A Washington, DC area summer is hot and in late July even a late night celebration of the 50th Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary turned into an absolutely sweltering affair. Still, I didn't pass up the chance to get some DC Metro photos and ride the new H Street streetcar line. Also included are some Baltimore Light Rail pics during the service disruption caused by a giant sinkhole on Russel St adjacent to the Convention Centre. You can see the full set of photos here (mirror).
Starting off at Perryville, MD, I was out to check out the new Rule 562 enabled signals as well as a new trailing point ladder for northbound freight trains coming off the Port Road. This allows both Perryville siding tracks to be used to hold freight trains instead of just track #4.
To reach DC I chose Greenbelt as my suburban park and ride option which would require a transfer to the Red Line to reach Union Station. Here is WMATA 7k car #7618 and a video of some additional 7k Green Line action on the lower level at Ft Totten.
Luckily I managed to get a train of classic style 6k cars on the Red Line segment of the trip with #6167 in the lead.
Here is a video taken from the rear window of my Red Line all the way from Ft Totten to Union Station.
6k car #6053 was the last car in the set, seen here at Union Station.
H-Street Streetcar #202 arriving at the Union Station stop with new construction as far as the eye can see.
#202 again as it is seen departing the 15th St stop on Benning Road.
The Apollo 11 event on the Mall was really fun, despite the sweltering heat. Projecting a full scale Saturn V on the Washington Monument was a stroke of genius, however the 500+ foot tall monument had the unintended effect of making the ~380 feet tall rocket look small :-\
After the show ended there was a mad dash to the L'Enfant plaza station, but I managed to score space on the first available Green Line train to Greenbelt. Here we see a southbound Yellow Line train on the upper level of the station followed by my outbound train of classic style cars.
At Greenbelt I managed to catch a pair of classic trainsets platformed across from eachother with 3k cars #3222 and #3108 on the ends.
Since 2003 I have been living part time in Baltimore City about a half block away from the CSX Baltimore Terminal Sub, aka B&O Baltimore Belt Line, aka the site of the first main line railroad electrification in the world, aka the place where the street collapsed in 2014. When I first arrived in the area I always had my scanner on and upon hearing approaching trains activate the MP 92.0 detector or call the eastbound signal at HUNTINGDON AVE i would sprint to the wall overlooking the track and get my photos.
Like the Blues Brothers said, the trains came so frequently that eventually I just stopped noticing them and although I would still keep an ear out for an approaching movement, I became a must more passive watcher (especially after my local B&O CPL was removed in 2012). However as I neared my data of departure I started a push to once again "fan my local" and that is pretty much what this photo set contains. The content was captured at the cut between North Charles and St Paul Sts, right at the westbound dwarf signal for the HUNTINGDON AVE interlocking.
You can find the full set of photos here and I'll be placing all of the video clips at the bottom of the post without regard to the order they were taken in relation to the still photos.
First I want to share a little something about the Charles Cut. It has been suffering chronic drainage problems that multiple scoop and cleans and even the complete rebuild after the 2014 collapse have failed to resolve. At this point CSX seems to have given up. Track speed is only 35mph and few trains even move that fast.
First off we see CSX ES44AC #809 and AC4400 #214 exiting and entering the tunnels with a train of autoracks.
Next up we have a westbound train descending the grade with AC4400's #203 and #468 on point. Behind them is a remote control set with SD40-3 #6537 and GP38-2 #2531 that may have been helping or was just in tow.
In the consist were some of the most pristine RailBox (TBOX) box cars I have ever seen.
At some point I caught a rail train hauled by a pair of elderly C40-8W's, including #7731. The silent passing of GE -8W's has caught me by surprise. On one hand I should probably be out more to document any sort of historic engine. On the other hand I've always hated GE's and they pretty much look like the newer ones. At least #7731 here was still in it's older school CSX paint scheme.
The two old -8's were pulling a welded rail train that clearly didn't need hotshot power.
Now we're getting into some proper history. FRA regulations specify a maximum age of 40 years for freight cars, with waivers extending that a bit in some cases. However MoW stock is exempt, so while the Chessie cat has vanished from the main lines via repaints and attrition, it survives on the engineering trains.
Some more detail shots of the rail laying equipment.
In spring of 2017 the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (reporting mark RBBX) packed up its tent for good. Attendance had been slowly declining for years, however the bottom fell out when the iconic circus elephant were retired due to pressure from PETA and other animal rights wingnuts. However RBBX's most enduring legacy was its fleet of performing heritage railcars organized into two touring productions, Red and Blue. While the railcars were never under threat from protest groups, the severe revenue shortfall made running two mile-long trains full of people and equipment unsustainable. Fortunately, fans were given several month's warning and thanks to the folks at Trains magazine, who published the schedule and route in advance, I was able to position myself in the Baltimore area to catch the Blue Unit train while it was berthed for a performance and later when it departed for Charleston, WV.
