ave, but it's interesting to see how there is so much changeover between the ends.
J5: Though I take this to/from work most days, the Beltway section can have some good speed sections and (especially during the PM) it can have some interesting equipment including Metro B's and artics.
L2: The contrast of the Adams Morgan section vs. its primary Connecticut Ave trunk, plus the qualities of Connecticut itself are worth the ride.
M4: For a little weekday-only circulator, it gives a taste of "is this really DC".
S2/S4: My ride of choice downtown (or to Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan/U Street) when I don't want to Metro it.
2T: The one time I rode this route, I got a Flxible. The many turns it takes to get to Dunn Loring, largely in residential areas, breeds a LOT of Flx leaning. Must be boring on the weekend though...
Ride On
1: The Leland St. portion, though slow, is always a good ride and the Grubb Rd/Washington Ave portion is also good for some turns.
5: What everyone else said, though once it gets past Kensington it becomes pretty straightforward.
7: Sure, it's a cutaway ride, but it offers a nice view of old-line suburbia.
34: Though getting past Medical Center in rush hour sucks, it's a nice cross-section of southern Montgomery County, especially since it ate the 42 up and even moreso during the peak-hour Aspen Hill trips.
46: The easy way up and down the Pike.
63: My first experience with the Gaithersburg part of Ride On (I worked right on the 63 for a week) and a nice back way between Rockville and Shady Grove.
Man, I need to spend some more time on some Gaithersburg routes and I need to get some more WMATA action done...any suggestions?
Favorite DC line:
80 (Always C40LFs) from Fort "Rotten" to near Union Station.
38B through Georgetown and the bridge leading into Rosslyn.
As for Ride-on:
I love the 1 especially the neighborhood portions. You think NIMBYs would have put a stop to that by now..
Also the 55 is high on my list (NFI C40LFs) along the speed stretches
I have a few too.
At WMATA those that come to mind are the 22A, 24P, S2/4, Z lines, J2, J4, F4/6 and Q2. The 5A was awesome when FMR still had Orion VIs. REX too.
At Ride On I like the 1, 5, 15, 55, 70 & 100.
Mine are
WMATA
-79, F8, 34, 5A(same with Wayne with the Orion VIs-it just isn't fun anymore since the O-h noVIIs started running on them), 97
Ride On
-5, 15,46, 55(most likely a Flyer), 61( and the old 62), 70, 100
Fairfax Connector
-505
The Bus(can you believe it)
-15x(they always seem to have some speedy drivers)
For WMATA, I used to like the Q2 on the stretch of Viers Mill between Randolp and Parklawn Dr, the 24M was a good one but the P was also ok, the 7 from Pentagon to Shirlington, the 13 wasn't bad, 38B was cool.
PRTC, Linton Hall Metro Direct was my all time favorite, of course since I planned it and did the initial schedule. Cross County was ok but I could never figure out a way to keep that thing on time until we were allowed to run it every hour. The Dale City OmniLink was pretty scenic too.
Ride On, the 70 was good and the 90 was fun.
FFX Connector I liked the 380 and the 505.
From back in the day for busses: I vote for the N7/N9 express from Montgomery Mall to Federal Triangle. It ran on the Beltway and the Clara Burton Parkway and the Whitehurst Freeway - a sweet, quick and high speed run when the traffic wasn't stopped. For streetcars: nothing could beat the #20 to Glen Echo from Union Station once it entered the private right-of-way north of Key Bridge.
Nodding to the past, I do miss the old #42 line service that ran from Mt. Pleasant to (IIRC) Stadium-Armory. I used to hit a record store up in Froot Loop (Dupont) back in the early 90's, and it was so damn cool to ride a Flxible NEW LOOK from Union Station to and from the store in MID-DAY!!!
The N7/9 was great. I liked the N9 better than the N7 that ran until recently. The ride of Mass. Ave. was so painfully slow while the N9 shooting over the Whithurst to Clara Barton was great.
I used to like the SmartMover routes too.
My picks:
WMATA: 5A, 7, 13, 22-25, 34 (towards Southern Ave. Station), 70, 83, 96, A42 (thanks to Tristan), B30, C4, E2, F4, K6, K12, Q2, R2-R4, T2, X2, the Y, and Z6.
