Happy New Year & more WMATA stuff

[Robert Paniagua]

Well all WMATA Forum Participants, I just want to let you know that I wish everyone a happy and successful new year.

Not to mention that later this year, on March 27th to be exact, WMATA turns 30!!!! yep, 30 years of revenue running already, can you believe?

Again, Happy new Year...

[Sand Box John]

Well all WMATA Forum Participants, I just want to let you know that I wish everyone a happy and successful new year.

Not to mention that later this year, on March 27th to be exact, WMATA turns 30!!!! yep, 30 years of revenue running already, can you believe?

Dam, its been that long, seem only like only yesterday that I made the pilgrimage to catch a train 25 year to the day out of Rhode Island Avenue.

For those that don’t yet know 03 27 2006 fall on a Monday. Gee I might take the day off and make the 30th anniversary pilgrimage and do the whole system in one day, something that I never done even as far back as 07 01 1977.

Again, Happy new Year...

Happy new year and enjoy your ride on what I consider a fascinating engineering achievement.

[Robert Paniagua]

Thanks! And Welcome aboard to our Forums.

You were at Nat'l Airport on Day 1 too? I remember seeing the Jul 1, 1977 opening date in the history too. However, I wasn't there though, I was only 1.

[Sand Box John]

Thanks! And Welcome aboard to our Forums.

Been lurking for some time now.

You were at Nat'l Airport on Day 1 too? I remember seeing the Jul 1, 1977 opening date in the history too. However, I wasn't there though, I was only 1.

Yes I was there too. I have attended all of the segment openings.

Let me introduce myself. The following is an edited and updated version of an introduction I posted at Monumentalcity.net btco.net Forums DC Doings

My name is John R Cambron, Age 47. The handle “Sand Box John” is derived from the fact that I live on the Maryland eastern shore where the primary component of the soil is sand. How I ended up on the eastern shore is a two part story. The first part has to do with line of work I am in and the other has to do with Hurricane Isabel.

I am a contract courier I transport mail and proof (checks) from bank branches of a mid Atlantic regional bank to Baltimore daily as well as other stuff along the way. On the return trip home I deliver transmission parts. (255,000 mile on a 2003 Ford Focus ZX3) Past vocations that I have done for a living were framing carpenter, trim carpenter, cabinet maker, offset printing press operator and cook.

Before moving to Hebron Maryland I owned a house in North Beach Maryland, Hurricane Isabel flooded that house. Rather the trying to rebuild the flood damaged house I sold the property as is for profit and pocked the insurance money and purchased the “New Shack” as seen in the avatar.

I the 1980s I lived in Collage Park, during 1969 most of the 1970s I lived in Dupont Circle area of Washington DC. I am originally From Kansas City Missouri.

I am interested mostly in heavy rail transit, more specifically the design engineering construction and operational aspect of heavy rail transit facilities. Shortly after WMATA took possession of the assets of DC Transit WMATA held an open house at Judiciary Square for the employees of the newly created metrobus. This is where I met Cody Pfanstiehl. During the early 1970s I assisted Cody Pfanstiehl as an unpaid volunteer conducting tours of various metrorail construction sites. I have walked roughly half of the system that is in subway during its construction.

Most of you probably didn’t know that WMATA produced a promotional film titled “Metro Here and Now”, it was produced in 1975 I appeared in that film as an extra. This was also my first time riding aboard a WMATA train more then a year before the system opened. It also happens to be the one and only time I have ever ridden aboard a WMATA train that traveled at a speed greater then 80 MPH. At the end of the days shooting at Rhode Island Avenue the entire crew climbed aboard a two car train and departed south towards Union Station. Shortly after passing signal B99 46 at the bottom hill adjacent to Brentwood Yard the train hit a top speed of 81 MPH. This was not the only time I road aboard trains before the system opened.

A number of time during the late 1970s and early 1980s I got the opportunity to operate a WMATA train in both automatic and manual mode. I have also been in three of WMATAs maintains faculties Brentwood in the 1970s before the system opened, Greenbelt several time last time being two years ago and Branch Avenue last spring. I will note the getting in to the Greenbelt and Branch Avenue faculties was not that big of a deal as WMATA opens these faculties to the public when they hold the annual rail Rodeo each spring. Rather fun riding a train around the turning loop in Greenbelt Yard.

Happy new year and enjoy your ride on what I consider a fascinating engineering achievement.

