Upcoming Lasts and First - Some Photo Ops

[btconet]

Through the years, many transit photographers have prided themselves on getting photos of something on its first or last day of service.  One need only witness the amount of photo material available online when streetcar lines were converted to bus to see how frequent the practice of last day shots in particular are.

With that in mind, here's a little heads up to the photographers out there regarding some of the upcoming lasts and first that you'll have the opportunity to get photos of in the week or so ahead.  I may aim to get some photos of some of these myself, but by all means feel free to get some shots as well and contribute them here.

Here's a sequential listing of the lasts and firsts that are coming our way:

Friday, September 23rd, Last Day Of Service for the 71, K1, and N8 bus lines.

Saturday, September 24th, Last Day of Service for the DC Circulator 7th Street Line, and last service on the 70 south of Constitution Avenue.

Sunday, September 25th, First Day of Service for the new 74 bus line.

Best wishes to those who may pursue these shots as well!

[79MetroExtraMD]

Also, could anyone get the new 3Y signs heading westbound? It used to say LEE HEIGHTS but was changed to say HARRISON & LEE HWY.

[Transport]

Also, could anyone get the new 3Y signs heading westbound? It used to say LEE HEIGHTS but was changed to say HARRISON & LEE HWY.

I'll try to get this westbound 3Y sign.

The 74 will also sport two new destination listings on the signs; one for the base and the other for the peak deivaition to Ft. NcNair.

Does anyone know when the McLean - Langly sign on the northbound 23C was changed to tiny text on one sign "MCLEAN- LANGLEY" instead of the two sign, large text (and more readable, in my opinoin) "MCLEAN" // "LANGLEY"?

[Tristan]

WMATA messes with signs at random and for no reason.  Not sure if there's a revolving door in the department or what but it seems like during one quarter they like single frames, squeezing everything onto one screen, then the next quarter they like spreading things out over multiple frames.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

just wondering...what division will be serving the new 74 line?

[79MetroExtraMD]

just wondering...what division will be serving the new 74 line?

Northern

[79MetroExtraMD]

Also, could anyone get the new 3Y signs heading westbound? It used to say LEE HEIGHTS but was changed to say HARRISON & LEE HWY.

I'll try to get this westbound 3Y sign.

The 74 will also sport two new destination listings on the signs; one for the base and the other for the peak deivaition to Ft. NcNair.

Does anyone know when the McLean - Langly sign on the northbound 23C was changed to tiny text on one sign "MCLEAN- LANGLEY" instead of the two sign, large text (and more readable, in my opinoin) "MCLEAN" // "LANGLEY"?

I tried making a couple signs in the IPS program to see what they could have done for the 74. The 23C thing just boggles me. It reminds me of the BX12 sign with the small FORDHAM PLZ right in the middle. Underutilization of space.

[Transport]

Also, could anyone get the new 3Y signs heading westbound? It used to say LEE HEIGHTS but was changed to say HARRISON & LEE HWY.

I'll try to get this westbound 3Y sign.

The 74 will also sport two new destination listings on the signs; one for the base and the other for the peak deivaition to Ft. NcNair.

Does anyone know when the McLean - Langly sign on the northbound 23C was changed to tiny text on one sign "MCLEAN- LANGLEY" instead of the two sign, large text (and more readable, in my opinoin) "MCLEAN" // "LANGLEY"?

I tried making a couple signs in the IPS program to see what they could have done for the 74. The 23C thing just boggles me. It reminds me of the BX12 sign with the small FORDHAM PLZ right in the middle. Underutilization of space.

There are a few destinations that have escaped the conversion from two screen, larger/readable signs to the "tiny text treatment."  I'm not listing them here for good reason, ha!  Who programmes these signs with IPS?  Is this someone at Carmen Turner or is there a person a each division?  I imagine the new 74 signs will be two lines with 7 point font size.

I bet we could fill an entire thread with odd destination signs needing reformatting or correction...

[Tritransit Area]

Through the years, many transit photographers have prided themselves on getting photos of something on its first or last day of service.  One need only witness the amount of photo material available online when streetcar lines were converted to bus to see how frequent the practice of last day shots in particular are.

With that in mind, here's a little heads up to the photographers out there regarding some of the upcoming lasts and first that you'll have the opportunity to get photos of in the week or so ahead.  I may aim to get some photos of some of these myself, but by all means feel free to get some shots as well and contribute them here.

Here's a sequential listing of the lasts and firsts that are coming our way:

Friday, September 23rd, Last Day Of Service for the 71, K1, and N8 bus lines.

Saturday, September 24th, Last Day of Service for the DC Circulator 7th Street Line, and last service on the 70 south of Constitution Avenue.

Sunday, September 25th, First Day of Service for the new 74 bus line.

Best wishes to those who may pursue these shots as well!

!!!  The 71 and K1 and N8 (did that run from Friendship Heights) were discontinued?!  Guess that explains the 74.... Oh man I wish I knew this earlier, lol.  The K1 surely was short lived.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

The original N8 ran from Friendship Heights to Glen Echo on the RO 29 route.  The current N8 came into being on September 18, 1999, replacing the N9.  The N9 didn't exist for very long from what I remember, it started out at Tenleytown, took Nebraska Avenue out to Ward Circle, and then did the loop around Wesley Heights before returning the way it came.  The inner city Green line opening resulted in a number of changes to bus routes, including rerouting the H2 to Van Ness and shortening the H4 from Westmoreland Circle to Tenleytown.  As a result of that change, the N8 was created to replace the discontinued section of the H2 on Van Ness and Veazey Streets, the H2 and H4 on Yuma Street, and the N9 which was discontinued entirely.  The N2 may have been rerouted via Tenleytown at this time as well, I forget when that was put into place.  The N8 was later extended to Glover Park, perhaps in an attempt to boost its always low ridership.  Sometime between June 2009 and now the H2 was partially restored to its original route via Van Ness and Veazey Streets, but still going up Connecticut Avenue towards Van Ness from Cleveland Park instead of going on Reno Road, and the N8 was shortened to end at Tenleytown.  The route was on the chopping block a number of times and this time wasn't able to avoid the ax.  The fact that the residents of Yuma Street wanted the buses off their street for years probably didn't help.