Washington DC

[Charley Wingate]

Most of the completed part of Metro is above ground; most of that runs along
side various rail lines.  This may be interesting for railfans, but it means
that hardly any of it is scenic by conventional standards.

The most interesting *and* scenic trip is to take the yellow line from DC
into Alexandria.  Make sure that you are on the right hand (west) side of
the car.  This line pops out of the ground right behind the Jefferson
Memorial, and if you look back at DC as you cross the river you get a good
panorama of the city, crowned with the National Cathedral (which, I might
note, is four miles away from the bridge-- it's *really*big*!).  You pop
back underground immediately on the other side of the river, and then the
blue line comes in from the same side; if you are careful and eat lots of
carrots you can see the junction in the tunnel.  The next station is wierd
because there wasn't enough space to get everything straightened out again,
so it's on two levels.  You go underground for a while and the pop out again
at National Airport, where on the east side you get a good tour of the
airport.  Then you pass Potomac Yards-- ALL of it.  The best views of the
yards can be gotten by getting off at Braddock Road and proceeding as
follows:
   Head east to Henry St.
   North to Bashford La.
   East to Powhatan St.
   Powhatan forks; take to fork labelled "to Slaters La.".
This stretch of road loops around on a hill overlooking the south end of the
yard: you get a good view of the north bound hump.  If you want to see even
more, take the left fork of Powhatan, over the bridge, and head north along
US 1, which parallels the yards up to Crystal City.  This is quite a hike,
though.


The other thing, of course, is to go to Union Station, the second most
impressive public space in DC. (THe first is the National Cathedral.  It
requires a short hike from Metro.  Consult your maps for details.)  A visit
to the parking garage is a must for railfans since it looks straight down on
the station tracks.  Also, the red line between Union Station and Rhode
Island Ave. parallels the station leads; best view is on the way to Rhode I.
since the trip back goes around the wrong side of the Metro yard.

Also, if you go up to Landover on the orange line, you cn see the "100"
speed limit signs on the NE corridor tracks.  My experience, though, is that
this trip isn't very interesting unless you're there when something
high-speed like a Metroliner charges through.

C. WIngate