WMATAC40LF Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 On 1/15/2019 at 3:49 PM, Chris.A said: In DASH bus news, it seems that DASH is looking to retire their 2007 Gillig Phantoms already for some reason. #101 is the last Phantom left in service from the #100-103 batch. Might be a parts thing as those Phantoms are kinda oddballs in an otherwise all Advantage/Orion V fleet. They will also be retiring some of their older Vs. On 1/24/2019 at 2:37 PM, Chris.A said: The DE62LFAs all seem to be assigned to Montgomery depot now whereas most of the XDE60s are now out of Bladensburg. #5450-5452 to Montgomery. All NABI BRT 60 CNGs are currently out of service til further notice (possibly retired now). Northern has been losing its artics because of structural issues at the aging garage (which was originally a Capital Transit carbarn). I can't find a good answer about what's been going on with the NABI artics, but most of the rumors indicate mechanical issues are to blame. They are due to be replaced sometime next year, but I don't believe any have been retired yet. Another item worth noting: some of the MetroExtra scheme Orion VII CNGs are starting to retire, so it would be reasonable to assume that a portion of the new XN40 order will be delivered in the MetroExtra scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 2 hours ago, WMATAC40LF said: They will also be retiring some of their older Vs. Northern has been losing its artics because of structural issues at the aging garage (which was originally a Capital Transit carbarn). I can't find a good answer about what's been going on with the NABI artics, but most of the rumors indicate mechanical issues are to blame. They are due to be replaced sometime next year, but I don't believe any have been retired yet. Another item worth noting: some of the MetroExtra scheme Orion VII CNGs are starting to retire, so it would be reasonable to assume that a portion of the new XN40 order will be delivered in the MetroExtra scheme. Do you know which ones? I was under the impression that FMR would get around 50 2019 XN40s while Bladensburg get the rest. If so, who knows, that might even retire the 2007 C40LFRs that way and keep a few extra 2006 Orion 7s a little while longer for the sake of spare parts. As for the DASH Orion 5s, I'm sure those 2001 buses are done after this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 Metroextra 2005 Orion VII OG CNG #2563 to the scrap list. First blue Orion VII (and first blue metrobus that we know of for that matter) to be retired (outside of the 2002 C40LFs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 All the new PRTC MCIs are now in service. About 30 older D4500CLs are now in the reserve fleet lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 1/27/2019 at 5:08 PM, WMATAC40LF said: They will also be retiring some of their older Vs. Northern has been losing its artics because of structural issues at the aging garage (which was originally a Capital Transit carbarn). I can't find a good answer about what's been going on with the NABI artics, but most of the rumors indicate mechanical issues are to blame. They are due to be replaced sometime next year, but I don't believe any have been retired yet. Another item worth noting: some of the MetroExtra scheme Orion VII CNGs are starting to retire, so it would be reasonable to assume that a portion of the new XN40 order will be delivered in the MetroExtra scheme. I'm being told that the 2019 XN40s are being delivered but are not yet in service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMATAC40LF Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 On 2/4/2019 at 5:14 AM, Chris.A said: I'm being told that the 2019 XN40s are being delivered but are not yet in service. Yes, close to a dozen 3200 series units have been delivered to CET. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vvozz Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 Maybe the name of this topic should be changed to Washington Metro Area Agencies since there are so many Agencies ? But in Ride On news some of the 2004 Orion VII have returned to active service 5920,5923,5928. I had 5928 yesterday and wow it was sweet to drive and hear that Voith transmission again . That whine drives me insane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 7 hours ago, vvozz said: Maybe the name of this topic should be changed to Washington Metro Area Agencies since there are so many Agencies ? But in Ride On news some of the 2004 Orion VII have returned to active service 5920,5923,5928. I had 5928 yesterday and wow it was sweet to drive and hear that Voith transmission again . That whine drives me insane Those are Cummins right? Not DD50G EGRs? In WMATA news, 2010 New Flyer DE42LFA #6580 has been freshly overhauled and repainted out of West Ox depot. Saw it parked in Ballston earlier. It's about time they got to the late modeled ones. They were starting to look bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vvozz Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Chris.A said: Those are Cummins right? Not DD50G EGRs? In WMATA news, 2010 New Flyer DE42LFA #6580 has been freshly overhauled and repainted out of West Ox depot. Saw it parked in Ballston earlier. It's about time they got to the late modeled ones. They were starting to look bad. Yes the Cummings I'm glad they have returned I don't particularly care for the units with the ZF transmission. I wonder what transmission the new NovaBus Artics will come with .. and I wish the county has a similar overhaul program for the buses some of those buses are downright gross on the inside and the outside . