Training Exercise

by Mike Sylvia and Craig Kasper

ANSWER: METROPOLITANIZED / WEST FALLS CHURCH VT

Following the instructions under original history conditions produces the answer METROPOLITANIZED.

The supplementary information from 1952 reveals that in the alternate history, the Metro lines were recolored. Following the instructions under alternate history conditions produces the phrase FOUR WORDS NEAR UVA, which clues the answer WEST FALLS CHURCH VT.

Original history:

On the red line, Alewife is connected to Glenmont and Braintree is connected to Shady Grove.
On the orange line, Forest Hills is connected to New Carrollton and Oak Grove is connected to Vienna/Fairfax-GMU.
On the green line, Lechmere is connected to Branch Ave and Riverside is connected to Greenbelt.
On the blue line, Bowdoin is connected to Franconia-Springfield and Wonderland is connected to Largo Town Center.
On the yellow line, Fort Totten is connected to Huntington.

Begin, of course, at Kendall/MIT. Ride towards Alewife. Pass two transfer stations.

These are Fort Totten and Gallery Pl-Chinatown.
Transfer to the Blue Line at the first opportunity. Note the first letter of this transfer station. When your train leaves the station, the first station you pass through should have exactly one initial letter in common with the station you just left.

This transfer occurs at Metro Center; note an M. The next station you pass through is McPherson Sq.
At the first station where you can transfer to another line, remain on the Blue Line. At the next station where you can transfer, change to another line, traveling in a direction such that the next station would offer an opportunity to transfer to the Green Line. Note the first letter which appears immediately before a consonant in the color of the line you are now riding on.

The first transfer station you skip is Rosslyn. The transfer occurs at Pentagon, onto the yellow line, headed toward L'Enfant Plaza. Note an E.
At the next station where you have the opportunity to transfer, observe the colors of the lines that station serves, including the one on which you're currently riding. Develop a sudden strong distaste for them all. Take the next opportunity you have to transfer to any line of a color different from the colors of all of these lines. Note the sixth letter in the longest word in the name of the station where this transfer occurs. After transferring, travel toward the adjacent station that is the later of two alphabetically. Get over your color distaste just as suddenly as you developed it - you have a puzzle to complete.

L'Enfant Plaza serves all the lines but Red. Transfer to the red at Gallery Pl-Chinatown. Note a T. Head toward Metro Center.
At the next station where trains on exactly three lines, one of which is the Blue Line, can be boarded, board the Blue Line. Travel on the Blue Line in the direction of the adjacent station with the shortest name. Note the first letter that is doubled at the first station whose name contains one or more pairs of doubled letters.

Change to the blue line at Metro Center, going toward McPherson Sq. Note an R at Farragut West.
Whoops! The Blue Line wasn't what you wanted. Get off and board the Blue Line train heading in the opposite direction. When you get back to the three-line station where you most recently changed lines, switch to the line you neither boarded nor left in the previous step. On this new line, look ahead in both directions to find the nearest station that ends with a shape (or an abbreviation thereof). Of these two stations, travel in the direction of the station whose shape has fewer corners. Take that, Hounds of Tindalos!

Change to the orange at Metro Center. The shapes are at McPherson Sq and Federal Triangle, so head toward Federal Triangle.
Continue traveling until you teleport. After teleporting, transfer at the third station where a transfer to a different line is available if and only if that station's name ends with a letter in the first half of the alphabet. If you transfer, travel in the direction of the adjacent station whose name is alphabetically earliest. Keep traveling on this line until you teleport, noting the first letter of the name of the last station you travel through before you teleport.

Teleport from New Carrollton to Forest Hills. Transfer stations are Downtown Crossing, State, and Haymarket. Neither Haymarket nor Back Bay ends in a letter in the first half of the alphabet, so stay on the orange, teleporting from Oak Grove to Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, and note an O.
At the first station where you can transfer, make one of the following transfers, if it is possible to do so. If none of these transfers is possible, remain on your current train and do not transfer.
- transfer to the red line if you were riding the green line
- transfer to the green line if you were riding the red line
- transfer to the blue line if you were just riding the orange line
- transfer to the orange line if you were just riding the blue line
If you do transfer, travel in the direction of the adjacent station whose name is alphabetically earliest.

Transfer to the blue at Rosslyn, heading toward Arlington Cemetery.
Note the first letter of the first station you encounter whose name is exactly eight letters long. Continue traveling to the ninth station beyond this eight-letter station.

The eight-letter station is Pentagon. Note the P. The ninth station is Government Center.
You suddenly feel nostalgic. Note the fifth letter of the name of the first station you reached after your most recent teleport.