After the final performance I was fortunate to catch what was referred to as the "funeral train" wherein all cars not already sold and transferred would be combined into a single movement to be run down the East Coast to the RRBX compound in the Tampa area. To round out the photo set I have also included some pics of MARC and CSX operations in the Baltimore region. You can view the entire set of photos here.
We begin with a westbound MARC Camden Line train arriving at the Dorsey station from Baltimore with Bombardier split-level cab car #8048 in the lead. This is the first westbound train of the afternoon as the Camden line runs a peak only service in both directions.
Located off Maryland Rt. 100, the large park and ride facility makes the Dorsey Station a popular stop for both DC and Baltimore commuters.
Here MARC Mp36PH-3C #25 pushes the short split-level consist towards Washington DC, knocking down the Clear signal indication at DORSEY interlocking. The full crossover was installed in the early 90's to allow MARC trains to duck and weave around slower CSX freight trains on the Capitol Sub.
A few minutes later the "new" Dorsey Short Turn pulls into the track #2 platform from Washington, DC. A year or two ago, MARC was able to stretch its budget to include an extra early PM round trip originating in Washington, DC. To make everything work with their limited number of trainsets the round trip would have to turn at Dorsey, instead of running all the way to Baltimore. This isn't a huge deal as very few Camden Line riders continue beyond Dorsey. Today MARC MP36PH-3C #15 has the honors of leading the eastbound train.
This train consisted entirely of single level K-Cars with MARC #7762 leading the movement back west.
A little less than a month before the final performance on May 17th, the RBBX Blue Unit pulled into Baltimore for a week long engagement. The train was stabled at the typically vacant Mt. Claire Yard, which is located on the original B&O alignment that leads to the present site of the B&O museum and the Mt. Claire shoppes. The long string of heritage passenger cars was divided between two tracks. Performers traveling by road also had space in the yard to park their RVs.
At some point a shuttle bus arrived to ferry the performers to the Royal
Farms arena in Downtown Baltimore. Before PETA threw a fit, the
elephants and other equipment would parade down surface streets to reach
the area from the rail-head.
I'm sure a website somewhere has a detailed history about all the RRBX cars, but I couldn't find it and it ultimately doesn't do you much good to hear me rattle through a list of dates and builders. The passenger cars served as dormitories for most of the performers and stage crew for the RRBX production. Previously all the animals would also ride the train, however the large cats were moved into trucks and, as I said, the elephants were retired.
In the middle of June I had an opportunity to go down to Baltimore and since I would be forced to miss the big AEM-7 fantrip due to my 2016 Amtrak Sunset Limited trip I decided to take the train in order to catch the last active Amtrak AEM-7's laying over in the Baltimore Penn Station area (in the company of HHP-8's I might add). I was also armed with a class upgrade coupon which would allow me to avail myself of the railfan window on the rear of the Amtrak train. The full set of photos from the trek are included, starting with PATCO, then moving to the 30th St parking garage before I eventually arrived at Baltimore. You can view they all here.
We start off at the Haddonfield PATCO station. There was a whole bunch of single-tracking going on with Vickers car #271 departing eastbound on the westbound track.
A short while later Budd married pair car #239 arrived in the proper direction.
My own then hit its own patch of wrong railing between Ferry Ave and Broadway.
SEPTA Silverliner V #723 at 30th St station.
The evolving Philadelphia Skyline.
Power in Amtrak's Race St engine terminal consisted of MoW GP38-2's #722 and #721, Phase III Heritage unit #145 and ACS-86 #657.
ACS-86 #615 was hanging out in the Penn Coach Yard along with Metroliner Cab Car #9641 and NEC camera car #10005.
Amtrak's TLM was hanging out on station track 10 while P42DC #97 and GP38-3H #521 sit on the engine serving tracks.
GP15D #577 pushes 2 Amfleets onto one of the Penn Coach Yard tracks.
The topography of Baltimore is oddly hilly as the Chesapeake Bay runs right up to the interior highlands instead of rippling around the coastal plain as is the case elsewhere along the NEC. Moreover, the position of the harbor forces the nominally north-south railroads to cut east-west across the local drainage profile, resulting in the various trenches and tunnels that the city has become famous for. Here are some photos taken along the former B&O Baltimore Belt Line, around Penn Station and on the northern half of the light rail line.
