Photos of the Month are back following parental leave here at Oren’s Transit Page headquarters!  

Orion VII/CNG 5957

Location: Shady Grove Station, Derwood, MD
Operator of Vehicle: Ride On Montgomery County Transit
Date of Photo: March 20, 2009

To go along with yesterday’s post, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight a bus photo from Shady Grove Station.  Shady Grove is definitely a place for bus fans to camp out during rush hours, as the bus bays on the east side of the station are quite busy.  Back in the days when the Ride On fleet was more diverse than it currently is (at present, the fleet is entirely made up of Gillig low floors with the exception of the NOVABus LFSA fleet for the FLASH service on US 29), this was where one would go with the hope of catching one of the “oddballs” in Ride On’s fleet, such as the Flxible Metro-Ds or Orion VI/CNGs.  The only question was which route the bus you were seeking would show up on.  Outside of peak periods, this terminal can be a bit quiet, as many of the routes that serve it only operate during rush hours, but when it is hopping it is a great place for spotting.

My favorite route out of this terminal is the 90, which goes from Shady Grove to the community of Damascus.  This is a great ride, especially with a leadfooted driver.  For much of the trip, it is hard to believe you are still in Montgomery County!  During the midday hours, the bus continues to Milestone, providing connections to other routes to complete your round trip.  During peak periods, the bus terminates in Damascus so one has to come back the way you came.

For more photos of the Ride On Orion VII/CNGs, please click here.