December 2008 Obervations

[rideonrulez]

*Baby G 5003 arriving at Silver Spring, Not In Service.  The interesting thing is that this bus pulled into the upper Ride-On section at around 8pm and then parked, still out of service.  The 18 doesn't serve Silver Spring that late in the day - what route could it be going on?  Maybe the 5, but didn't residents want cutaways on that route after a certain hour?  This request goes back to the days when Ride-On had nothing larger than 30 ft, if I remember correctly.

The 5 is operated by Nicholson as follows:
Weekdays: 10pm from Silver Spring, 10:46pm from Twinbrook
Saturdays: 7pm from Silver Spring, 7:46pm from Twinbrook
Sundays: 8pm from Silver Spring, 8:46pm from Twinbrook

These are the first trips and operate to the end of service.

[Tritransit Area]

The 2 NABI 60BRTs are still at Landover - just saw them moments ago, parked in the depot (that IS Landover by the train tracks, right?)  Although I imagine they are still being used to for the B30 (why aren't they running then?), I must wonder how exactly they are fueling these buses.

Is Bladensburg nearby?

You can see CET from the Orange Line or NEC (I assume those are the tracks you are referring to), but not Landover Division itself.

Oh my goodness, I apologize for the error!  That would explain why there was that 1/2 an Ikarus parked there as well.   Well, there were two BRTs sitting there, anyway.

[ChristopherF]

RIDE ON:
995411 on the 34 (Wheaton)
Do U know Y these Gillig Phantoms will NEVER be crushed?

METROBUS:
2065 on the 64
6110 on the NH1
4063 on the 3B (Falls Church Sta)
From which garage does 9310 operate out of?
4396 remains @ Montgomery.
4399 remains @ Montgomery.
2824 on the 80 (Kennedy Center)
2411 on the 80 (Ft Totten)

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Why should the Ride On Gilligs get new signs?

[Tritransit Area]

I guess to avoid problems like this:





Route 10 to Rockbrook, anyone?

But anyway, it'd be too much of a headache to install such signs now, as these Gilligs are hitting 10 years old (with the others around the 12 year mark).  Soon they'd be gone as well.  But who knows with Ride On...after all, I was just riding around 1996 Gillig Phantoms that were announcing stops and showing the date and time!

[Tritransit Area]

This is a shame - it was such a nice bus shelter, too.  I've been noticing that both DC and Montgomery County have been upgrading the shelters - they look great!

[BladensburgB2]

    What the HAM SANDWICH happen to that?

[79MetroExtraMD]

Today's sightings

Metrobus

5402 5A FD06 @ Tysons Westpark
9319 38B FM16 @ Ballston (An Arlington fill in)
9356 13B (displaying 23B) @ 7th & Constitution

[rb8888]

This morning I saw the following on 16th St NW (southbound):

9752 (S1 Potomac Park)
2158 (S2 McPherson Square)

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I made the sighting yesterday (December 31) so I'll post it here:

While driving on River Road, I saw an Orion VI with an updated headsign reading for Friendship Heights:

FRIENDSHIP
HEIGHTS STATION

The display was static with both lines showing at once. 

I think it is too much to cram onto a sign, but clearly someone at WMATA thinks otherwise.

[ChristopherF]

This is a shame - it was such a nice bus shelter, too.  I've been noticing that both DC and Montgomery County have been upgrading the shelters - they look great!

This is a shame - it was such a nice bus shelter, too.  I've been noticing that both DC and Montgomery County have been upgrading the shelters - they look great!

That is exactly what I saw when I was coming back home from my almost-weeklong Christmas visit with my parents in Front Royal, Virginia.  Apparently, a car wrecked the bus shelter (pictured here) near my own backyard last week.  That damaged shelter at the intersection of New Hampshire Ave & Powder Mill Road has since been removed.

[LandoverDivision]

Why did 4220-4222 move to Landover?

[ChristopherF]

And now, my very last observations of 2008:

RIDE ON:
965999 on the 48 (Rockville) with a blown engine
995716 remains @ Silver Spring.
025593 on the 10 (Hillandale)
055823 on the 48 (Wheaton)
085737 on the 10 (Hillandale)

METROBUS:
6110 on the W4
6107 on the NH1
4366 on the 28B (King Street Station)
From which garage does 9310 operate out of?
4247 on the 3B (Falls Church Sta)
6139 on the A2
9387 remains @ Montgomery.
9767 remains @ Montgomery.
4213 on the 80 (Ft Totten)
4235 on the K6 (White Oak)
2012 on the F4, freshly rehabbed
2062 on the 66
2093 on the C4, freshly rehabbed
2621 on the 38B (Farragut Square)
2412 on the R2 (Ft Totten)
2417 on the 80 (Ft Totten)
2301 on the 80 (Kennedy Center)
2431 on the 80 (Ft Totten)
2066 on the 66

NOTES:
2163 is now the only Orion V from the 2000 model year that has Aesys signs.  2164, 2165 & 2166 no longer have Aesys signs as all 3 of these buses have switched to Luminator destination signs.

[Tristan]

Why did 4220-4222 move to Landover?

Because someone in Bus Operations said so.

[WES]

This was observed last Monday Dec 29th, and yes it is late, but I am slow
so here it is.

2628 was on the 38B, saw this at Farragut Square.

An unidentified Metro E at Federal Triangle was signed "34-Ballston"