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, vvozz said: Yes the Cummings I'm glad they have returned I don't particularly care for the units with the ZF transmission. I wonder what transmission the new NovaBus Artics will come with .. and I wish the county has a similar overhaul program for the buses some of those buses are downright gross on the inside and the outside . Can't remember the last time Ride-On overhauled their buses (if there even was a last time, lol). Anyway, anyone caught any Orion Vs lately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 On 2/5/2019 at 9:04 PM, WMATAC40LF said: Yes, close to a dozen 3200 series units have been delivered to CET. In DASH bus news, spotted 2007 Gillig Phantom # 101 working the AT6 today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Seems like the 2008 NABI BRT 60 CNGs are slowing going back into service. One was reported on the Red line shuttle recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neoplan Rider Studios Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_(Washington,_D.C.)#/media/File:WMATA_2002_Neoplan_AN460A.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_(Washington,_D.C.) and look for Neoplan USA AN460A and AN440A in the fleet roster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, The Neoplan Rider Studios said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_(Washington,_D.C.)#/media/File:WMATA_2002_Neoplan_AN460A.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_(Washington,_D.C.) and look for Neoplan USA AN460A and AN440A in the fleet roster The AN440As didn't seem to last too long at WMATA. They were gone by the mid 1990s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neoplan Rider Studios Posted February 18, 2019 Report Share Posted February 18, 2019 On 2/14/2019 at 12:13 AM, Chris.A said: The AN440As didn't seem to last too long at WMATA. They were gone by the mid 1990s. According to Wikipedia: Washington D.C. In June 1983 76 buses from Neoplan were purchased by the Metro Transit Authority of Washington D.C. for $12.5 million. In 1984 Metro found hairline cracks in 32 Neoplan buses.[10] The cracks were in the undercarriage of the buses, “...in a weld joining a steel frame above the rear axle with a component that helps support the bus suspension system.”[11] On December 23, 1984 a Neoplan bus in operation was destroyed in a fire, caused by a faulty electrical circuit. A National Highway and Traffic Safety (NHTSA) investigation found the fire was due to excessive amerage in a protective circuit breaker and an absence of a cutoff switch.[12] In February 1985 cracks were found in all of the remaining 75 Neoplan buses in service in D.C. These cracks were near the front axles and could have led to loss of steering control. Other cracks were found in steel plates, tubes and welds. This led to Metro halting the service of all Neoplan buses, which mainly served the southeastern Washington D.C. area.[13] Neoplan USA president Robert Lee pledged to repair the buses at the company’s expense, saying it was a minor repair that did not create safety problems. Fairfax County Supervisor Joseph Alexander, a member of the Metro Board, criticized the Neoplan bus purchases back in 1983, stating Neoplan buses were frequently defective and that other transit systems had filed complaints. Neoplan won the bid for Metro because they had underbid General Motors, a competing bus manufacturer, by $275,000.[14] Metro officials were also given tours by Neoplan of their manufacturing facilities and were convinced to buy the buses afterwards. In March 1985, Neoplan followed the recommendations of the NHTSA in 1984 and recalled all 2,000 buses in service nationwide, because of the widespread problem of cracks in the suspension systems and electrical problems. The recall was done by Neoplan to avoid opening an investigation by NHTSA, and Neoplan continued to deny the cracks were safety issues.[15] In May 1985 an agreement was reached for Neoplan to pay for repairs to Metro buses, costing about $1 million. Neoplan was criticized for failing to meet deadlines agreed to with the authority. In a letter dated May 3, 1985 Neoplan stated there “is no safety-related basis for the vehicles currently being held out of service”, saying the actions by Metro were “unreasonable and unjustified.”[16] 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 20, 2019 Report Share Posted February 20, 2019 So it begins, #2647 is the first confirmed 2006 Orion VII OG CNG to be retired from service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 PRTC 2005 Gillig Phantoms #185 and #187 to storage. Also on WMATA, 2 more 2000 Orion Vs to scrap ( numbers unknown). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neoplan Rider Studios Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-man.html http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-mana.html http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-manb.html http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-neoplana.html http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-neoplanb.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Border City Transit Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 10 hours ago, The Neoplan Rider Studios said: http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-neoplana.html http://www.ttmg.org/wmata-neoplanb.html Aw man, those AN-440-A pics are fire! These are far-and-away the best pics I've ever seen of them. Those must be the most forgotten, under-documented alums of WMATA's bus fleet. Right up there with the tiny fleet of 30-foot Gillig Phantoms (5080-5099) that also served Anacostia and environs. I know those Neoplans had a troubled, abbreviated career -- but they sure looked good in the "Class of '83" Metrobus paint scheme. Perfect precursor to the hundreds of Flxible Metros that would start arriving a couple years later... Thanks for the link! