WMATA Washington

[Orion6025]

18 hours ago, Chris.A said:

Orion V #2107 is back on the roster. Storage to Bladensburg. 35 Orion Vs active.

What depots are still running Orion 5s anyway? I know Landover for sure and of course you just mentioned Bladensburg..

[Chris.A]

1 hour ago, Orion6025 said:

What depots are still running Orion 5s anyway? I know Landover for sure and of course you just mentioned Bladensburg..

As far as I know, just those 2 garages. Sheppard's Parkway and Montgomery transferred their V's to Bladensburg and Landover. BTW, Landover still have 3 1997 Orion Vs left at their depot (#4271 being among them). 

[Chris.A]

On 4/18/2019 at 12:15 PM, WMATAC40LF said:

Believe me, those things breaking down is nothing new! I think its too early to judge whether the decision to outsource was a bad idea in this case (although I do remain sort of skeptical).

So, the LFA series is prone to breakdowns? I know they are prone to smoking lol (so much for clean air buses...).

[WMATAC40LF]

On 6/6/2019 at 9:00 PM, Chris.A said:

Andrew's Airforce depot is suppose to be opening this summer, so I guess many of Northern's lines will go there. Kinda like how Cinder Bed got many of the former Royal street depot's (and Sheppard's Parkways VA routes) lines when opened.

Andrew's was intended to replace the Southern Annex facility. I suspect that Montgomery will fill in for many of Northern's routes.

On 6/10/2019 at 9:58 PM, Chris.A said:

2019 XN40s numbers #3240-3250 are all in service out of Bladensburg. Question is, will there be any blue buses in this batch of CNGs? We haven't had new blue buses since 2011 and we only have 24 more units to go before the end of this order and as it stands, most of the blue Orion VII OG CNGs are still active.

We'll have to see if new Metro Extra buses arrive. Perhaps they'll wait until next year. 

On 6/11/2019 at 8:40 AM, Chris.A said:

2018 XDE60 #5486 was reported working the 11Y line yesterday afternoon.

They've been running the new XDE60s on the 11Y for the past couple of weeks because of the Metro shutdown.

 

[Chris.A]

3 hours ago, WMATAC40LF said:

Andrew's was intended to replace the Southern Annex facility. I suspect that Montgomery will fill in for many of Northern's routes.

We'll have to see if new Metro Extra buses arrive. Perhaps they'll wait until next year. 

They've been running the new XDE60s on the 11Y for the past couple of weeks because of the Metro shutdown.

 

So Four Mile Run does the Morning and afternoon runs on the 11Y while the midday runs go to Sheppard's parkway? Also, I'm surprised the didn't give the 11Y to Cinder Bed.

[Scrabbleship]

On 5/29/2019 at 11:45 AM, Buzz2kb said:

My long-awaited retro post on WMATA is finally here!  Compared to other mega agencies like NYC MTA, SEPTA and LACMTA, WMATA always had a more diverse fleet until the recent influx of various New Flyer Xcelsior's.  Back in my 2008 stay at its operating area for an academic rotation, it still operated a dwindling fleet of Flixible Metro buses at up to 18 years old, as exemplified by 1990 bus 9395 on a Virginia service.  They were followed by mostly identical 1993-94 buses in the 9700 and low 9800 series like buses 9775 and 9818 (They were Cummins-powered buses like the 9300's, except that they feature roof-mounted HVAC pods).  WMATA's final Flixible Metro's were Detroit Diesel-powered 1995 buses in the 4000-series like bus 4041 on a Maryland service.  The 4000's lacked roof-mounted HVAC pods.

Just after the delivery of the 1990 Flixible Metro's, WMATA introduced its first BIA/OBI Orion V 40ft. buses like 1992 BIA bus 9618 on a Maryland service.  The 9600's were followed by 1997-1998 buses like 4217, 4336 and 4412.  At the same time, 30ft. buses in te 3900 series like bus 3921 were also delivered.  The 2100's and 2200's were WMATA's final Orion V's new in 2000, and members of this batch like buses 2117 and 2203 are still hanging on at an ripe old age of 19 years old.  All other Orion V's were since removed from WMATA inventory.

