Perhaps a map or two can help clarify some distinctions between the ASL, WB&A, B&A, and B&O, all of which met near the Baltimore City / County border.

The 1953 aerial above illustrates the ASL 1 (original) vs ASL 2 (later) alignments. B&A reused some of this WB&A route for passengers before B-W Parkway was constructed.

With the arrival of Patapsco Avenue around 1960, B&A, which had been moving freight along the ASL 2 alignment, switched back to ASL 1 where a bridge was added for grade separation from the then-new Patapsco Avenue.

Patapsco Avenue runs within the city, just inside the city line. As of 2018, only utility lines -- and railfans -- still follow the ASL 2 alignment.

The wires that veer to the northwest (right) still follow the ASL 2 curve. This is the view from Light RailLink's Patapsco stop; the trains follow the ex-B&A, ex-ASL 1 route.

This is the grade separation bridge over Patapsco Avenue that follows the ASL 1 alignment; it was built for B&A and later inherited by light rail. The "Central Light Rail Line" sign expresses the 1990-hope other lines would be built, but to date only short spurs to BWI Airport and Baltimore's Penn Station have been added. The sign might cover a B&A herald embossed in the concrete.

The ASL 2 alignment had existed near the pedestrian wearing the yellow shirt. Since the ASL 1 and 2 alignments are adjacent, they both curve into Cliffords, which in this view is on the right.

Change for: Light rail tour at this site

This reverse-to-tour-direction view from Cliffords shows a light rail train moving away from the camera as it negotiates that curve; it will soon cross over Patapsco Avenue. The tracks on the left lead CSX to Curtis Bay. Within the nearer tangle, CSX and light rail maintain a now rarely-used connection with each other. Upon the disuse by Norfolk Southern of track in the Jones Falls Valley, this became Light RailLink's only active rail connection with the outside world.

This was also a connection spot for passengers: a detailed 1915 atlas puts B&O's Clifford Station immediately on the other side of the utility box at left. The atlas also shows passegner platforms for ASL on the right.

At Cliffords, B&A's only locomotive at the time, number 50, could exchange cars with B&O. B&A during later years operated an EMD switcher they numbered 87, representing the year they acquired it (1987).

Many of the boxcars in this view display reporting marks of railroads of Canada and Maine, the source of the paper B&A hauled for a long-term customer. The State of Maryland purchased B&A during the early 1990s in order to secure its route for light rail. Even after B&A made its last run from Cliffords on October 9, 1991, it continued to shuttle boxcars of paper between Alco Gravure warehouses while deliveries were handled by the Canton Railroad. Canton trains operated at off hours on the same tracks light rail had during the day.

Links: BLA 87 photo, 1988

The car exchange yard on the left was replaced by light rail trackage.

Link: 1985

During ASL's early years, it shared B&O's South Baltimore Branch (now CSX's South Baltimore Industrial Track) north to reach Camden Station. When ASL electrified in 1908, B&O grew nervous about its trains and crews operating under the catenary so it built ASL a separate-but-largely parallel route into downtown Baltimore that on this page is referred to as ASL 2.

The ASL 2 alignment snuck under B&O's Curtis Bay Branch here. Later, B&A began exchanging traffic back at Cliffords so that it had no need to venture farther north. Rail service then ceased under this bridge until light rail reactivated the route around 1990. During the interval without rails, the path under the bridge became part of a dirt road marked Urban Lane on some maps.

Change for: Curtis Bay Branch tour at this site

The first view of downtown Baltimore comes from Waterview Avenue where the separate-parallel rail routes remain evident. Between the two is Kloman Street.

To better fit on screen, this map has been rotated such that North, the general direction of this tour, is to the right.

North of Waterview Avenue at the 1927 aerial's left edge, ASL and B&O joined tracks in order to share a bridge across Gwynns Falls.

ASL tracks are difficult to discern in this aerial view because, by this time, ASL had been merged into WB&A, and a new alignment was in use.