[Robert Paniagua]

Thanks for the update, and I dodn't know you drove some WMATA equipment. I used to live in Germantown, Montgomery County (MD) from June 1986 till June 1987, in which time I got to experience WMATA. It was mostly the Red Line out of Shady Grove till Silver Spring when it was the last stop at the time. I was also 10 going on 11 years old then, now I'm 30 as I mentioned.

I now live just outside of Boston in the Southeastern Suburbs, which we also have a subway system of our own better known as the T (it's actual acronym is MBTA). It's FAR older than WMATA, in fact, the trolley portion opened in 1897 (Green Line), the Red Line opened in 1912, the Orange Line opened in 1901, and the Blue Line opened in 1940.

[Sand Box John]

I have never been a paid employee of WMATA. Back in the1970s and early 1980s security was nothing like it is today. In those days it was not uncommon for friendly operators to run trains with the cab doors ajar. I became friends with a number of operators station managers and supervisors that have long since retired. I asked one of the operators if he would allow me to relay the train into the tail tracks at DuPont Circle when it was still the terminal station. He happily invited me to have a seat. The first time I did it all it involved was a simple push of the start button. The second time I asked and was allowed to do in manual mode. He knew I would have no trouble properly moving the controller handle forward to the correct position to move through crossover at the correct speed and stop the six car train at the proper stopping mark in the tail track.

This was not the first time I had handle time at the controls of railroad equipment. I have operated a PRR GG1 and MP54. Funny thing is I have never operated a diesel electric locomotive.

[Robert Paniagua]

I have never been a paid employee of WMATA. Back in the1970s and early 1980s security was nothing like it is today. In those days it was not uncommon for friendly operators to run trains with the cab doors ajar. I became friends with a number of operators station managers and supervisors that have long since retired.

Ok, I see now. It was just a little cab ride just for fun. Uphere in the MBTA, the Red/Orange Line motorpersonnel would ride with their cab door open back in those days.

I asked one of the operators if he would allow me to relay the train into the tail tracks at DuPont Circle when it was still the terminal station. He happily invited me to have a seat. The first time I did it all it involved was a simple push of the start button. The second time I asked and was allowed to do in manual mode. He knew I would have no trouble properly moving the controller handle forward to the correct position to move through crossover at the correct speed and stop the six car train at the proper stopping mark in the tail track.

Wow, that must have been fun, I never got to do that there or uphere in Boston, but that will never happen after 11SEP01, Madrid & London x2. But I would be really boasting and gloating myself if I had the chance of ever getting a cab ride on the T system.

[Sand Box John]

WMATAs tightening of security started long before the events of September of 2001. As the system grew and the operational staff became larger in the late 1980s the operational atmosphere became less family oriented. There are a few kind soles left within WMATA that will come within inches of violating security protocols to accommodate the curiosity and interest of those that ask. As an example I and a friend of mine were out at Greenbelt last month loitering on the platform waiting for a set the 6000 series cars to come out of the yard to start their testing session. We had planed to get pictures of the new cars at the platform as they passed through the station. We were conversing with a regular service operator and the subject of the new cars came up and why they had not yet come out. He was kind enough to call the crew room at Greenbelt Yard where some one confirmed that the cars were not coming out that day. We also learned why. It was because the safety folks did not approve of the way load test ballast was secured in the cars.

Here is a link to some pictures I took of the 6000 series Alstom cars I took during a test session on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

[Robert Paniagua]

WMATAs tightening of security started long before the events of September of 2001. As the system grew and the operational staff became larger in the late 1980s the operational atmosphere became less family oriented. There are a few kind soles left within WMATA that will come within inches of violating security protocols to accommodate the curiosity and interest of those that ask.

Yeah, I've seen it myself when I was living in the area in 1986/7, they had super enforcement of the passenger code of conduct, especially with eating and drinking, but nowadays after 4 years ago, it seems the security force is more concened with terrorism let alone railfanning.

As an example I and a friend of mine were out at Greenbelt last month loitering on the platform waiting for a set the 6000 series cars to come out of the yard to start their testing session. We had planed to get pictures of the new cars at the platform as they passed through the station.

I was at Greenbelt myself also 27 days after 11SEP01 when I was taking another innocent picture of the tail trackage north of the station when I was pulled over and held for up to an hour just for taking that picture, so I guess Greenblet is a stop I may wanna avoid next time (although I went back there agin in April 2002 and there was no cop around.