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 12 hours ago, Border City Transit said: Aw man, those AN-440-A pics are fire! These are far-and-away the best pics I've ever seen of them. Those must be the most forgotten, under-documented alums of WMATA's bus fleet. Right up there with the tiny fleet of 30-foot Gillig Phantoms (5080-5099) that also served Anacostia and environs. I know those Neoplans had a troubled, abbreviated career -- but they sure looked good in the "Class of '83" Metrobus paint scheme. Perfect precursor to the hundreds of Flxible Metros that would start arriving a couple years later... Thanks for the link! The Orion Vs looked bad in that scheme though lol. Anyways, spotted 4 retired 5000 series cars at the Alexandria Metrorail yard and just across the street from them at the DASH bus depot I spotted (here's a total shocker) no less then 3 ex-Westchester county Bee-Lines Neoplan AN460 artic buses! Why are these buses some far away from New York and at the DASH bus depot of all places? Any thoughts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMATAC40LF Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 On 2/22/2019 at 9:37 PM, Chris.A said: The Orion Vs looked bad in that scheme though lol. Anyways, spotted 4 retired 5000 series cars at the Alexandria Metrorail yard and just across the street from them at the DASH bus depot I spotted (here's a total shocker) no less then 3 ex-Westchester county Bee-Lines Neoplan AN460 artic buses! Why are these buses some far away from New York and at the DASH bus depot of all places? Any thoughts? The AN460s were bought by DASH for shuttle services during upcoming closures on the Yellow and Blue lines due to platform reconstruction. Also, 7100 crashed into a pole, so it will be out of service for a while (if not permanently). They were using 4 5000s for Silver Line tests yesterday, alongside 4 3000s. Attached is a photo of one at Dulles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 26, 2019 Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 Yep #7100 looks like a goner. Won't that be like the 2nd or 3rd WMATA Xcelsior to be written off? On 2/25/2019 at 4:51 PM, WMATAC40LF said: The AN460s were bought by DASH for shuttle services during upcoming closures on the Yellow and Blue lines due to platform reconstruction. Also, 7100 crashed into a pole, so it will be out of service for a while (if not permanently). They were using 4 5000s for Silver Line tests yesterday, alongside 4 3000s. Attached is a photo of one at Dulles. You think DASH will keep them for a while afterwards or just retire them for good? I mean, they just started to use 40 foot buses a few years ago (as did ART), so getting artics in the near future seems to be kind of a stretch (no pun intended lol). Also, are all of #3001-3035 now at Bladensburg? I never see those baby Orion VII OG CNGs anymore @ FMR depot routes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 26, 2019 Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 On 10/13/2018 at 3:47 PM, Border City Transit said: Yep. The document linked in @WMATAC40LF 's post shows the day-by-day breakdowns for the contractor. It appears that Cinder Bed will operate every day. Cinder Bed will be a Metrobus garage not operated by WMATA. It's contracted out to a private vendor... but it will "look" like Metrobus. Hm. Can't find the right emoji for that... This isn't the first time that WMATA has lost service to a private operator... but in the past, those services have visibly changed identity to the riding public. Like, many Fairfax Connector routes used to be WMATA. When WMATA ceased to operate them, they became part of a completely different system with a completely different brand. We'll see... I recognize the cost control issues at WMATA, but I happen to think they run a pretty solid bus operation. I can deal with contracted services on the fringes, but it could get ugly if low-bidders get their claws on major/core routes. The issues at Circulator make that case. The public entity responsible for the route... instead of arguing with unions, they're arguing with lawyers and procurement officers. Any way you slice it, running transit service isn't easy or cheap. And you tend to get what you pay for! You know, I also wondered about that entire route transfer from WMATA to FFC back in the early 2000s. How did Metro manage to operate all that service so far away with the 3 NOVA depots at the time ( FMR, Royal street, and Arlington) being more towards the inner city and 2 of those depots were fairly small, holding 80-100 buses each? I wonder how often lines like the 12s and 14s ran? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.A Posted February 26, 2019 Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 As I type both 2000 Orion V #2140 and 2005 Orion VII OG CNG #2605 are working the 80. I guess Bladensburg got some Orion Vs again. Meanwhile #2616 is on the X9. Lastly Orions #2124, #2177 and CNG #2608 are all on the D6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion6025 Posted February 27, 2019 Report Share Posted February 27, 2019 8 hours ago, Chris.A said: You think DASH will keep them for a while afterwards or just retire them for good? I was informed they may be retained for the AT4X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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