Light rail swerves at Kloman and Wenburn Streets to bridge over the CSX South Baltimore Industrial Track. A century earlier, ASL and B&O had joined in this vicinity so as to share the next 1/3rd mile of track and span Gwynns Falls. Apparently, rather than build ASL a separate bridge, B&O tolerated ASL's overhead wires for the upcoming 1/3rd mile stretch. No photographs from the 1908 to 1921 period survive to confirm or deny that speculation.

The huge Westport Generating Station had been located on the right. It was the world's largest power plant constructed of reinforced concrete when it opened.

Information with this photo reports it was made at Westport. Assuming that the location is correct, what appear to be stacks in the background likely belong to the Westport Generating Station. Despite the newer Baltimore Annapolis Short Line (BASL) name, most people continued to refer to the railroad by its former Annapolis Short Line name, or simply Short Line.

At the time of this photo (1908), BASL was revamping from steam to electricity, so this might be one of the railroad's last steam-powered runs prior to switching on the juice. Even though BASL soon renamed itself Maryland Electric Railways Company (MERC), most people continued to call it the Short Line which, with the line's electrification, became a pun of sorts. Initially, the railroad employed a then-uncommon alternating current system, but within six years switched to direct current.

Links: aerial by Baltimore Sun, generating station interior

Where previously ASL and B&O had joined, CSX splits into the Hanover Subdivision (left, ex-Western Maryland line), and the South Baltimore Industrial Track (right). We'll follow the right side to Gwynns Falls.

Change for: Western Maryland tour at this site

A Baltimore-bound CSX switcher pulls a short train across Gwynns Falls on a below-zero, frigid morning.

In this reverse-tour-direction view, ASL and its catenary had quickly split off, back onto its own trackage on the left, this side of the bridge. No evidence of that split survives here.

All ASL artifacts from here to Baltimore have been erased by decades of road work, but we can follow Russell Street since it traces the ASL route.

The pavement at the photographer's feet is named Russell Street, but should probably be renamed Old Russell Street because a newer Russell Street shares the route of MD 295, aka Baltimore - Washington Parkway. That shared route is the lowest of the elevated roads ahead. From our feet, ASL curved to the right and ran where the new Russell Street and MD 295 now do. The highest of the elevated roads here is I-95.

As a location reference, Western Maryland's Spring Garden swing bridge is visible in the distance at the left edge.

When ASL electrified, special engineering was needed where it crossed other electrified lines so that the two systems did not cross circuit. At photo time, ASL/BASL/MERC employed an uncommon alternating current system. ASL had met a United Railways and Electric (UR&E) trolley line southwest of the intersection of Russell and Bush Streets. The photog is standing a bit beyond where the Monroe Street exit sign (modern view at left) would be installed seven decades later. Note for site visitors: that Monroe Street sign has since been shifted about 200 feet southwest.

To prevent the ASL and UR&E wires from touching, wedge-shaped shoes, probably made of wood, were installed where the wires were at their closest. You can find four of them in the zoom view at right. It appears each shoe would cause the trolley's wheel-tipped contact arm/pole to roll under and clear of ASL's wire, temporarily breaking contact with the UR&E power supply. ASL's wires were hung slightly lower here and thus its trains might have been able to maintain power while moving through the crossing. Presumably, UR&E's trolley cars were of less weight, so if they stopped at the shoe where there was no electricity, they could more easily be pushed than could ASL's larger cars. Note also two UR&E triangular semaphore signals in the zoom view at right.

Link: photo source

United Railways and Electric car 910 poses in 1915. Note the wheel at the end of the trolley arm/pole. A rolling wheel produces less wear on the power wire than a sliding contact.

