22-04-30 PHOTOS: Brunswick Tuscarora

CSX's Brunswick Yard in Brunswick, MD is a perennial visit on my calendar as the town provides the best food and beverage options near a number of natural recreation resources. In my last visit in December of 2020 I commented on the precarious situation of WB Tower that was slated for preservation, but left unsecured and vulnerable to fire. A little over a year later I just happened to be in the area after an Appalachian Trail hike and decided to pop by after lunch to see what was up. The full set of photos that also contain content from elsewhere on the Metropolitan Sub and Mid-Atlantic region can be accessed here ( mirror ).

Brunswick, MD is the location of the yard for MARC Brunswick Line service to both Brunswick and Martinsburg, WV. Each main track platform is split by a large parking lot at the west end of Brunswick Yard. The B&O era station is well kept although no longer maintained or staffed by CSX.

In a bit of good news, WB TOWER had been moved off its old foundation and relocated to town owned land as part of the Brunswick History Museum. The site was still a work in progress and stairs had yet to be built for access to the operator's level

Brunswick Yard has seen significant loss of activity since the PSR craze took hold. The only locomotives on hand were a trio of road units including AC4400 #528 and ES44AC's #943 and #844.

My next stop was the fairly new TUSCORORA interlocking at Milepost 39 on the Metropolitan Sub a few miles east of the Old Main Line junction at Point of Rocks. The full crossover was installed new as part of a ~2014 re-signaling and capacity expansion project partly funded by state and local governments to bribe CSX into allowing for the future expansion of MARC Brunswick Line services.

Next stop is the Garrett Park MARC station MP36PH-3C #22 arrived when an outbound afternoon train.

Garrett Park sees limited service so a good number of MARC trains pass through without stopping.



While avoiding a traffic backup on I-95 I stopped off at CP-MINNICK on the former Conrail Port Road Branch. This was originally an interlocking that was converted into an automatic signal location and then finally to a controlled point when NS re-signaled the branch ~2018. Today it functions as a holdout signal in advance of the junction with Amtrak's NEC at PERRY. For westbound trains it is the start of Rule 562 cab signal operation despite the fact there would be no automatic block locations between here CP-QUARRY and CP-TOME. Note the plastic owl intended to ward off nesting birds of prey such as bald eagles and osprey, which cause regulatory headaches for the railroad.

Next up is an Acela Express trainset bracketed by power cars #2029 and #2026 at the BWI airport rail station.

Back in South Jersey I caught a northbound (Philadelphia) bound New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line train led by GP40PH-2B #4208 and trailed by Comet V cab car #6044 passing an eastbound PATCO Lindenwold local at the below grade Haddonfield Station.

I'll wrap up with this photo of a goose that would like me to not talk to her or her son ever again.