Metro Here And Now flim posted on youtube

Some here may recall me referring to a film WMATA produced shortly after the 1k cars arrived on the property from Rohr.

Well somebody finally post a verson of that film on youtube.

I have been waiting years for this film to be published on the internet.

Metro Here and Now

It appears to be a different cut from the version that was produced and released by WMATA before the first segment opened.

I participated in the production of this film. The seens in the stations were shot over two separate weekends. Rhode Island Avenue on the first, Metro Center on the second. Supplemental lighting was used at Metro Center. The surface entrance escalator seen was shot on a weekday shortly after the Metro Center shoot at Judiciary Square F street entrance. The woman riding up the escalator is Cody Phanstiehl executive secretary.

I appear in the in this version at 4:14 - 4:19, blond kid on left in blue printed T shirt. I also appeared in the preopening version discharging from a train at Metro Center. I was 16 years old at the time.

The preopening version was shown after the presentation Cody Phanstiehl gave prior to the tunnel walk from Judiciary Square to Metro Center.

The Rhode Island Avenue shoot was the first time I road aboard the trains. but not the first time I boarded a metrorail car.


After shooting at Rhode Island Avenue we all boarded the train and made a speed run south hitting top speed of 81 MPH before stopping short of the New York Avenue overpass. The reason why the train stop short of the New York Avenue overpass is because the third rail was not hot south of Brentwood Yard.

Saw the film yesterday from a posting to the GGW blog. Neat look at the very early days of the DC Metro with the old style narration. Was the footage shot before Metro started service on the Red Line in 1976?

"afiggatt"

Saw the film yesterday from a posting to the GGW blog. Neat look at the very early days of the DC Metro with the old style narration. Was the footage shot before Metro started service on the Red Line in 1976?

The film was shot, as I recall, in the spring of 1975 shorty after the first hand full of 1k cars arrived on the property. Track work had not been fully completed in the Farragut North station when the shooting was done in Metro Center. Hell the day of the Metro Center shoot the street above the station at 12th and G street had yet to be restored to their preconstruction condition. I and a friend of mine that was also and extra in the film had to climb over piles of rubble and over unpaved sidewalks behind barricades to get to the 13 Street entrance of Metro Center.

Gas at 54 cents a gallon, and Wheaton to Stadium-Armory in 32 minutes... if only. Today, the official time from the fare tables is 44 minutes. Guess that's progress.

From 6:35 to 7:00, there is a scene showing riders in a Metro car, but the view out the windows looks a little rural (grain elevators? a Burlington Northern boxcar on a siding?) for DC, even the DC of 40 years ago. Do you have any idea where and how this scene was shot? Stock footage composited into the train windows? Riders in the car during delivery (would that even be allowed?) Something else? It's definitely a Metro car, so it's not just stock footage of riders on some other train.

"jkovach"
Gas at 54 cents a gallon, and Wheaton to Stadium-Armory in 32 minutes... if only. Today, the official time from the fare tables is 44 minutes. Guess that's progress.

Many may not remember that the civil speed limit has been reduced throughout the system. Prior to the reduction of the speed limits trains operated at speed above 70 MPH along many segments of the system both on the surface and under ground. In the early years trains ran at speed up to 65 MPH between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

The primary reason why speed have been reduced it to extend the life of the rolling stock.

From 6:35 to 7:00, there is a scene showing riders in a Metro car, but the view out the windows looks a little rural (grain elevators? a Burlington Northern boxcar on a siding?) for DC, even the DC of 40 years ago. Do you have any idea where and how this scene was shot? Stock footage composited into the train windows? Riders in the car during delivery (would that even be allowed?) Something else? It's definitely a Metro car, so it's not just stock footage of riders on some other train.

All of the interior shots with the train in motion were shot between the Rhode Island Avenue station and the New York Avenue overpass. 8:34 - 8:43 was shot in a full size van, the camera was placed between the driver and passenger seats.