In August of 2025 there was a lot of change afoot in the northeast from new Acelas, to new infrastructure to new NYCT Subway rolling stock. An invitation to visit the International Photography Museum in Manhattan gave me the opportunity to catch a lot of this change in progress and ostensibly say farewell to many long time staples of the region (even if the actual retirement dates were still one or more years in the future).
This was going to be a single day trip so my day started quite early at the BWI Airport Rail station where ACS-86 was leading my 6am Regional train to New York City.
The track #1 platform at BWI was in the midst of a partial reconstruction.
Passing by the Penn Coach Yards were for Acela NG trainsets were awaiting their entry into service later that month,.
The Acela NG power cars are numbered in the 2100-series like #2133 seen here.
The new Amtrak Hackensack River bridge as seen from the 1910 PORTAL movable bridge. All structural work had been completed on the new crossing and work had shifted to completing the trackbed, overhead catenary and signaling.
Despite platform access issues, the new Penn Station train hall has been a pretty resounding success since it opened.
A brand new R211 on the A. The International Photography Museum was located near the Essex Street station which meant a fairly simple transfer to an F at W. 4th St.
Unfortunately a service disruption/weekend change forced me to take a D train to Grand St instead. Here a pair of north and southbound D trains meet at West 4th.
The reason for the service disruption became evident on the return trip when I found work equipment blocking the local track at West 4th. The equipment included R47 #67, R41 #59 and deicing car #RD439. The locomotives were built by General Electric in 1968 and 1975 as extensions of their popular 45-ton series.
In December 2024 I seemed to have a lot going on in the way of local travel with trips to both Washington, DC and Philly via the NEC and holiday related excursions to the MARC stations at Savage and Brunswick for the purposes of drinking. I have assembled all this miscellany into a single set of photos ( mirror ).
My day trip to DC kicked off before sunrise at the Halethorpe MARC station, later passing through Washington Union Station en-route to the DC Metro.
Returning home I actually got a better deal on an Amtrak train, which was departing Washington Union Station adjacent to the Acela platform where a Classic set was standing with power cars #2017 and #2036.
Arriving at BWI I was in time to catch a southbound MARC train with MP36PH-3C #29
My car was still at Hapethorpe I had a friend shuttle me over. Between the two stations I shot a few quick videos which include:
Northbound Acela Express with power cars #2028 and #2007.
Southbound bi-level MARC Penn Line train with cab car #7853 and MP36PH-3C #29.
Amtrak Veterans ACS-86 #642 heading northbound with a Regional at Halethorpe.
Southbound MARC bi-level Penn Line train passing express through the Halethorpe station.
A few days later I was making a day trip up to Philly and back at BWI I caught Amtrak ACS-86's #634 heading south while class unit #600 was heading my northbound.
The trainset was flipped so I had access to the rear window, but the position of the sun combined with dirty windows made the view highly marginal. I only got this video as the train runs across the Susquehanna River between the Aberdeen, Maryland station and PRINCE interlockings near Perryville. The Susquehanna River bridge, constructed in 1906, is unfortunately slated for replacement in the upcoming years. In the video my train passes southbounds including Crescent Train 19 just past GRACE interlocking and another Regional at PRINCE.
Although much reduced in scope, 21ST ST crossing, also known as Alton Junction, was effectively the last interlocking station on the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line between Pittsburgh and Chicago and once trains navigates its complex trackwork, they would enter the ream of Chicago Union Station. That should have been a fairly simple 2x2 diamond crossing of the PRR and the Chicago and Alton was blown up by the four-tracks of the Chicago and Western Indiana, a terminal railroad owned equally between the Erie, Monon, Wabash, Grand Trunk Western and Chicago & Eastern Illinois to reach Chicago's Dearborn Station. This resulted in a staggering 26 diamonds along with a pair of double slip ladders, but with the closure of Dearborn in 1971 the C&WI tracks evaporated leaving empty fields in their place. The good news is that those fields were converted into Ping Tom park, allowing anyone to get an up close view of the passenger action that still flows through the interlocking. The bad news, at least for me, is that Chicago in December gets pretty dang cold. You on the other hand can sit back and enjoy the photos I took ( mirror ) from the comfort of your own house.
After getting up early I put on as many layers as practical because the temperature stood at 8 degrees. 21ST ST is accessible via the CTA Red Line's Cermak-Chinatown station and after a transfer from the Blue Line I was delivered by 5000-series car #5214.
Federal Junction north of the station allows Red Line trains access to the Orange Line and the Loop in case of service disruptions or equipment transfers.
Cermak-Chinatown is also adjacent to the METRA Rock Island District tracks where I caught MP36PH-3C #423 and F40PH-3 #111 coupled ahead of Veterans F40PH-3 #120.
One thing that hasn't changed about 21St St crossing is the South Branch Drawbridge that marks the spiritual end or beginning to several Amtrak long distance routes. In the summer this sees frequent raisings due to the low clearance and high volume of boat traffic on the Chicago River.
The southwest corner of the park provides an unobstructed view of the remaining diamond crossing as well as the connecting tracks for Lincoln Corridor trains and Illinois Central route trains. As a further bonus, the CTA Orange Line passes overhead on the elevated trackway.