Ride On: 10 (cuz I loves Gilligs on hills), 48, 49, 55, 57, 58, 61, 70, 74, 100
DASH: 2, 5, 7, 8
Fairfax Connector: 109, 425/7, 574, 950
Ride-On: 1, 11, 8, 34, 43, 45, 47, 55, 61, 70, 74, 76, 100
WMATA: 1 line, 4 line, 10 line, 22A, 23A, 25 line, 30 line (the 30s), D6, F4, H line, J line (especially J7/J9), N line, T2, Y line
Fairfax Connector: 109, 231/232, 321/322, 425/427
DASH: 4, 5, 7
I can't help it, but I have to mention one route in Florida I REALLY love. BCT's route 23, the scenery, speed, middle-of-nowhereness, mall-to-mall line is just pure awesome.
Oh and the BLUE means that I REALLY like that route.
......well since I mentioned BCT....my favorite routes there is the 1, 7, 10, 11, 23, 40, 55, 62 (assume they are all blue)
My favorite routes in the DC area are the A2-A42 lines, B30, B27, C21/C22/C26/C29, C2, 42,T16, G8, 89M, A12,F12, C12, D12, V12, H12, K12, R12(absolute favorite! ;D), P12, P17/P18/P19,D14, M4, M6, D8, N22, F14, T18, 79, Q2, X2, X8, U8 W4, W13, W14, Y routes, NH1 , F4/F6, L1/L2/L4, Z9/Z29, 38B, 16Y, 11Y, 3Y, 20W, 20Y,5A, the 12's, 2C, 23A, 16G, 1C, the 7's, 9A, REX and the 24P.
What's so special about the 109 that I haven't ridden yet?
Here's mine again with a few new ones
WMATA: 3 line, 5A, 9A, 10 line, 13 line, 15 line, 16 line, 17A, 22A, 23A, 24P, 25D, 26A, 32, 38 line, 42, 79, 80, 83, 98, B30, C2/C4, C8, D line, F4/F6, H line, H8, J line, J9, L2, N line, Q line, R3, R4, S line, T2, Z line
Ride On: 1, 5, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 23, 28, 29, 30, 34, 38, 46, 48, 55, 59, 60, 61, 63, 67, 70, 74, 75, 83, 90 (love this line to death), 100
Connector: 171, 310, 380, 401, 425/427, 505, 597, 605, 950
DASH: 3, 4, 5
ART: 41, 52
PRTC: PMD (Prince William Metro Direct), CCC (Cross County Connector), Dale City
Loudoun: Dulles North, Reverse Commute
I hope to do the full 75 route to Urbana and do a Loudoun run to Leesburg and back.
If I had to rank any of the routes for my current system in Las Vegas, I like the 106, 402 (which I'd love to eliminate the Boulder City portion and create a separate routing, but the scheduler and I keep arguing (friendly of course) about how to do that effectively), the 104 (very scenic), 108 for the efficient and fairly quick routing it takes, 109 especially through the airport connector when it flies through the tunnel under the runway, 201, 202, and the 213 particularly when it goes through the Desert Inn superarterial. On Wednesday I get to ride the 107 up and down Boulder Highway a few times to find out what our operators are doing (or not) in making that route have such awful OTP.
It's the only route routinely keeping us from maintaining a 97% OTP within 10 minutes and over 90% within 5.
Quote from: 79MetroExtraMD on August 15, 2008, 11:24:08 PM
What's so special about the 109 that I haven't ridden yet?
Here's mine again with a few new ones
WMATA: 3 line, 5A, 9A, 10 line, 13 line, 15 line, 16 line, 17A, 22A, 23A, 24P, 25D, 26A, 32, 38 line, 42, 79, 80, 83, 98, B30, C2/C4, C8, D line, F4/F6, H line, H8, J line, J9, L2, N line, Q line, R3, R4, S line, T2, Z line
Ride On: 1, 5, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 23, 28, 29, 30, 34, 38, 46, 48, 55, 59, 60, 61, 63, 67, 70, 74, 75, 83, 90 (love this line to death), 100
Connector: 171, 310, 380, 401, 425/427, 505, 597, 605, 950
DASH: 3, 4, 5
ART: 41, 52
PRTC: PMD (Prince William Metro Direct), CCC (Cross County Connector), Dale City
Loudoun: Dulles North, Reverse Commute
I hope to do the full 75 route to Urbana and do a Loudoun run to Leesburg and back.