My favourite stop is Shady Grove over in the Red Line, I've taken pics there, but luckily wasn't pulled over.

[Sand Box John]

Had a similar incident happen to me when taking pictures of the railroad equipment around the Tysons Food feed mill in Snow Hill Maryland with an employ of Tysons Food. No law was enforcement involved.

No need to worry about photographic restriction with WMATA because there are none on the casual taking of pictures regardless of what some people might say otherwise.

http://new.forums-wmata.com/shwmessage. ... sageID=844

[Robert Paniagua]

Metro has regulations regarding photography, but the regs don't cover the type of photography you described. It is unlawful to take photos on Pentagon property and Pentagon Police do enforce that regulation at our station. Post-9/11 law enforcement officers nationwide do contact people who are taking photos to determine if this is a suspicious activity. Bottom line is that visitors/tourists who want to take some snapshots in our system are welcome to do so.

Oh wow, I see now, so what I did at Greenbelt 4 years ago when I got pulled over was fine. But they were just playing it safe, that's what they told me.

So I can do it everywhere that's at surface (open air), as long as we don't do it in Pentagon Boundaries (which besides I don't do anyways and it's also underground). But otherwise, now that's it's been four years since post WTC, now I may take surface pictures of WMATA and NYCTA including my MBTA/MBCR system.

[Sand Box John]

Speaking about WMATA only, One can take picture of metrorail anywhere, be it on the surface in the station or a view from adjacent property or in subway stations entrances, passageways, mezzanines and platforms.

I don’t know where the photo restriction demarcation line is within the Pentagon station is, from what I have heard the restriction are only in the in the area of the faregates, the entrances and connecting passageways. A couple of years a go I took some pictures on the lower level with out being questioned.

Changing the subject a little bit, here is some WMATA metrorail stuff that might interest you, comments and questions welcomed;

New York Avenue (B35) Metrorail B Route Red line Photo Gallery New York Avenue station 12 06 2003
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... rk_ave.htm
New York Avenue (B35) Metrorail B Route Red line Photo Gallery New York Avenue station 11 11 2004.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 1-2004.htm
New York Avenue (B35) Metrorail B Route Red line Photo Gallery New York Avenue station 11 20 2004.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 0-2004.htm
Metrorail G Route Blue line Photo Gallery 12 06 2003
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... -route.htm
Metrorail G Route Blue line Photo Gallery 11 11 2004.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 1-2004.htm
Metrorail G Route Blue line Photo Gallery 11 20 2004
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 0-2004.htm
G Route Blue Line 12 18 2004
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 8-2004.htm
Mountain "Mark's" Truncated WMATA Rohr Roll Sign.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... /index.htm
New Carrollton Yard (D99) Metrorail D Route Orange line Photo Gallery
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... /d99-g.htm
Greenbelt Yard (E99) Metrorail E Route Green line Photo Gallery
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... /e99-g.htm
Branch Avenue Yard (E99) Metrorail F Route Green line Photo Gallery.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 99/f99.htm
106 Mile Area Regional System Track Schematic.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... ic_ars.gif
127 Mile Area Regional System Track Schematic, Route configuration based on 'Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement' dated 06 2002.
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... extlpa.gif
Description of WMATA metrorail N Route Silver Line
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... -route.htm
An oldie at DuPont Circle (that me on the right)
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... 27-75c.jpg

Some other miscellaneous WMATA stuff can be found at the bottom of
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/

[Robert Paniagua]

Wow, those are nice photos I just saw, including the new Blue Line extension.

[walt]

Time does fly doesn't it? Seems like just yesterday that I took a walking tour of the Red Line tunnel between Judiciary Square and Metro Center hosted by a WMATA employee.

[Sand Box John]

Quote "Robert Paniagua"
Wow, those are nice photos I just saw, including the new Blue Line extension.

The construction pictures or the opening day stuff? I took a lot of pictures of the G Route Blue line extension both during construction and after opening I would have gotten more had I had the memory sticks I have now. I also got some construction stuff of the Southern Green line F route as well as opening day pictures.

The G Route Blue line extension is unique in that it has its tail tracks underground, to top it off these tail tracks are configured to allow light servicing work to be done on the cars. You did notice the unused turnouts just outside of the tail track portals to allow for future extension?

As you can see the presentation is not all that consistent. It was quick and dirty as I published most of the images the same day I took them. I am in the process of reorganize all of my WMATA content both published and unpublished and fitting it in to my new page templates.