17-06-18 PHOTOS: Baltimore Link

When the surprise Republican governor took control in Maryland in 2014, one of the first things he did was cancel the ambitious "Red Line" light rail project that would have created an east-west rail corridor to compliment the existing North-South Baltimore Light Rail line.  Not wanted to appear completely hostile towards the urban voters who would never ever support him, he offered a low cost alternative Bust Rapid Transit system that pretty much amounted to a rebranding of the existing bus network as the "Baltimore Link".  Select bus lines would be shifted from their historic numbers (some of which have been in place since the trolley era) to color names and their routes shifted slightly.  Both the Metro and the Light Rail would also get the "Link" moniker for....reasons.

To sell the public on this lipstick the MTA (Maryland) offered two weeks of free rides in the later part of June.  I was happy to jump on the opportunity to save $4 and took an excursion on the Metro Subway, which will soon be losing its Budd built rolling stock. I also took a side trip to visit an the remains of an old Western Maryland RR interlocking near Millford Mill.  You can find all the photos here.

Sign advertising the free ride period at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Station fare lobby.

MTAM UTV car #108 at JHU.

The 1980's vintage Budd cars will seen be replaced by a Breda product, so I took some interior photos.

Single tracking was in place between the tunnel portal and Reisterstown Plaza due to direct fixation repairs on the viaduct section.

Due to it being a Sunday, there was actually quite a lot of track work being carried out on the Baltimore Metrorail line. Here is a compilation of crossover movements taken at Charles Center westbound, Rogers Ave eastbound and the Portal eastbound. Note the flashing lunar white "diverging cab" wayside signal.


The yard and shoppe complex is located between Rodgers Ave and Reisterstown Plaza.

Eastbound trains run over this flyover so trains can enter/exit the yard via this tail track without obstructing the main line.

Eastbound train waiting at Reisterstown Plaza for my train to clear the single track section.

Between Orchard Court and Owings Mill the trains run in the median of I-795 at speeds of 70mph.  Here are a pair of videos showing this median run.






MTAM UTV car #175 at Owings Mill.

MTAM UTV car #108 at Owings Mill.

The Metro's "Money Shot" is located at Millford Mill where a sweeping curve east of the station platform exposes the sides of the UTVs.

Another great photo vantage point can be found on the Millford Mill Road bridge west of the station.

The Metro was built along the former Western Maryland Railroad alignment heading northwest out of the city.  Now a CSX secondary track, some evidence of its heritage can still be found.

One of the more surprising ones is the remains of a CTC siding entpoint.

The Western Maryland was somewhat unique in using pneumatic point machines at single switch siding ends.  While the last examples between Hagerstown, MP and Shippingsburg, PA were taken out of service and scrapped ~2001, the this main line example was mostly abandoned in situ.  Artifacts include a tank for point heater fuel, an old relay hut, a model CP pneumatic valve, and air reservoir and a compressor box.

Millford Mill station from Millford Mill Rd.

MTAM Metro storage yard.  The Metro bought 100 UTV's assuming a number of line extensions would be built.  They never were and only 68 or so are needed for service.

MTAM UTV #197 at the State Center Station.

Three Light Rail LRV's seen here at the Cultural Center station.

MTAM LRV's #5015 and #5038 at the Mount Royal Station.

While I was waiting for a shuttle train to Penn Station, a westbound CSX autorack train rolled through on the adjacent Baltimore Belt Line with SD70MAC #4548 and C40-10W #5241.

Well that's it, next time I'll return with photos from the Bay Area.