The 38 line? Don't you mean 38
B line? The same with Q, don't you mean Q2 line? And you put D line. Which D line are you talking about, the D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D8, D12, D13, or D14? And which J line are you talking about J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, J11, J12, or, 13? And which H line are you referring to, H1, H2, H3, H4, H8, H9, H11, H12, or H13. And are you talking about all the 16 routes even the 16Y? And also does the N line include the N22
We use a lot of shorthand down here because ... well if there's only one Q, "The Q" is just as effective as "the Q2". Usually if someone says something like "The N Line", they mean the primary batch of routes and not the offshoots from it, or most of the diversions are not significant enough to matter. You'll get used to it over time :-)
Quote from: Tristan on August 16, 2008, 10:05:10 AM
We use a lot of shorthand down here because ... well if there's only one Q, "The Q" is just as effective as "the Q2". Usually if someone says something like "The N Line", they mean the primary batch of routes and not the offshoots from it, or most of the diversions are not significant enough to matter. You'll get used to it over time :-)
Oh OK. I was a little confused at first.
Most of the time when we use the shorthand, we're referring to the DC Transit routes that were absorbed into WMATA. Line and route can be used interchangeably in other TAs, but that's not the case in the DC area. Line refers to the main corridor or areas that a full set of routes serve such as Columbia Pike line, Pennsylvania Avenue line, 16th Street line. Route refers to the different branches on the line.
Quote from: 79MetroExtraMD on August 16, 2008, 01:40:53 PM
Most of the time when we use the shorthand, we're referring to the DC Transit routes that were absorbed into WMATA. Line and route can be used interchangeably in other TAs, but that's not the case in the DC area. Line refers to the main corridor or areas that a full set of routes serve such as Columbia Pike line, Pennsylvania Avenue line, 16th Street line. Route refers to the different branches on the line.
Great point, Ken -- and in VA, the system is pretty much the opposite than in DC. We'll post a route number history guide soon but...
In DC and MD, the letter generally indicates the LINE and the number indicates the ROUTE. In DC, there is also the case of only numbers (30-90). In this case, the first digit is the line and the second digit is the route.
In VA, all routes are number-letter combinations (which I think is better, because letters first only give you 26 lines...[/end VA bias--not that we'd ever have that much service anyway]): 1-38 with several gaps (there is no longer a 6, 14, 19, 27, or 30-37 line).
There are some examples (Q2, 38B) where the remaining route number is a vestige from a time when there were many more routes, so "Q" suffices.
At this point, I guess it's a good idea to also mention the local bus systems. In order of inception:
Ride On: 1 to 3-digit numbers, lower numbers downcounty (Silver Spring, Takoma), higher numbers upcounty (Rockville, etc). Only conflicts slightly with WMATA @ Friendship Heights, where WMATA 30s meet the Ride On 34. Operates certain WMATA routes on weekends under WMATA's route numbering (T2, etc).
CUE: Green and Gold -- GMU's colors. No conflict there, eh?
DASH: All routes begin with "A.T." as in "Alexandria Transit". "S" appended to a route number indicates a trip that does not run to the standard terminal of a route, similar to the WMATA "/".
Fairfax Connector: 3-digit route numbers, 100-900. 100-401 South County (Huntington, Springfield, etc), 402+ North County (Tysons, Reston, etc). 401 is a cross-county route (Tysons-Springfield) but is operated under the South County contract.
The Bus: Two-digit route numbers...conflict with Ride On in the Langley Park area. All WMATA routes in their service area have either letter-number or very high (80s) 2-digit route numbers (highest PG route is in the 50s, right?).
Howie's Truck Service: Colors
Connect-a-Ride: Single letters
Loudoun County: Hasn't discovered a 20th century route identification system yet. 7-to-7-on-7 and similar tongue-twisters on the local side. Commuter routes named by service area ("Dulles North", etc). Same for PRTC.
Is anyone else important enough to mention?
PRTC really doesn't need a numbering system. Just naming what it does works fine. I had come up with a numbering scheme at one time when I was there but realized it wasn't worth it. It would be enormously expensive to change all the related collateral to correspond with those changes. It's one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Quote from: Tristan on August 16, 2008, 01:53:08 PM
Is anyone else important enough to mention?
ART - Double digit numbers with no suffixes. No conflicts that I know of since the WMATA VA bus routes all have suffixes.