WMATA's relationship with Orion definitely went beyond the Orion V's, as it had 100 Orion VI's like buses 2053 and 2071 delivered at the same time as the 2100's and 2200's.  In the end, the agency's first low-floor heavy-duty buses were outlived by their high-floor compatriots due to being unusually prone to fires.  Meanwhile, WMATA also operated 42 of the Orion II 26ft. low-floor buses like bus 3721.

Articulated buses back in that period were represented by 1995 American Ikarus 436's like bus 5209 and 2002 Neoplan USA AN460's like bus 5310.

The 2001-02 New Flyer C40LF's were the buses that initiated WMATA's long association with the manufacturer which lasts up to this day.  These 164 uses were represented by 2001 buses 2300 (The first of all) and 2322, as well as 2002 bus 2415.

The Orion VII OG CNG buses from 2005-06 are the oldest low-floor buses still active with WMATA by now.  The early 2500's among the 40ft. buses were wrapped in a promotional livery brandishing their green credential, as illustrated by bus 2503.  Meanwhile, bus 2582 from the same 2005 batch featured normal fleet livery, and bus 2607 was branded for route 38B, a flagship Virginia service.  2006 bus 2668 was branded for the flagship Pike Ride corridor along the Columbia Pike in Virginia, and 2676 from the same batch was branded for the Richmond Highway Express (REX) service in Virginia as well.  Finally, sister bus 2702 featured regular livery like bus 2582.  In fact, all 40ft. Orion VII's were delivered new as Virginia buses (Some moved on to the DC later in their careers as interim C40LF replacements).  The 2006 Orion VII delivery also featured 30ft. variants in the low 3000-series split between Virginia and the DC, as exemplified by  DC bus 3020 and Virginia bus 3033.

Subsequent New Flyer LF's/LFR's were represented here by 2007 C40LFR bus 2825 (WMATA's last-ever LFR-series bus), DE40LF buses 6021 and 6039 (WMATA's last-ever LF-series bus), DE40LFR buses 6040 and 6042; plus D40LFR buses 6176 and 6205.  The 6000's through the 6200's were new in 2006 and were all assigned to Maryland duties when new, while te 2800's were always based in the DC.

Finally, WMATA also introduced New Flyer DE42LFA's like 2008-09 buses 6396 and 6400.  They were the only LFA's from WMATA I've ever pictured, and they were new as Virginia buses.

Here is my WMATA Metrobus gallery:

WMATA Metrobus

I lived in and around DC from 2008 to 2012 and this post brought back so many memories of a period where Metro put all its attention on the bus end, often putting the cart before the horse in terms of planning. The debacles with the unpictured NABI 60-BRT's (bought for the X2 but exiled on other Bladensburg routes due to H St NE being redone) and the LFA's (delivered with illegal in MD/VA wheel covers) were typical for the time.

I'm thinking of going back down in September and I'm wondering what is really worth bus fanning. I know the O7's are dead buses walking but will the 2006 Flyer Grabbag for the Maryland divisions meet a similar fate? Lots of good memories with those from my time living inside the territory of Montgomery Division. 

[WMATAC40LF]

2 hours ago, Scrabbleship said:

I lived in and around DC from 2008 to 2012 and this post brought back so many memories of a period where Metro put all its attention on the bus end, often putting the cart before the horse in terms of planning. The debacles with the unpictured NABI 60-BRT's (bought for the X2 but exiled on other Bladensburg routes due to H St NE being redone) and the LFA's (delivered with illegal in MD/VA wheel covers) were typical for the time.

I'm thinking of going back down in September and I'm wondering what is really worth bus fanning. I know the O7's are dead buses walking but will the 2006 Flyer Grabbag for the Maryland divisions meet a similar fate? Lots of good memories with those from my time living inside the territory of Montgomery Division. 

There are still a small number of 2000 Orion Vs around. The new XD40s aren't supposed to enter service until late summer or early fall (these will probably spell the end of the Vs). There are still some 2006 Orion VII CNGs around, just not too many. The 2005 DE40LF and 2006 DE40LFRs shouldn't be replaced till next year at the earliest. 

[Chris.A]

8 hours ago, WMATAC40LF said:

There are still a small number of 2000 Orion Vs around. The new XD40s aren't supposed to enter service until late summer or early fall (these will probably spell the end of the Vs). There are still some 2006 Orion VII CNGs around, just not too many. The 2005 DE40LF and 2006 DE40LFRs shouldn't be replaced till next year at the earliest. 