Because of the stiff grade and frequent tunnels, the Baltimore Belt Line was the site of the world's first main line electrification back in 1896, with electric locomotives assisting steam engines between Camden Yards to Clifton Park to reduce the amount of smoke in the confined spaces. Back in 2014, a retaining wall along 26th Street in Baltimore collapsed onto the tracks and while the railroad was operational within 48 hours, the street took nearly a year to fix as the city had to dig down to track level and pour new concrete foundations to fix a chronic sinkhole problem that was the root cause of the collapse. Here is the reuilt street and retaining wall adjacent to the single track main line.
Here we see brand new CSX ET44AC #3269 emerging from the Charles Street
tunnel. This is basically a Tier IV emissions compliant ES44AC, which
may assist with some tactical smoke and soot issues, but will only make carbon friendly rail transportation less compeditive with road vehicles.
Here you can compare #3269 with C40-8W #7331. The ET44's have several
times the cooling capacity to service the intercoolers needed to reduce
the tempature of the charge air to reduce NOx and a particiulate filter
fitted to the exhaust stack. It is no wonder that NS has chosen to
rebuild older units than put up with the EPA's bullshit.
Speaking of rebuilt units, here is CSX SD40-3 #6507 being towed behind
the two road units to some new yard assignment. Note the remote control
lights.
Later on a pair of eastbound CSX C40-10W's, #5265 and #5307 emerged from the Charles Tunnel
Another C40-10W, #5434, passed by in the trailing position of a westbound train.
Back at the end of April 4 days of rail caused a 100 year retaining wall overlooking the CSX Baltimore Terminal Sub to collapse onto the tracks. For those of you who don't watch news or otherwise live with their heads buried in the sand here is the viral video of the collapse itself.
This happened to be located not far from where I hang out and was actually one of my major train watching locations. The street had been showing subsidence problems for years with several sinkholes patched and filled by the city. Still, the problem kept getting worse and everyone in the area knew that it was just a matter of time. Anyway, of course I went and took photos of the aftermath, however I have held off on posting them because I wanted to see how things turned out to present a more complete picture of the collapse and the cleanup effort.
Also thrown into the set are some random photos taken on Balt/Wash area rail lines that didn't fit into any other set. You can see the full album of photos here
Here's how things looked a few hours after the collapse. Who's going to clean up all those cars?
Video taken the first night.
When CSX Re-signaled HUNTINGTON AVE they moved the westbound signal location from inside the tunnel mouth to a point next to the retaining wall. This is all that is left of the relay hut now.
Unlike the public sector CSX did not fuck around clearing the single
track Baltimore Belt Line. Within 48 hours they had 3 excavators
working non-stop to pile up the rocks and earth. This is the ONLY CSX
route for freight moving from south to north with the nearest detour
being through Hagarstown, MD. The Baltimore Belt Line us used by trains
carrying orange juice to New York City and hauling trash away.
Over the course of my various photo outings there occur from time to time small numbers of photos in larger sets that don't really have much else that's worth posting. So as time goes by these bits and pieces add up until I actually have enough for some semblance of a photo post and here it is.
Most of what follows was captured along the CSX Philly Sub as I went out to document the B&O CPL signaling that was undergoing replacement earlier this summer. The rest were taken while puttering around doing activities in August.
We begin with a video as CSX ES44AC #780, SD70MAC #4805, C44-10W #5428 rolls eastbound past the STEPNEY automatic CPL signal on the former B&O Philadelphia Subdivision with a single stack COFC train.
Moving on to the CLAYTON automatic CPL at milepost 74 we find that the big ticket road freight engines have taken the day off to be replaced by local power SD40-2 #8368 and SD40-3 #4015 with a string of autoracks.
Moving on to the milepost 80 WHITEMARSH CPL automatic we catch C40-8
#7516, one of the dwindling number of standard cab GE units, at the head
of a long train of hoppers.
In the #2 position was AC4400 #159 as #7516 takes the signal. Doesn't look like the AC is working on old #7516 either.
Maryland MTA LRV #5019 at the Convention Center station after an O's game.
CSX ES44AC #702 heading westbound on the Old Main Line near Lisbon, MD at the MP 36 automatic signal with a string of empty coal cars.
ES44AC #978 was in the #2 position.
If you were wondering why railroad enthusiasm seems be so male oriented it's probably because all the ladies are off hanging out with meat horses. The OML MP 36 automatic is near the stable where my friend is the only guy with a horse. Here is one of the other horses that live there, Chance E Pants, a riot control sized Clydesdale. To put that into railroad terms he would be like an AC6000 or DD40AX.
To put his size in perspective here Chance is with some friends. All of these horses were adopted from Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue.
Also if you happen to be in Baltimore over the summer check out
Artscape, the country's largest free arts festival where you can find
things like this wire dragon sculpture for sale. It's a lot more
interesting than Bronycon.
Anyway I'll be back next week with photos from my Peninsular Campaign.