Speaking of downstate Illinois, Amtrak Saluki Train 391 was departing on its outbound trip to Carbondale. Due to the lack of a direct connection to the former IC main line, all downstate trains have to make a reverse move out of Chicago Union Station. With the Saint Charles Air Line out of service for reconstruction, these trains were changing direction on the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line south of the station. Today's consist included P42DC #63 and no fewer than 3 deadhead Sightseer Lounge cars needed to make up axle count and car weight minimums on the route.
21St St is also used by METRA Southwest Service and Heritage Corridor trains, although the latter is an extremely limited peak period operation. Here a Southwest Service train with gallery cab car #8579, 1960's vintage Budd gallery coach #784 and F40PHM-3's #190 and #210.
This was followed by an outbound Southwest Service train with F40PH-3 #179 and cab car #8445.
Typically when one railfans in Washington, DC proper that means something to do with Washington Union Terminal or the DC Metro. However one might be surprised to learn that there are in fact a few other railfan locations in the city and in the late summer of 2024 I took the day to hang out with a friend and visit as many as was feasible, getting plenty of photos along the way ( mirror ).
The initial stop after arriving at Union Station was the southern end of the First St tunnels that allow passenger trains to proceed to and from points south of the city via the former RF&P and Southern Main Lines. The First Street Tunnel tunnels under the literal Capitol Hill via the First St right of way before turning slightly at the southern portal. At the portal I managed to catch Amtrak Regional Train 82 lead by the ultimate P42DC, #207.
Moving to a slightly different photo position I managed to south southbound Carolinian Train 79 with P42DC #144. The B&O style position light signals mark the start of K TOWER's territory and are likely mounted on poles that date to the 1908 opening of the station.
The passenger tracks to Union Station rejoin the old PRR freight route to Potomac Yard at VIRGINIA tower, located near 2nd St and E.
While there I found myself somewhat out of position to catch a southbound CSX freight train lead by CM44AC rebuild #7209.
The next stop was the L'Enfant Plaza VRE station where I was in time to catch Amtrak P42DC #77 bringing Regional Train 153 south out of Union Station.
Even though VRE doesn't run on weekends there is plenty of Amtrak and CSX traffic to keep one busy. In my case Regional Train 88 appeared not long after with P42DC #117 leading.
The next location was near the WMATA Rhode Island Ave station on the Red Line. Passing Brentwood Yard en route I spotted the green painted WMATA track geometry car #GV01.
I also spotted a pair of squabs who seemed a bit too big for their nest, mugging one of their parents for food. I guess failure to launch isn't just a human thing.
For anyone who never got a chance to ride a WMATA 5000-series car, you still can at the Washington, DC Metrobar where #5058 has been converted into an eatery in the fashion of an old diner. Just follow the pedestrian walkway over the CSX Metropolitan Sub and you'll see it.
The next stop was Amtrak's Ivy City Yard, specifically WYE BRIDGE interlocking which is directly adjacent to a public road behind the DC Office of Film and Television. At Ivy City Amtrak stores all sorts of interesting equipment such as inspection car #10001 Beech Grove, Theatre Car #10004, Catenary Measurement Car #10005 and the Acela Track Geometry car #10003.
WYE BRIDGE is one of a handful of interlockings on non-revenue trackage, but compared to others in New York and Boston, it is much easier to photograph. The name comes from the bridge carrying the CSX Metropolitan Sub, which also completes the north leg of a conceptual wye between the old B&O F and QN towers that provide access to Washington Union Terminal.
All train movements between the Washington Union Terminal station tracks and Ivy City storage yard/engine terminal/shoppes must pass through WYE BRIDGE. Here we see a cut of lite engines, including ALC42 #342, #344 and P42DC #111 reversing to the engine facility from Amtrak's own turning wye.
My goal that day was to catch Amtrak Capitol Limited Train 29 as it reversed out of the yard and to its customary birth on Track 15 or Track 16. It had already been announced that Trains 29 and 30 would be replaced by Miami to Chicago through train #40/41 under the Floridian name.
The Capitol Limited had already been reduced to a 4-5 car consist due to equipment availability pressures. Today ALC42 #341 was the sole source of motive power.
An interesting detail is that trains traveling between WYE BRIDGE and Union Terminal have to travel through the MARC storage yard.
Walking back to Union Station from Ivy City, the 9th St bridge provides an excellent view of the Ivy City shoppe and engine terminal complex.
A pair of Next Gen Acelas were stashed in the back lot along with a red faced P42C cab car conversion.
The 9th St Bridge also provides a nice overhead view of the NEC. Here we see Acela power car #2031 on the tail end of a northbound departure.
I was running low on time before my departure so I decided to use the WMATA to get from New York Ave to Union Station. On the platform I was treated to a pair 3k series cars #3185 and #3128.
My MARC Penn Line train was departing from track #8. Kawasaki cab car #7851 was sitting by uncoupled at the buffer stop as some sort of spare.
MARC MP36PH-3C #34 in the Union Station MARC yard.
After a full day and 5-7 miles of walking I wound up back where I started at the BWI Airport Rail Station.
That's all for this week. Check back next time as I poke around both ends of Amtrak's Susquehanna River Bridge.
