4022/4023

If I may say so, describing those lights with old interiors as "not the best" is enough sugarcoating to make lemonade out of lemons. The colors are downright dingy with that kind of lighting. However, I would agree that this lighting under all circumstances would look better on a white interior over the old cream and orange tones. I will admit, my first thought is that I wouldn't like to see a stark white like what was tested in the 4022/4023 and Rohr pairs as I think such cold, bright lights tend to make things n general look too sterile, but the white base might already be bright enough to where the effects of harsh lighting might be negligible.
Also, I can't comment on yellowing lights on the 5000s. I don't seem to see them much in my travels. Is there a similar situation with the rebuilt Bredas, or is this a problem unique to the 5000s?

I want to say to a lesser extent, yes, that the lighting is starting to do that on the older rehabs as well. You can certainly tell when a Breda rehab is fresh from Hornell, though, as it's this bright, cheery light throughout the car.

One thing I hate about most of the 4000's series... the horrible windows....

Oh, my goodness, yes. Whenever I get a 4000 with windows I can't see out of very well, that's when I just sit and think, three more years to rehab... Any idea what's caused those windows to be in such bad shape?

Also, speaking of 4000 series cars and maintenance, has anyone seen a 4000 with orange carpet as of late? It's been at least six months since last I saw a 4000 with orange carpeting. I think they might have replaced the carpet in all the 4000's with the newer carpet, even on the ones that already got new orange carpeting.

"SchuminWeb"
Oh, my goodness, yes. Whenever I get a 4000 with windows I can't see out of very well, that's when I just sit and think, three more years to rehab... Any idea what's caused those windows to be in such bad shape?

The original glazing on the Rohr and Breda cars was Lexan, The brushes in the Brentwood Yard car wash trashed the windows on the cars with Lexan glazing. The properties of the Lexan of that era is also somewhat susceptible UV exposure.

Why did the Rohr's not cloud up like that?

I was on one 4000 series the other day, where the window I was sitting at was almost completely opaque...very frustrating... sometimes I will let a 4000 series train pass, just so I can sit where there are clear windows. The other problem with those windows in that condition, is that when sunlight hits them, it produces an almost blinding glare inside the car....

Why did the Rohr's not cloud up like that?

The Rohrs along with the rehabs and the 5000/6000 series cars use a different window material (safety glass compared to lexan) so you wont notice the clouding up such as the 4k. From what I have read so far, the 4k will go through its rehab around FY 2014 and most likely will switch to the safety glass at that time.

Actually, I think WMATA's replacing the glass on the 4000's sooner rather than later. I was on 4055 about a month ago, and one of the old windows was replaced with new glass from NASG like the Alstoms, and then I was on 4086 this evening, and noticed at least four windows that had similarly been replaced. Whether this is a deliberate glass-replacement program, I don't know, considering that the one side of 4086 had two clear panels and one old, cloudy window.