14-07-26 PHOTOS: Silver Line Opening Day

Yeah so DC Metro's Silver Line opened back in July, but 2000 photos from my latest transcontinental Amtrak trip delayed things a bit so here is a little July In Christmas. My plan was to go to Largo Towne Centre and catch the first through Silver Line train from there to avoid any crowds that might board at West Falls Church. I calculated exactly which train I would need to catch to get to WFC by the noon opening time. Unfortunately things didn't quite work exactly as planned.

Here is the story and you can find all the photos here.

Largo Towne Center was all duded up with Silver Line banners in anticipation of the opening day.

I had parked at NCR and managed to get to Largo with more than little time to spare so I went about taking pictures of the various Metro trains that pulled in, like #2067.

#3291.

 #3208

And #3165.

Unfortunately, the train I anticipated would be the one to take me all the way to Reston had a misinformed operator who bitched at me for taking photos. She then proceeded to get shy when I took her photo.

I also captured the incident on video.



On the other end of that train was #3112, which I had calculated to be the first westbound train over the Silver Line, although the train's own destination sign still read "Orange Line".

The automated departure sign seemed to confirm it however.

Unfortunately, by the time that train got to Addison Rd, someone changed the route to an Orange Line, so I got off and waited a headway capturing this outbound Orange Line train with #5162. Not sure how often Orange Line trains ran on this route.

I waited a headway, but even when that train got to West Falls Church I discovered it had been switched to an Orange routing due to a delay on the Silver Line with the VIP train. Instead of having the eastbound and westbound trains pass, the VIPs would need to get completely off the Silver Line before a westbound could proceed.

Here is a standard Orange Line train at West Falls Church.

Crowds at West Falls Church.

#6168 was the lead car of the last non-Silver Line Largo originating Orange Line train.

VIP Silver Line train clearing the line.

Here is a full HD video taken of the first WB run taken from the lead car, #5162.



#5162 after its inaugural arrival at Reston.

Silver Line goodies being given out.

New Reston station concourse. 

Reston platform with people and cyclists. 

Obligatory shot of "sheltered" 1000 series car #1037.

Fair weather Railfans in the lead car of an inbound Silver Line train.

#3155 back at New Carrolton after a busy day of railfanning.

Of course I took other videos on my extended trip and I put them together into this 7 minute montage. Enjoy!!



Well that's it for this trip. Tune in next time as we head out to Norristown, PA.