Routes Of Years Past

[Perry]

Anyone remember the Haines Point bus?  I think it was called HP2.  It was some sort of shuttle that ran around.  Also the State Department used to have Metrobuses run routes between there and Rosslyn to the government buildings in the area as well as up towards Dupont Circle.  Since my mom worked for the Gov't. at the time we'd take the #13, usually a Fishbowl over to State Dept.  They'd usually use a 35' AM General on the 14.

[WMAveteran]

Back in the day (before many of you were even born - lol) DC Transit ran some real interesting rush hour expresses:
1. "fishbowl" suburbans (just like the one in my avatar - wheel covers and all) from Silver Spring terminal (the old Silver Spring Armory) to what is now the NRC in Germantown.  At that time it was called the Atomic Energy Commission and so read the destination sign on the bus.
2. The "A9" Livingston express from Federal Triangle out S. Capitol Street to the Livingston area of far SE DC near the border with Oxon Hill.
3.  The Franklin Avenue  express from Federal Triangle to Franklin Avenue and University Blvd. in Silver Spring by way of 13th Street/Piney Branch Road.  At the time 13th Street NW was one way northbound or southbound during the rush hours and it was a very fast trip.

[WayneNYC]

That Franklin Ave express sounds real interesting.  Reversing 13th Street for one-way peak direction flow sounds like a good idea that probably shouldn't have been discontinued.  I've only seen those GMC suburbans in pics.  Did they have manual trannys?  I do remember seeing a few of WMATA 100 series new look Flxible suburbans in their last days.

[WES]

I might still have an A9 schedule, though it might be different then what it was but I think I still have that schedule.

[79MetroExtraMD]

That Franklin Ave express sounds real interesting.  Reversing 13th Street for one-way peak direction flow sounds like a good idea that probably shouldn't have been discontinued.  I've only seen those GMC suburbans in pics.  Did they have manual trannys?  I do remember seeing a few of WMATA 100 series new look Flxible suburbans in their last days.

IIRC, didn't M Street have a similar configuration during rush hour to reflect traffic flow.

[Perry]

The 100 series Flixbles were great, especially when they showed up on the Q2 during rush hours. LOL.  Back when the Riggs Road line was the R8, they'd show up there from time to time back in the day.

[rideonrulez]

LOL I rode a 100 series before on the Q2 (I think it was #112 to be exact)! Also rode it on the N7/9 to Montgomery Mall from downtown. Those buses were my favorite back in the day but were hard to find. I remember the highback red seats and no back door. I have a pic of #105 at New Carrolton on the old R11 Greenbelt express which I recall riding. I'll add it to the photo gallery one of these days as I already scanned it.

[Perry]

Yeah the 100's were hard to find.  I can't remember the one that I was one. It could have been 112 for all I know.  This was around 1991 and I was on my way to work from Montgomery College to Montgomery Mall.  I normally would take the bus to Twinbrook and then the C8 over to the mall but when that pulled in I rode that all the way to Silver Spring and caught the J2 to the mall.  Those were the days when the bus stopped in front of Sears and not at the transit center.

[WES]

The 100s were the only buses I didn't ride.  In their final days they ran from Landover and one was almost always on the F2, then they went to FMR, then back to Landover and then gone, replaced by Onions.

[WayneNYC]

In their final days they ran from Landover and one was almost always on the F2, then they went to FMR, then back to Landover and then gone, replaced by Onions.

This makes sense as my very last sighting of these buses was one that broke down on US route 1 in that area between Beltsville and Laurel. 

Wes, if these Flxibles were anything like the hundreds that NJTransit had, then you missed a great bus.  The TNJ/NJ Transit Flxibles were simply awesome.  They had  DD 8V71 engines and had incredible speed.

[Perry]

I recall seeing them on the 87 when that used to go into DC (which it still should!!!).  I don't recall the engine but they didn't have the whine of a the detroit diesels that I knew, but it could be the 8V71, it had kind of a roar similar to the older 8000 series Flixlbes, the ones with the silver bumpers that rolled around DC until the very early 90's. 

When my dad worked for a place in Kensington, his company Chartered a Metrobus to Baltimore and we had a 100 series.  That was fun to ride up the BW Parkway.  This was early 80's if I remember correctly.

[WayneNYC]

Perry,

Although I didn't ride WMATA's 100 series Flxibles I did hear them and they indeed had the DD 8V71 engine.  BTW - This is the same engine that the 1100 series GMCs had and that NYBS fishbowl (1481) that you Chris and I rode.

[WMAveteran]

To answer some of the questions on my previous post:
1. Yes, the DC Transit fishbowl suburbans had 4 speed manual double-clutching transmissions but you would have a hard time catching up with them once they got into third gear.  They would practically fly up 270 on the AEC route.
2.  At the time the Franklin Avenue express ran 13th Street was not only one way during the rush hours but the traffic signals were synchronized so you could travel the length of 13th Street NW from Logan Circle to Piney Branch Road and not stop for any lights.
3.  If you have the "A9" schedule I would like to see it.  It should be dated in the 1960's or 70's. 

[WMAveteran]

In their final days they ran from Landover and one was almost always on the F2, then they went to FMR, then back to Landover and then gone, replaced by Onions.

This makes sense as my very last sighting of these buses was one that broke down on US route 1 in that area between Beltsville and Laurel. 

Wes, if these Flxibles were anything like the hundreds that NJTransit had, then you missed a great bus.  The TNJ/NJ Transit Flxibles were simply awesome.  They had  DD 8V71 engines and had incredible speed.

Yes, I rode both the Metro and NJT versions and I agree that the NJT models were very fast but also very loud rattle traps.

[WMAveteran]

LOL I rode a 100 series before on the Q2 (I think it was #112 to be exact)! Also rode it on the N7/9 to Montgomery Mall from downtown. Those buses were my favorite back in the day but were hard to find. I remember the highback red seats and no back door. I have a pic of #105 at New Carrolton on the old R11 Greenbelt express which I recall riding. I'll add it to the photo gallery one of these days as I already scanned it.

Just in case you are interested, the "R" prefix originated with WMA transit which designated its Greenbelt service with an "R" and METRO just continued the tradition.