What Flxibles Have Been Retired as of Late?

[OrionFlyer]

Are there still any 35ft Flxibles in service?

[TransitGuru1981X]

Are there still any 35ft Flxibles in service?

As far as I know, none of those are, unless sometime one or more of the new DE37LFAs is out of service for major repairs.

~Ben

[WayneNYC]

Are there still any 35ft Flxibles in service?

Yes.  The remaining 35 footer Metro-Bs are at Landover.

[OrionFlyer]

Are there still any 35ft Flxibles in service?

Yes.  The remaining 35 footer Metro-Bs are at Landover.

And some of them are still in the "Post Office" scheme, right?

[Annex4421]

Is 9318 still running?

I think so I last saw it leaving the Bladensburg Division.

[Tritransit Area]

Is 9318 still running?

I think so I last saw it leaving the Bladensburg Division.

Yay!  That's the last WMATA Flx B that I rode, on that good old 1A...



If 9489 is still rolling, it's likely in the old scheme!

[Annex4421]

Tragicly 9489 and 9492 are retired.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

I saw 9481 on the F6 today so they are still around...

[LandoverDivision]

9488 was on the F12 I know they're still in service. 9481 keeps being on the A12 for some reason.

[OrionFlyer]

So as of now all the 9700s are officially retired?

[C40LF_2464]

So as of now all the 9700s are officially retired?

Yeah they have been retired for some time now. I also remeber m last ride on one to but i didnt pay no mind. 9701 was the last 9700 i saw in service. Pass by CET on the orange line and you will see them. And a couple at Landover.

[Tritransit Area]

My word!  I can't believe they are gone .  My last ride on one was quite a while ago, on the F4/6, I believe. 

Another bus that I remember coming in brand new, and now...has been retired!  I can still remember hearing them outside of the apartment window on University Blvd as a small child, loving that hum "fan sound" they made as they cruised on by, running on the C2/4. 

I still remember my very first ride on a Metro D, taking one down to PG Plaza on the C2.  How excited I was that this bus had air conditioning like SEPTA (rooftop a/c - I didn't realize that buses had rear a/c back then, even with windows that opened on the bus.)  I remember how disappointed I was when I didn't hear the hum (guess the fans weren't on). 

I remember those DUAL EXHAUST PIPES that were on all of them!

Yeah, they weren't well liked by the DC Crew, but I shall miss them and keep them in my memories.
 


I'm stoked, though, that my favorite Metro Bs (the ones that everyone seems to hate) are still kicking, though!

[Nabinut]

I don't know if anyone touched on this...but why were the Ds retired in lieu of the Bs? Were there maintenance issues or some other reason?

[Tritransit Area]

Wait, let me clarify that there are still Metro Ds running.  They are in the 9800s, and feature the ISM or DD50 hooked up to the Voith transmission.

The word is that the Metro Ds are getting retired before some of the Bs because the Bs that are currently in service were in storage for a few years.  Therefore, they are considered to be in somewhat better shape than the Metro Ds that have been running without a break.

[TransitGuru1981X]

Wait, let me clarify that there are still Metro Ds running.  They are in the 9800s, and feature the ISM or DD50 hooked up to the Voith transmission.

The word is that the Metro Ds are getting retired before some of the Bs because the Bs that are currently in service were in storage for a few years.  Therefore, they are considered to be in somewhat better shape than the Metro Ds that have been running without a break.

Actually, the first 18 of the 9800s (#9801-9818, with the Cummins M11E engine) are retired; only the DD50-powered examples (#9819-9835) remain.

~Ben