That's Bowdoin, so note an O.
Thinking about the past has made you uncomfortable with your immediate future. If it is possible to transfer to another line at your current station, then do so, transferring to the train that would take you to the adjacent station which is alphabetically first; otherwise, disembark and get on a train going the other direction. Travel until you reach a station which has an eight letter word as all or part of its name. (If when transferring, you have the option of transfering to one of multiple lines, transfer to the line which has the closest station which includes an eight letter word in its name.) Note the first letter of this station's name.

Transfer to the green line toward Haymarket. Travel to Lechmere. Note an L.
Continue travelling on your current line, teleporting once, then stop at the 15th station after the teleport. Note the seventh letter of the station's name.

Teleport to Branch Ave, and stop at Columbia Heights. Note an I.
You look ahead. You like where you're headed, but not the way you're heading there. If it is possible to switch to a different line that will take you directly from your current station to the next station on your current line, then do so.

Get on the yellow line going the same way.
Ride five stops. Note the last letter of your current station's name.

Reach King Street. Note a T.
That feeling of discomfort with the way you're going has returned. If it is possible at your current station to change to a different line, do so, traveling in the direction of the alphabetically last of all adjacent stations on the other line or lines. If it is not possible to transfer to a different line, board the train on your current line which is heading in the opposite direction from which you arrived at this station.

Change to the blue toward Van Dorn Street.
Ride five stops. Note the first vowel of your current station's name.

This is State after a teleport. Note an A.
Randomly decide that orange is now your favorite color. Switch to the Orange Line at this station if it is possible to do so; otherwise, stay on your current train. If you have switched to the Orange Line, travel in the direction of the alphabetically latest station.

Get on the orange toward Haymarket.
Ride two stops.

Ride to North Station.
Randomly decide that green is now your favorite color. If it is possible to switch to the Green Line from this station, do so, noting the first letter of this station as you do; otherwise, stay on the line you are currently on, noting the sixth letter of your current station. If you switch to the Green Line, travel in the direction of the adjacent station with the longest name.

Change to the green and note an N. Head toward Science Park.
Travel on your current line until you teleport.

Teleport from Lechmere to Branch Ave.
Spell out either B-O-S-T-O-N (if you're on the MBTA) or D-C (if you're on the Metro), traveling one stop per letter, and stop when you reach the last letter. Take the third letter of your current station's name.

Since you are in DC, stop at the second stop, Suitland. Note an I.
Hey, that was fun! Let's do it again: spell out either B-O-S-T-O-N (if you're on the MBTA) or D-C (if you're on the Metro), traveling one stop per letter, and stop when you reach the last letter.

Since you are in DC, stop at the second stop. This is Southern Ave.
Stop at the next station that you can transfer at. If you haven't teleported yet this step, take the 11th letter of the station's name.

This is L'Enfant Plaza. Note a Z.
Randomly decide that red is your favorite color. If you can't currently transfer to the Red Line, ride until you reach a station where you can. Transfer to the Red Line in the direction of the adjacent Red Line station that's alphabetically earliest.

Ride to Gallery Pl - Chinatown, heading towards Judiciary Sq.
Wait... maybe you're forgetting something. If you didn't take a letter during Step 23, ride four stops and take the last letter of your current station.

Remain on your current train without travelling.
You suddenly feel more sensitive to the needs of others. Travel until you reach a Metro station which offers parking. If it is possible to transfer at this station, transfer to a different line, choosing the train and direction with the adjacent stop with the longest name. Travel until you reach a wheelchair-accessible MBTA station. Take the third letter of your current station.

The first Metro station which offers parking is Rhode Island Ave - Brentwood. No transfer is available, so you travel on the Red Line, teleporting at Glenmont. Alewife, the first station you reach after teleporting, is wheelchair accessible. Note an E.
Randomly decide that purple is now your favorite color. This has no bearing on the remainder of the puzzle, but it's fun.

This step has no bearing on the solution, either.
You can sense you're almost to the end now, and you decide to hurry things. Travel until you reach a station whose name contains an abbreviation.

Travel to Kendall/MIT.
Time for some more fun with spelling! Your current station is the Magic Station. Disembark and get on a train on the same line going in the opposite direction. Once you've left the Magic Station, spell its name, one letter per station, until you get to a station whose first letter matches the letter you've reached in the Magic Station's name. Note this letter, unless you spell out the entire name of the Magic Station without encountering any such match, in which case note the letter Q.

K is Central. E is Harvard. N is Porter. D is Davis. Note a D.
Become completely sick of riding around both of these areas and disembark in a huff, barely even stopping to notice what your collected letters spell.

