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.
Video of the removal process.
Here you can see the brick paving that underlies many of Baltimore's city streets.