I asked if any other system was important enough to mention, not if I had forgotten any agencies at all ;D ;D :P
Quote from: Tristan on August 17, 2008, 12:36:30 PM
I asked if any other system was important enough to mention, not if I had forgotten any agencies at all ;D ;D :P
Damn, So Howie's, Connect-A-Ride, Duh Bus, and CUE outrank ART and Shuttle UM?!?!?
I'll take the baby-Nabis over the cutaways of Howweird Transit anyday.
Quote from: btconet on August 17, 2008, 06:25:48 PM
Quote from: Tristan on August 17, 2008, 12:36:30 PM
I asked if any other system was important enough to mention, not if I had forgotten any agencies at all ;D ;D :P
Damn, So Howie's, Connect-A-Ride, Duh Bus, and CUE outrank ART and Shuttle UM?!?!?
I'll take the baby-Nabis over the cutaways of Howweird Transit anyday.
lol. So true
Shuttle-UM doesn't really cut as a transit service. Student operated. Metrobus operators and such HATE to be behind Shuttle UM buses. Their practices are beyond all sense of normalcy: Stopping at every single stop even when no one gets on or off. What's the purpose of a bell?
I used to love messing with Metrobus drivers when I drove for Shuttle UM. Most of them were pretty rude and I'd take my lovely old time accelerating from a stop if they were behind me. They would box me in at PG Plaza and pull around me so I couldn't pull out into traffic. I used to flip them off all the time. :-)
Quote from: btconet on August 17, 2008, 06:25:48 PM
Quote from: Tristan on August 17, 2008, 12:36:30 PM
I asked if any other system was important enough to mention, not if I had forgotten any agencies at all ;D ;D :P
Damn, So Howie's, Connect-A-Ride, Duh Bus, and CUE outrank ART and Shuttle UM?!?!?
I'll take the baby-Nabis over the cutaways of Howweird Transit anyday.
Just covering up for my absent-mindedness. Sssh.
Hello everyone i'm new here. I'm known as landoverdivision321 on YouTube. I like the A12, T18, the Ys, P12, B30, 5A, 79, F4, F6, 9A, the 16s, X2, 90s and a lot of others. I also like a lot of TheBus routes.
My favourite line was the Belair Line routes T10 and T11. Especially the T11 in Bowie from Pointer Ridge to Belair. The C21-29 just isn't the same as those routes. Also, I liked the K17 and H17 because of their diversion into the Suitland Federal Center. I liked the W13 before the Green line opened in Southern Prince George's. Conversely, I strongly disliked the W15. I also enjoyed riding on the D12, W12 when they terminated at 11th & E Sts. NW although they were only the first and second trip.
I remember the T11. When we had family in Kettering back in the 70's, we'd take that to one of the Metro Stations, it wasn't Addison Road I don't think, it must have been Potomac Park or something else closer to DC, it was such a long time ago. Flying down Central Ave. in an AM General!
I also remember taking the K12 to Andrews Air Force Base, when it went just inside the gate for an air show many moons ago too.
Just to give credit where credit is due: all of those "T" routes and "K" routes were originally created and operated by WMA Transit before the WMATA takeover in the early 1970s. Some of those routes have not changed in 30 years. I operated fishbowls on all of them.
Quote from: Perry on October 28, 2008, 09:27:12 AM
I remember the T11. When we had family in Kettering back in the 70's, we'd take that to one of the Metro Stations, it wasn't Addison Road I don't think, it must have been Potomac Park or something else closer to DC, it was such a long time ago. Flying down Central Ave. in an AM General!
The T11 went to Union Station in the late '70's and perhaps the early '80's during non rail hours in place of the 40 which ran during rail hours. Before the metrorail it went to SW Mall (L'enfant Plaza). Before its demise in the early '90's it went to Capital Heights Station via Addison Road.
Thanks for that information. It was so long ago that I rode those old lines. I just have flickering memories of riding it. I just remember standing on Central Ave. waiting for it and then off we went.
Mines are the A's A2, A4, A5, A6, A8, W6, W8, W2, W3, 34, 93, U2, B2, U8, X2.
Wow nice old thread. Anyways here's mine.
