December 2008 Obervations

[rideonrulez]

One more honorable mention: I saw 5579 deadheading from the I-270 to W. Montgomery Ave exit ramp...it was ORANGE CRUSHED! I literally gasped when I saw it...the rear sign was messed up but I was still excited to see it. It came from the I-270 northbound, like the route 127 used to, I don't know where it was headed or where it was coming from, so I can't confirm 100% that it's a Gaithersburg bus. Also, I didn't see the front or side signs.

5579 is a unique bus because the sign is a Luminator not a twinvision. Also it is a training bus that's why you saw it exiting at Montgomery Ave going back to the training track.

Today I drove 5550 and that bus can move!!

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

One more honorable mention: I saw 5579 deadheading from the I-270 to W. Montgomery Ave exit ramp...it was ORANGE CRUSHED! I literally gasped when I saw it...the rear sign was messed up but I was still excited to see it. It came from the I-270 northbound, like the route 127 used to, I don't know where it was headed or where it was coming from, so I can't confirm 100% that it's a Gaithersburg bus. Also, I didn't see the front or side signs.

5579 is a unique bus because the sign is a Luminator not a twinvision. Also it is a training bus that's why you saw it exiting at Montgomery Ave going back to the training track.

Today I drove 5550 and that bus can move!!

Now why would you guys orange crush a bus only to get it to thr training track?
Also, where is the training track now? I remember over a year ago that it was on the corner of Clopper Rd and Kingsview Village Ave behind the gas station. Now that it's not there, I have no idea where I could find 5579 or the other training buses.

[rideonrulez]

One more honorable mention: I saw 5579 deadheading from the I-270 to W. Montgomery Ave exit ramp...it was ORANGE CRUSHED! I literally gasped when I saw it...the rear sign was messed up but I was still excited to see it. It came from the I-270 northbound, like the route 127 used to, I don't know where it was headed or where it was coming from, so I can't confirm 100% that it's a Gaithersburg bus. Also, I didn't see the front or side signs.

5579 is a unique bus because the sign is a Luminator not a twinvision. Also it is a training bus that's why you saw it exiting at Montgomery Ave going back to the training track.

Today I drove 5550 and that bus can move!!

Now why would you guys orange crush a bus only to get it to thr training track?
Also, where is the training track now? I remember over a year ago that it was on the corner of Clopper Rd and Kingsview Village Ave behind the gas station. Now that it's not there, I have no idea where I could find 5579 or the other training buses.

See, what had happened was.....After the accident on Viers Mill Rd with WMATA's 6205, they sent it out to repair the damage and whoever (don't know who) wrote the specs put in "Luminator destination sign" little did they know that Luminator stopped making the flip dot sign it used to have. So the people that fixed the bus got a LED Luminator sign which NONE of our buses have. 

Training track is now located at the Public Safety Training Academy at the corner of Great Seneca Highway and Darnestown Rd off the route 56.

[79MetroExtraMD]

Any word on if 5813 is back in service? I haven't seen it for quite a while. Also, there is a 5900 up in Baltimore which I still can't get the number of since its too dark when I travel.

[rideonrulez]

Any word on if 5813 is back in service? I haven't seen it for quite a while.

5813 is doing the route 70 today, do you mean 5818?

Forgot to note that 5711 has been transferred to Gaithersburg as of yesterday (12/4/08).

[smithavechuck]

George:

What is so special about 5002 being assigned to the 45?

Chuck

[LandoverDivision]

And I just remembered also 9385 that ran from Landover also.  Didn't look all that good, but saw 9391 and 9345 and BOY 9391 looks almost new.

I forgot 9304 is also a Landover bus. You should see 9375 and 9376 (Bladensburg buses). They look like they JUST came to WMATA!

[79MetroExtraMD]

Any word on if 5813 is back in service? I haven't seen it for quite a while.

5813 is doing the route 70 today, do you mean 5818?

Forgot to note that 5711 has been transferred to Gaithersburg as of yesterday (12/4/08).

Oh yea, I meant 5818. I had a rough past couple of days and am very delirious.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

Any word on if 5813 is back in service? I haven't seen it for quite a while. Also, there is a 5900 up in Baltimore which I still can't get the number of since its too dark when I travel.

5813 - Back in service, I saw it for the first time in a while yesterday on the 70, and later today on the 46 (I think).

5818 - IDK, Chris, what's the status?

Chuck - Nothing so significant about 5002 on the 45...just a new bus sighting.

Speaking of the baby Gilligs, 5004 was on the 45 today and 5001 on the 18.
(I was waiting for like 1/2 hour freezing my @$$ off at the route 8/18 stop, hoping to see a baby Gillig. I gave up, walked to the bus stop at Colesville & Wayne, and saw 5001 on the 18 going to SS. Knowing that I wouldnt make it to the other stop, I positioned myself to get a pic on the Colesville-Wayne. Unsuccessful front pic, someone got in the way. Got a back shot though, but I really want a front shot.)

-It just goes to show you, I have bad luck when it comes to getting pics of new buses.

[C40LF_2464]

I saw bus7xxx (lol) on the 70 in the new paint scheme

[OrionFlyer]

Looks like WMATA is getting around to the other buses with the new paint scheme. I can't wait to see the Orion VI's and VII's in this scheme.

[WES]

2613 broken down close to Ballston, on Washington Blvd at Glebe Road doing a 2C.

2501 was doing a 25A, but in all of the sign it had 3832.

[rideonrulez]

Any word on if 5813 is back in service? I haven't seen it for quite a while. Also, there is a 5900 up in Baltimore which I still can't get the number of since its too dark when I travel.

5818 - IDK, Chris, what's the status?

Last I checked it was having issues with the CNG storage tanks on the roof. So it is still in the shop line. When it hits the streets I'll let you guys know.

[79MetroExtraMD]

2613 broken down close to Ballston, on Washington Blvd at Glebe Road doing a 2C.

2501 was doing a 25A, but in all of the sign it had 3832.

So its affecting Four Mile buses as well. There has to be some kind of glitch in the software or a programming error that's causing the route number to show 38xx. I haven't seen any  Montgomery, Bladensburg, Annex, or Western buses having these issues as of yet.

[OrionFlyer]

Is WMATA replacing the slide glide windows with the top open windows? The windows of that Neoplan in the new paint scheme looks like they can only be opened from the top.