Alternate history:

On the red line, Alewife is connected to Branch Ave and Braintree is connected to Greenbelt.
On the orange line, Forest Hills is connected to Franconia-Springfield and Oak Grove is connected to Largo Town Center.
On the green line, Lechmere is connected to Fort Totten and Riverside is connected to Huntington.
On the blue line, Bowdoin is connected to Glenmont and Wonderland is connected to Shady Grove.
And on the yellow line, New Carrollton is connected to Vienna/Fairfax-GMU.

Begin, of course, at Kendall/MIT. Ride towards Alewife. Pass two transfer stations.

These are L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Pl-Chinatown.
Transfer to the Blue Line at the first opportunity. Note the first letter of this transfer station. When your train leaves the station, the first station you pass through should have exactly one initial letter in common with the station you just left.

Transfer to blue at Fort Totten, note the F, and head toward Takoma.
At the first station where you can transfer to another line, remain on the Blue Line. At the next station where you can transfer, change to another line, traveling in a direction such that the next station would offer an opportunity to transfer to the Green Line. Note the first letter which appears immediately before a consonant in the color of the line you are now riding on.

Teleport to Bowdoin, pass Government Center, and transfer at State to the orange line, in the direction of Haymarket (not counting the Park St-Downtown Crossing tunnel as a transfer from orange to green). Note an O.
At the next station where you have the opportunity to transfer, observe the colors of the lines that station serves, including the one on which you're currently riding. Develop a sudden strong distaste for them all. Take the next opportunity you have to transfer to any line of a color different from the colors of all of these lines. Note the sixth letter in the longest word in the name of the station where this transfer occurs. After transferring, travel toward the adjacent station that is the later of two alphabetically. Get over your color distaste just as suddenly as you developed it - you have a puzzle to complete.

Dislike orange and green, and transfer to yellow at Stadium-Armory, noting a U, and travel toward Potomac Ave.
At the next station where trains on exactly three lines, one of which is the Blue Line, can be boarded, board the Blue Line. Travel on the Blue Line in the direction of the adjacent station with the shortest name. Note the first letter that is doubled at the first station whose name contains one or more pairs of doubled letters.

The next station where trains run on exactly three lines is Metro Center. Take the blue in the direction of Farragut North. Note the R in Farragut North.
Whoops! The Blue Line wasn't what you wanted. Get off and board the Blue Line train heading in the opposite direction. When you get back to the three-line station where you most recently changed lines, switch to the line you neither boarded nor left in the previous step. On this new line, look ahead in both directions to find the nearest station that ends with a shape (or an abbreviation thereof). Of these two stations, travel in the direction of the station whose shape has fewer corners. Take that, Hounds of Tindalos!

Go back to Metro Center and transfer to orange, and head in the direction of Federal Triangle.
Continue traveling until you teleport. After teleporting, transfer at the third station where a transfer to a different line is available if and only if that station's name ends with a letter in the first half of the alphabet. If you transfer, travel in the direction of the adjacent station whose name is alphabetically earliest. Keep traveling on this line until you teleport, noting the first letter of the name of the last station you travel through before you teleport.

Teleport to Oak Grove. The three transfer stations are North Station, Haymarket, and State, which ends with an E, so transfer to blue, and head toward Aquarium. Teleport at Wonderland, noting the W. This takes you to Shady Grove.
At the first station where you can transfer, make one of the following transfers, if it is possible to do so. If none of these transfers is possible, remain on your current train and do not transfer.
- transfer to the red line if you were riding the green line
- transfer to the green line if you were riding the red line
- transfer to the blue line if you were just riding the orange line
- transfer to the orange line if you were just riding the blue line
If you do transfer, travel in the direction of the adjacent station whose name is alphabetically earliest.

The next transfer point is Metro Center. Transfer from the blue to the orange, and head toward Federal Triangle, again.
Note the first letter of the first station you encounter whose name is exactly eight letters long. Continue traveling to the ninth station beyond this eight-letter station.

The next eight-letter station is Oak Grove. Note the O. Continue to Chinatown.
You suddenly feel nostalgic. Note the fifth letter of the name of the first station you reached after your most recent teleport.

This was also Oak Grove. Note the R.
Thinking about the past has made you uncomfortable with your immediate future. If it is possible to transfer to another line at your current station, then do so, transferring to the train that would take you to the adjacent station which is alphabetically first; otherwise, disembark and get on a train going the other direction. Travel until you reach a station which has an eight letter word as all or part of its name. (If when transferring, you have the option of transfering to one of multiple lines, transfer to the line which has the closest station which includes an eight letter word in its name.) Note the first letter of this station's name.