There's around 80-90 Orion VII CNGs left in general. I can see the 2005-2006 New Flyer hybrids retiring by next year as well.

 

10 hours ago, Scrabbleship said:

I lived in and around DC from 2008 to 2012 and this post brought back so many memories of a period where Metro put all its attention on the bus end, often putting the cart before the horse in terms of planning. The debacles with the unpictured NABI 60-BRT's (bought for the X2 but exiled on other Bladensburg routes due to H St NE being redone) and the LFA's (delivered with illegal in MD/VA wheel covers) were typical for the time.

I'm thinking of going back down in September and I'm wondering what is really worth bus fanning. I know the O7's are dead buses walking but will the 2006 Flyer Grabbag for the Maryland divisions meet a similar fate? Lots of good memories with those from my time living inside the territory of Montgomery Division. 

So that's why they removed them from the BRT 60s and older LFA hybrids ( the 2010 DE42LFAs never had them IIRC)?

[Scrabbleship]

22 hours ago, Chris.A said:

So that's why they removed them from the BRT 60s and older LFA hybrids ( the 2010 DE42LFAs never had them IIRC)?

Correct. They lasted a bit on the 60 BRT's as Maryland let it slide when they were on the C8 but they were off by the time they were doing 5A/B30 holiday trippers and were a regular sight on the R2. I only think 6300 had them for LFA's and that was before it went into revenue service. 

The wheel covers weren't the only "only legal in DC" thing John Catoe lept on. The infamous "Knight Rider" pedestrian warning lights that some O5's out of Northern/Western and C40LF's out of Bladensburg had were illegal in MD/VA too.

[Chris.A]

1 hour ago, Scrabbleship said:

Correct. They lasted a bit on the 60 BRT's as Maryland let it slide when they were on the C8 but they were off by the time they were doing 5A/B30 holiday trippers and were a regular sight on the R2. I only think 6300 had them for LFA's and that was before it went into revenue service. 

The wheel covers weren't the only "only legal in DC" thing John Catoe lept on. The infamous "Knight Rider" pedestrian warning lights that some O5's out of Northern/Western and C40LF's out of Bladensburg had were illegal in MD/VA too.

Must had been an issue back in the late 2000's for the Orion VII OG CNGs, XN40s, XDE40s, D40LFRs, and just about everything else now has them. And fyi, #6301-6461, #5431-5452, and #3751-3770 were the LFAs that had them.

[Chris.A]

On 6/19/2019 at 12:43 PM, WMATAC40LF said:

There are still a small number of 2000 Orion Vs around. The new XD40s aren't supposed to enter service until late summer or early fall (these will probably spell the end of the Vs). There are still some 2006 Orion VII CNGs around, just not too many. The 2005 DE40LF and 2006 DE40LFRs shouldn't be replaced till next year at the earliest. 

Another Orion V has returned to service, but I'm not sure which one. 36 units are now active. Also, #2528 and #2603 are officially  retired. All 2005 Orion VII OG CNGs have withdrawn from Metrobus service. Moreover, #2619-2625, #2630-2635, and #2637 are all retired as well from the 2006 batch. Lastly and this is a surprise, New Flyer DE37LFAs #3754-3756 were transferred from West Ox to Sheppard's Parkway. Along with them are XDE40s #7172 and #7175-7179, also to Sheppard's Parkway. Meanwhile, DE42LFAs #6581-6590 are back to West Ox from Sheppard's parkway.

Also, FMR's lowest XN40 is #2923 and Bladensburg's newest XN40 is #3264 IIRC.

[Chris.A]

Just found this out moments ago, but apparently, some of the 2007 New Flyer C40LFRs are going to be heading over to VA. Four Mile Run depot is slated to get #2817-2825 (the local buses) this weekend (they might already be there) since Bladensburg will be losing a few routes to Landover (and by extension Andrew's) after Northern closes this evening. Guess that means a few more 2006 Orion VII OG CNGs are about to bite the dust. 

[Chris.A]

On 6/20/2019 at 7:50 PM, Scrabbleship said:

Correct. They lasted a bit on the 60 BRT's as Maryland let it slide when they were on the C8 but they were off by the time they were doing 5A/B30 holiday trippers and were a regular sight on the R2. I only think 6300 had them for LFA's and that was before it went into revenue service. 

