Was the Chrystie St Connector a waste?

Yo Fellow Mount Nicole Climber,

I see you are from the Wash. DC area. How does that subway system stack up against the NYC subway system ? Last time I was in DC and that subway it appeared to be fairly clean.

pennsy wrote:Yo Fellow Mount Nicole Climber,

I see you are from the Wash. DC area. How does that subway system stack up against the NYC subway system ? Last time I was in DC and that subway it appeared to be fairly clean.

The DC Metro (that's what its called: Metrorail, the bus is called Metrobus, both are operated by WMATA) is a wonderful subway system. However, IMO it functions more like a commuter rail than a subway, at least relative to New York. There are only 5 lines, each serving a different suburb, all lines go to downtown DC. The distances between stations is much greater than in New York, which means the trains can go FAST!

In fact, the DC Metro is the second fastest subway system in America next to San Francisco (reaching 80 mph in some stretches). One of the fastest stretches of track in the system is heading inbound between Bethesda and Friendship Heights. Whenever I go downtown I take the Red Line from Grosvenor-Strathemore.

There are 4 types of cars, but there are 7 series of cars. The 4 types are (from oldest to newest):
Rohr
Breda
CAF
Rebabilitated Breda (some original Bredas were rehabbed)

The #1000s series cars are the Rohr. They are probably going to be retired in a few years.
The #2000s series cars are Bredas, but they have all been rehabilitated.
The #3000s series cars are Bredas. Some have been rehabilitated, some have not. However, all #3000s that have not yet been rehabbed are going to be very soon.
The #4000s series cars are also Bredas, the newest order (1991). They are not going to be rehabbed for a while.
The #5000s series cars are the CAFs, the first of which arrived in 2001.

IMO there are significant differences between the cars, though some people disagree. The Rohrs and unrehabbed Bredas are completely different from the CAFs and Rehabbed Bredas. The former cars have old brownish interiors. The latter cars have bright, cream-colored interiors, with interior LED displays that show the line color and the next stop, and which side the doors are going to open on.

If you'd like more information about the WMATA Metrorail, send me an email or private message, or we can continue this discussion in the WMATA Metrorail Forum

Hi Again,

Sounds fascinating. In Los Angeles the Red Line is a true subway, with Japanese MU subway cars. Not too terribly fast, but efficient. And you can eat off the platforms, that clean. Lots of security guards around, and you can be challenged for a ticket from any one of them, and you had best have a valid ticket.

Metrolink is a true commuter RR. The trains run push-pull with Bombardier Bilevels and EMD F-59 PH's and PHI's. Top legal speed is 80 mph, routinely reached and held, and this really drives the fellas in heavy traffic on the 10 Freeway nuts during rush hour. The train runs right down the center of the Freeway at 80 mph, while they are bumper to bumper. You can just hear them swearing under their breaths.

pennsy wrote:Hi Again,

Sounds fascinating. In Los Angeles the Red Line is a true subway, with Japanese MU subway cars. Not too terribly fast, but efficient. And you can eat off the platforms, that clean. Lots of security guards around, and you can be challenged for a ticket from any one of them, and you had best have a valid ticket.

Metrolink is a true commuter RR. The trains run push-pull with Bombardier Bilevels and EMD F-59 PH's and PHI's. Top legal speed is 80 mph, routinely reached and held, and this really drives the fellas in heavy traffic on the 10 Freeway nuts during rush hour. The train runs right down the center of the Freeway at 80 mph, while they are bumper to bumper. You can just hear them swearing under their breaths.

Yes, the LACMTA Red Line is similar to the DC Metro in several ways. Their car design is similar, and the LA cars make the exact same sound as the WMATA Rohr cars.

As for Metrolink, I am jealous because our Commuter Rail sucks. MARC is a joke. I suppose the Baltimore lines are better, but the line closest to me, the Frederick line, is terrible. It runs short trains with infrequent service. In fact, the service is only in one direction (peak direction) at all times, and there is no service on weekends. The VRE is not much better. The VRE and MARC serve their purpose, but they are sorry Commuter Rail systems IMO. I have never been to LA, but Metrolink looks really cool and I will eventually take a ride on it.

Hi,

Looking forward to that day. Let us know when. I'll use my considerable (?) influence to have Nicole join us. She knows how to avoid the Papparazzi.

Hey, Pennsy! How many movie stars have you met in LA? Have you met Nicole Kidman before? Can you find movie stars just walking on the street or shopping in neighborhood stores? I'd like to know!

Hi,

Yes, it is possible to see these celebrities anywhere, and you usually do. When you least expect it, surprise. However, I must mention that Californians are used to seeing these people and do NOT make a fuss over it. I once spent an entire morning with Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger, and had marvelous discussions with him. You can't believe how nice most of them really are. And by the way, I learned that one fast, since up until some time ago, I was told I was a dead ringer for Robert Blake. Had a lot of fun with that one, but was polite. It is fun to just watch people do double takes, walk into each other or act really silly. Never got close to Mount Nicole, but that would probably be interesting.

You lucky duck.

There are some celebrities in New York too. Heck, I was there in May and saw the show Jersey Boys, and who was there but Sarah Jessica Parker! I tried to say hello but she was many rows ahead of me and it was so crowded I couldn't just find her. Damn!

Hi,

For some reason, if you try specifically to speak to a celebrity you probably won't get that chance. It usually happens when it is NOT planned or premeditated.

For the opposite viewpoint; Sammy Davis Jr. was quite a fellow. On Long Island, my origins, there is the Westbury Music Fair, in Westbury. Sammy appeared there many times, and since my family went there all the time, I not only bought season tickets, but tickets to the Inner Circle, and so got preferential treatment, including getting invited backstage to meet the stars. Sammy was fascinating to speak to. He considered himself to be the luckiest man in the world. He said he would do what he does for free since he loved to do it, and the fact that he made really big bucks doing it was incredible. I learned that one really well and found the same results in my professional career. If you love to do what you are paid to do, you will really excel in what you are doing. The opposite is also true.

A friend of mine got to meet Ray Milland, the Actor. He told me that the man was incredible. He could only talk about himself and could only discuss work that he did. Talk about totally self-centered.

pennsy wrote:If you love to do what you are paid to do, you will really excel in what you are doing.

That is SO TRUE!

However, school is the exception. School can rot in H*** yet I get good grades and am smart. I don't love school but I excel.

But for nearly everything else, your statement above is 100% true.

Hi,

Glad to hear that and good luck.

Thought I might also just mention. My wife once worked for Patti Page. Lots of great stories on that one. A really sweet lady, both of them.

I have not yet met any movie actors or actresses. I have met some athletes, and I was lucky enough to meet the singer Vanessa Carlton on vacation a few years ago. She is a wonderful lady, so nice, so friendly, and she has a lot of interesting stuff to say. I liked her so much.

Hi,

Celebrities are just like all of us, except that they are easily recognizable and are well known. Patti Page is actually larger than life, although she isn't even five feet tall. She normally wears glasses with thick lenses, and is a delight to speak to and hear her tall tales. Spent quite some time with her and her hubby. She resides in Oceanside, CA. Believe it or not, she is a grandma. My wife still gets e-mails from her.

Love Train wrote: Sounds like a waste of billions of dollars to me.

Well thats what the MTA does best is waste money or not spend it at all

Isn't the Chrystie St Connector supposed to eventually be part of the 2nd Ave line if its ever built??