WMATA:F4,A12,T18,H12,C24,T17,T16,R12,86,B2,79,U8,S9,Q2,Y7,16J,25A,22A,R2,R4,36,96,C4,X2,U2,U4,V7,F14,C2,C8
THEBUS:14,21,18,17,13,
ART:87,42,
FFC:171,310,
Ride-On:1,11,46,
& I just felt like putting this up
MTA Maryland:8,51,77,14,17,20,qb48,qb40,
I remember bus fan riding:
C4 White Oak to Montgomery College
C8 Plaza del Mercado to Congressional Plaza
(bus was marked Plaza del Mercado but the layover point was in driveway of Argyle Jr High, cause after Argyle was opened, it was under used & was shut down for a few years. When the school reopened, the terminal as moved to Homecrest & Longmeade)
E6 ? Friendship Heights to Distaff Hall
(on Saturdays, this route would interline w/ J4's)
J2 Montgomery Mall to Beltway Plaza
J4 friendship Heights to Beltway Plaza
J8 Wheaton Plaza to Beltway Plaza
(Grandmother & I would ride this bus to go see Aunt Dorothy & we would transfer at the PG Plaza big boy statute)
K6 White Oak to Federal Triangle/Metro Center
Q1 & Q3 Silver Spring/Federal Triangle to Atomic Energy & Bureau of Standards
Q8 Silver Spring to Montgomery Mall
T4 Ivy City to Rockshire Village
T6 Ivy City to Montgomery College
W4 Bolling AFB to Capital Plaza
As a Ride-On Operator, I loved operating the:
1/11 Silver Spring - Friendship Heights
8-9 Silver Spring - Wheaton (went by my high school)
12 & 14 Silver Spring - Takoma
19 Silver Spring - 4Corners & Silver Spring to Dallas Ave
(Went thru my old neighborhood)
24 Northwest Park - TAKOMA
26 Layhill to Montgomery Mall (Former C8)
35 Wheaton to Montgomery mall (old C2)
38 Wheaton to Montgomery mall (majority was once the Q8)
in 1989, on Saturdays, if you did a trip to Wheaton on #8, you would do a #35 to Montgomery Mall, #38 back to Wheaton & a #9 back to Silver Spring.
or: a #9 to Wheaton, a #38 to Montgomery mall, #35 back to Wheaton & a #8 back to Silver Spring.
Once Wheaton Stationed opened in 1990,
#35 to Montgomery Mall & #38 back to Wheaton, with a #40 Wheaton to Wheaton Plaza between routes.
#38 to Montgomery Mall became a #35 back to Wheaton & NO #40.
Christmas time, running 35, or 38, meant you put your foot into it approaching Either End of the line, to maintain your schedule, or you would be screwed all day!
Hmm, no 35 or 40 anymore :(. When did Ride-On start contracting operations to minibus operators?
I like the T2. Ride-On's 15 is my favorite route to use since it runs to often and is a quick ride between Langley Park and Silver Spring. I used to call it the Langley Park Express - the shortest of the "Langley Park Brothers" (routes 15, 16, 17, and 18). I don't have a favorite Ride-On route to fan yet, though.
Hey, didn't the 19 use to go to Langley Park. As a small child, I remember seeing it's number on the bus stop sign.
Ride On
5, 23, 47, 61, 90
WMATA
T2, Z2, J5
Quote from: aznboy4305 on December 07, 2009, 10:03:33 AM
Ride On
5, 23, 47, 61, 90
WMATA
T2, Z2, J5
I take it you mean the 90 when it used to go out to Milestone. I so miss that branch. One time, I took it all the way to Milestone from Shady Grove and took a good nap.
Oh I forgot the W4 went to Bolling AFB and the W9 did too. Those were the days.
WOW! When did the 90 start running weekdays only? Riding to Milestone was quite grand back in the day :(.
Late March or early April of this year, I forget when the service change took place. I did make a point of taking a farewell ride however, and will miss that route. The ride out to Damascus is still a good one but the fact it now ends in the middle of nowhere makes it harder to fan.
Quote from: WMATAGMOAGH on December 07, 2009, 04:27:12 PM
Late March or early April of this year, I forget when the service change took place. I did make a point of taking a farewell ride however, and will miss that route. The ride out to Damascus is still a good one but the fact it now ends in the middle of nowhere makes it harder to fan.
well...that's how the 76 is (and always has been) as well...I don't know about the 90 to Damascus but taking the 76 to Poolesville, even if it's the middle of nowhere, is definitely worth it imo.