Riding the Longest Escalators in the Western Hemisphere @ Wheaton WMATA Station - Wheaton, MD 

I grew up across the street from these. I honestly didn't think they were anything special at the time, but always went to DC on the metro with my dad.

“When do we get to the ride?” “This *IS* the ride!” “YIPEE!”

Even thought I wasn’t there,I was sweating to death

No trains were missed in the making of this video

I remember the first time I went up this one, almost didn't (severe acrophobia), but eventually I worked up the courage! Thankfully it used to be pretty dark in the tube back in the day so It just took a lil motivation. If it was packed, then it was a lot easier!

I live there and it's all fun and games until they stop working and u have to walk up those fucking devils 👿👿

Lol I been on these escalators a few times when I was younger but I never knew they were the longest in the western hemisphere

Ah yes, I’ve been here MANY times. They are insanely steep

I hopped on the Bethesda Metro station frequently over a couple years and was stunned when I found out the Wheaton station was even longer. Bethesda has to be in the top 5 or 10.

Great video! Thank you. You're a really good intelligent videographer. Your framing captures what it's actually like to ride this escalator. (That might seem a small thing, but I've been looking for a YT video showing this for three years - no one's done it - until now. With a few years experience you'll be watching YT or TV and repeatedly wonder, 'why the heck they they choose that angle??' ) The best non-drug induced hallucination you can have: Going up if you just stare at the top at people coming down, they will appear as though they are coming down a vertical shaft. (Like they're on their bellies.) That's a neat effect, but if after this locks in (about a third of the way up) you turn and look up your side - you should feel as though you too are traveling vertically (laying on your back). It's really a wonderful hallucination because all of your weight is still on your feet, but this is so normal we don't even think about it - so when you feel like you are 'on your back' you feel weightless - like 'ascending to heaven.' (This is also what we feel when we 'fall asleep,' but I've only been able to remember experiencing this once.) I noticed this on a similar escalator in the London Underground and was so thrilled by it I mentioned it to someone standing next to me. "Oh yeah, everybody knows that." So I figured I'd see it on RU-vid. Nope. (And I'm not sure if anyone in London is even aware of the effect.) Until now I haven't seen any videos that capture it. So well done. In Australia, their Metro's Parliament Station escalator has a problem with elderly people falling backwards - while riding up. Yet in none of the videos of that escalator do they ever shoot video showing what a person having the problem sees. One guy just posted a video where he walks through the station, rides down, walks around the platform, approaches the up side of the escalator - and then he turns around and records it backwards - and then posted it to RU-vid. I can see the effect in your video. I'm in my 60s so I've got 'old people' balance. This is where standing up you close your eyes and lift one leg up. Young people can balance, older people cannot (I guess some the fluid in our inner ear is missing). So we balance visually. (Make sure your grandparents have night lights on in their home.) This might contribute to this effect- as the round escalator tunnel has few vertical/horizontal clues. I never felt dizzy experiencing the effect so maybe it's more a disorientation. I think the Parliament Station escalator problem is that nearing the top the ceiling is giving clues that make you want to lean backwards. On my second go through of going up in your video as 'we ' approached the end I briefly had the thought 'wait, how did I end up on the going down video?' That's it. Watching it again I didn't see it that way. It's just bizarre to me that the Aussies can't solve their problem. (I wrote them a message three years ago. No response. Probably just thought I was a nut. There solution was to put up orange signs all over the station about the problem. ) Wheaton, Maryland just got added to my Must See list.

wonder how many steps it would take to walk up these...longest i've come across is what i've been told is 136 steps long and is a waygood otis with wooden steps (not turned on tho)

Wow, just wow! This is a nice change from the part videos for a little while. Great job with the filming and editing! I’ve been on some long ones in WMATA and felt like I was gonna fall off about halfway up.

I'll be visiting DC in two weeks and will make a stop at Weaton so I can take some photos of the station before I get off at Silver Spring. BTW, isn't the next stop after Weaton the deepest station in the subway system but only have elevator access.

had anxiety watching this LOOL.. I always avoid it !

Ok so going up would be fun but going down would suck! Because I am when I do it in the mall my hands get SOOOOO sweaty and I get so scared so amazing this!!