There is no transfer at Chinatown, so go back the other way to Downtown Crossing. Note the D.
Continue travelling on your current line, teleporting once, then stop at the 15th station after the teleport. Note the seventh letter of the station's name.

Teleport from Oak Grove to Largo Town Center, and stop at McPherson Sq. Note the S.
You look ahead. You like where you're headed, but not the way you're heading there. If it is possible to switch to a different line that will take you directly from your current station to the next station on your current line, then do so.

Get on the yellow in the same direction.
Ride five stops. Note the last letter of your current station's name.

This takes you to Clarendon. Note the N.
That feeling of discomfort with the way you're going has returned. If it is possible at your current station to change to a different line, do so, traveling in the direction of the alphabetically last of all adjacent stations on the other line or lines. If it is not possible to transfer to a different line, board the train on your current line which is heading in the opposite direction from which you arrived at this station.

Head back in the opposite direction.
Ride five stops. Note the first vowel of your current station's name.

McPherson Sq. Note the E.
Randomly decide that orange is now your favorite color. Switch to the Orange Line at this station if it is possible to do so; otherwise, stay on your current train. If you have switched to the Orange Line, travel in the direction of the alphabetically latest station.

Again switch without it being a transfer. Head toward Metro Center.
Ride two stops.

This takes you to Federal Triangle.
Randomly decide that green is now your favorite color. If it is possible to switch to the Green Line from this station, do so, noting the first letter of this station as you do; otherwise, stay on the line you are currently on, noting the sixth letter of your current station. If you switch to the Green Line, travel in the direction of the adjacent station with the longest name.

Stay on orange. Note the A.
Travel on your current line until you teleport.

Teleport from Largo Town Center to Oak Grove.
Spell out either B-O-S-T-O-N (if you're on the MBTA) or D-C (if you're on the Metro), traveling one stop per letter, and stop when you reach the last letter. Take the third letter of your current station's name.

This is Boston, so stop at the sixth station, North Station. Note the R.
Hey, that was fun! Let's do it again: spell out either B-O-S-T-O-N (if you're on the MBTA) or D-C (if you're on the Metro), traveling one stop per letter, and stop when you reach the last letter.

Since you are in Boston, stop at the sixth stop. This is Back Bay.
Stop at the next station that you can transfer at. If you haven't teleported yet this step, take the 11th letter of the station's name.

There are no stations on the remainder of Boston's Orange line where you can transfer, so teleport at Forest Hills to Franconia-Springfield. Stop at King Street.
Randomly decide that red is your favorite color. If you can't currently transfer to the Red Line, ride until you reach a station where you can. Transfer to the Red Line in the direction of the adjacent Red Line station that's alphabetically earliest.

The first station on this line where you can transfer to the Red Line is L'Enfant Plaza. Transfer in the direction of Archives-Navy Mem'l-Penn Quarter.
Wait... maybe you're forgetting something. If you didn't take a letter during Step 23, ride four stops and take the last letter of your current station.

No letter was taken in the directions for Step 23. Travel to Shaw - Howard U. Take a U.
You suddenly feel more sensitive to the needs of others. Travel until you reach a Metro station which offers parking. If it is possible to transfer at this station, transfer to a different line, choosing the train and direction with the adjacent stop with the longest name. Travel until you reach a wheelchair-accessible MBTA station. Take the third letter of your current station.

Travel to Fort Totten. Transfer to the Green Line heading in the direction of Georgia Ave - Petworth. (Note that, while it is possible to travel to this station on the Red Line also, the instructions explicitly instruct you to transfer to a different line.) Teleport at Huntington. The first MBTA station you arrive at, Riverside, is wheelchair-accessible. Take the V.
Randomly decide that purple is now your favorite color. This has no bearing on the remainder of the puzzle, but it's fun.

This step has no bearing on the solution, so I'd just like to say "Hi, Mom!."
You can sense you're almost to the end now, and you decide to hurry things. Travel until you reach a station whose name contains an abbreviation.

This is Park St.
Time for some more fun with spelling! Your current station is the Magic Station. Disembark and get on a train on the same line going in the opposite direction. Once you've left the Magic Station, spell its name, one letter per station, until you get to a station whose first letter matches the letter you've reached in the Magic Station's name. Note this letter, unless you spell out the entire name of the Magic Station without encountering any such match, in which case note the letter Q.

P is Boylston. A is Arlington. Take the A.
Become completely sick of riding around both of these areas and disembark in a huff, barely even stopping to notice what your collected letters spell.