The wheel covers weren't the only "only legal in DC" thing John Catoe lept on. The infamous "Knight Rider" pedestrian warning lights that some O5's out of Northern/Western and C40LF's out of Bladensburg had were illegal in MD/VA too.

Here's a preview of Andrew's new fleet of buses:

-2000 Orion Vs :#2172, 2176-2177, 2190, 2193-2194, 2196-2197, 2200, and 2227 (btw, the Orion V fleet is now at 37 buses). (10)

-2009-2010 New Flyer DE42LFAs: #6473-6491, #6528-6538.(30)

-2011 New Flyer XDE40s #7093-7100? (not sure if #7100 is repaired from it's accident or not) (8)

-2012-2013 New Flyer XDE40s #7168-7179, 7203-7235. (45)

93 Buses assigned to Andrew's Airforce Base depot.

[Orion6025]

2 hours ago, Chris.A said:

-2000 Orion Vs :#2172, 2176-2177, 2190, 2193-2194, 2196-2197, 2200, and 2227 (btw, the Orion V fleet is now at 37 buses). (10)

Where exactly are the Orion 5s housed now.. All these moves are causing my head to spin......

[Chris.A]

14 hours ago, Orion6025 said:

Where exactly are the Orion 5s housed now.. All these moves are causing my head to spin......

They keep swapping these buses around. They did the same thing with the 1997 Orion Vs just before they got retired 2-3 years ago. Landover, Andrew's Airforce, Bladensburg, and Sheppard's parkway.

[Chris.A]

This is not by me, but apparently, DASH bus put 1999 Orion V #68 on the Subway shuttle over the weekend yesterday! I was super shocker to hear that! This is some crazy awesome times!

[Chris.A]

Also DE42LFA #6374 and XN40 #2938 are working the REX and MWs respectively for some reason. #2916 is the lowest XN40 at FMR while #2915 and #2921 both remain at Bladensburg.

18 hours ago, Orion6025 said:

Where exactly are the Orion 5s housed now.. All these moves are causing my head to spin...…

Those are the 4 depots that have Orion Vs.

[Chris.A]

REX 2009 DE42LFA #6302 was being towed to the Manassas Cummins shop. Saw it heading west on 234 while driving home from work. Also, 2007 C40LFR #2822 was on the 8Z earlier this afternoon.

[Gequanne Cabey]

I caught the Wmata xe40 1001 electric bus charging at Western bus division

[Chris.A]

Drove by Four Mile Run depot a few hours ago and saw a few #2700 series Orion VII OG CNGs with their tank covers opened. Not a good sign. Also in the depot, #3028 and a couple other #3000's parked in the entrance area. No sign of the C40LFRs yet however.

 

Also saw DASH bus 2001 Orion V #73 broken down while working the AT5 with a DASH bus maintenance truck parked behind it. Those 2001s must be near the end of the line (unlike their WMATA counterparts it seems..).

[Chris.A]

#2817-2821 are back at Bladensburg, #2822-2825 remain at FMR. That was fast. DE37LFA #3756-3757 return to Sheppard's Parkway depot. #6580 is back at West Ox.

[Chris.A]

Spotted a black, unknown Orion VII OG diesel parked at the PRTC bus depot/ transit center. Anyone knows who owns it?

[Chris.A]

On 6/20/2019 at 7:50 PM, Scrabbleship said:

Correct. They lasted a bit on the 60 BRT's as Maryland let it slide when they were on the C8 but they were off by the time they were doing 5A/B30 holiday trippers and were a regular sight on the R2. I only think 6300 had them for LFA's and that was before it went into revenue service. 

The wheel covers weren't the only "only legal in DC" thing John Catoe lept on. The infamous "Knight Rider" pedestrian warning lights that some O5's out of Northern/Western and C40LF's out of Bladensburg had were illegal in MD/VA too.

Spotted a 2007 C40LFR at Pentagon the other day. Not sure which unit though.

[Orion6025]

On 6/27/2019 at 4:37 AM, Chris.A said:

Spotted a black, unknown Orion VII OG diesel parked at the PRTC bus depot/ transit center. Anyone knows who owns it?

Could be ex-PART

[Chris.A]

18 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

Could be ex-PART

Which system is that?