Porter MBTA station on the red line has the longest in the NE I think

Yeah, the trick with these is to look at your feet or the first few steps in front of you. If you make the mistake of looking up, and you can get a sense of it simply watching this video, your brain thinks you're leaning back and headed straight up, so your body starts to instinctively tilt backwards because you expect gravity to be acting on you.

7k trains are way better than older trains because of all the digital boards and air conditioning that works. The AC thing is important because the DC summers are scorching hot.

I wonder if the Grand Central LIRR escalators are around the same length but I'm not sure.

Wasn't this where they filmed that 80s movie "The Heavenly Kid"?

Westinghouse modular escalators. As I recall they have 5 drive units in each escalator. Vertical rise 115' 5" 35.17m.

Installed circa 1990?

it’s been 3 and a half years since i last rode that and i wish i was able to ride them again

anyone knows why not lifts???

I've been on that one the one in Bethesda the DMV has some of the longest escalators in the world let alone in the Western hemisphere but what gets me is the blind guy going down with no issue cuz I close my eyes when I go down that escalator so I don't fall

Imagine if the escalators stopped working for some reason and the elevators are not working as well (does this station have elevators?) well if you're not in good shape it's going to be tough to do.

Screw waiting, I'd just walk up the escalator Edit: Like that guy at 4:08

So the brand is LONG? Wouldn't you LOVE to see the machine room for those!

so scared of the tube in london even and this is like double that so this is to crazy to even think of

These beat the 5 story TKs at DEN airport. How many stories?

from which floor to which floor？

Dose the one in the middle change directions throughout the day.

Very loooooooooonnnnnnnngg esclators

I timed it with my stopwatch, it’s like 3 minutes to ride that thing, so it’s 6 minutes total if you went up & down it

Did you know Grand Central Madison in New York NYC has one of the longest escalators?

I so wanted to ride these when I was in town but didn't have time... oh well I guess they're not going anywhere

Where is this?

What a thrill 🎵

This is the world's slowest escalator...

Those are cool, but I’m absolutely TERRIFIED of escalators, especially the down ones.

just imagine the escalator malfunctions 😰

DAMN! These escalators are like riding on a mill with all the noise they have! You need to wear earplugs on them!!!

Hudson Yards Kills this!

I went up this thing when I was in New York and it was scary

It's also the station with the slowest elevator

those are stretch escalators.

Those are very long escalators!

Why is this giving me deja vu?

I got on this after smoking a Jay going down I didn't know they was so steep.... I had an whole panic attack I had to sit on the steps down .😫 it was scary Whole heart attack is what these are.... felt like forever going down

Cool. But it needs a dash of oil to quiet it down and speed it up!

Damn, i thought the 7 line at 34th street station in NYC escalator was long.

For once I'm using the "xxx brought me here" trope 'cause he deserves it: Nate Seltzer brought me here.

Mon Dieu, je ne pourrai jamais monter dessus 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

So this is where they shot Heavenly Kid.

Sometimes I walked up for some exercise. Other times I pulled out a book to read.

Again, 7000 series trains are not "really boring". Yeah in your mind they might be less interesting than the older ones but they do not deserve that tag.

* 3 weeks later* (spongebob guy voice)

So long escalators and stairs

Why would they build the station so deep?

What brand are they?

🍀 Oh hellllll no!

I've been there many times

It just needs a massive slide down the middle.

Imagine falling asleep on that

Notice how there is an up escalator instead of stairs in the middle I wonder why. My only thought is because they are so long and nobody should want to take the stairs so they put and escalator instead if

I’m getting a heart attack just looking at it

Reminds me of Moscow metro

Rosslyn’s is a nightmare

Imagine riding it and then it malfunctions

Wouldn’t skydiving be much much quicker

Anyone here after that insta post DC? Lol

The Ireland boys did the mattress slide on those escalators! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lp1bY4s1rZk.html

this is my nightmare

Wow it’s slow as hecc

WHY ARE ESCALATORS KNOWN AS MONSTERS? WHY ARE ESCALATORS SO MASSIVE, AND TALLER THAN THE REGULAR STAIRS?

Easier going down that going up, but that's a horrible sound.

anyone here after afraid dog video???

Came here from Ellen show

That is a long escalator

😭😭😭

This half of the world's biggest escalator just to get is a "wow" yea I need better content outta you Mr. Elevators

Going down isnt as scary

Too slow for a subway

There are some steep ones at t-Mobile arena in Vegas as well