Link: photo source

Fresh interurban competition for ASL began service in 1908 in the form of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railway whose elevated line appears in the background with the slogan "The Electric Line To Washington & Annapolis". The other side was painted "Quickest. Cleanest. Best." This view looks opposite the circa 1910 one above from the southwest quadrant of Russell and Bush Streets; Exxon would much later place a gas station on the right. Tall utility poles parallel a Bush Street that had not yet been paved. The 46-star flag flown by H.F. Radecke & Sons Box Manufacturers dates the photo to no later than 1912.

The UR&E trolley line in the foreground ahead turned northeast to run along Ridgely Street into downtown Baltimore. This route later became Baltimore Transit Company's line 17 that also followed Charles and St. Paul Streets. Line 17 passed close to every pro baseball park the city has ever had.

Link: photo source

This is one of few surviving photos of ASL operating along Russell Street long before the accompanying dirt road evolved into six busy auto lanes. Records say the photographer captured ASL 50 near Worchester Street (then Carey Street) at the northwest corner of what during 2018 is Horseshoe Casino. There is, however, some doubt as to the location because other photos from this time period do not show houses at the Murphy's wall ad, which appears to be along Ridgely Street. This doubt remains unresolved as of this writing.

The 2018 view at the purported spot finds nothing survives from 1913, unless one counts Russell Street itself where northbound lanes now occupy the ex-ASL right of way. Outside the casino, lamps (and security cameras) have taken the place of catenary support poles. After the post-ASL Russell Street proved insufficient, the road was twinned (widened) during the mid-1950s by adding new southbound lanes.

Russell Street is named for Alexander Russell who in 1790 had established a brick manufacturing company in this vicinity.

Grade separation of Russell Street from B&O happened during the 1950s; this is a rare example of the separated road being built directly over the old grade crossing. Elevated Russell Street turns left overhead, but ASL curved right below to briefly join B&O's main line before itself turning left toward Camden Station.

As seen from Russell Street, ASL trains had quickly crossed to the left side of these ex-B&O, now CSX, mainline tracks. Next, beyond the grade crossing, they curved left to Camden Station. No ASL artifacts are evident here though some may be buried.

Along trackage in the vicinity, and perhaps the entire former B&O network, one will not find an active, wider public road grade crossing than this 4-track example at Warner Street. The rightmost track is bound for Locust Point.

Link: B&A 102 at Warner Street

Rounding the aforementioned curve, this CSX train is about to enter the Howard Street Tunnel. The railroad Camden Yards, with surrounding warehouses and support facilities, occupied a wider area before I-395 and the stadiums. To reach Camden Station, ASL employed trackage closer to what is now M&T Bank Stadium.

This 1912 photo on a sign outside M&T Stadium illustrates the expanse dominated by the railroad. That's B&O's Camden Station in the foreground. Oriole Park would arrive on the right eighty years later.

This was the view northeast from above the future M&T Stadium. The Lee Street bridge that cuts across the center is no longer extant. About 20 years later, M&T Stadium would be built near the lower left corner of the main photo. The other big stadium, Oriole Park, arrived a bit sooner where you see the smokestacks at left.

Buildings that have survived include Camden Station at top left center, and the long B&O warehouse to its left at the "F", both visible in the zoom view.

Link: yard 1946

Automobiles rather than boxcars now park adjacent to the surviving B&O warehouse (left), its letter "F" paint fading but still visible. The long platforms to the right serve MARC train passengers, and Light RailLink's Camden Yards stop is just beyond. The Transportation Center at Camden Yards (its formal name) remains as important for rail travel as it did when B&O opened its first station here during 1856.

Change for: Light rail tour at this site

As previously described, ASL went through several reorganizations, mergers and new names. B&ASL displayed on this train corresponds to the 1894 to 1908 period.

The engine's front wheel made by Maryland Car Wheel Company appears to be dated 10 17 03, that is, October 17, 1903. Maryland Car Wheel had a factory along Curtis Avenue adjacent B&O's Curtis Bay coal export piers.

Before electrification, several ASL steam engines plied the route. Here, ASL 10 is set to depart B&O's Camden Station.

Trackside dwarf semaphore signals (left) were sometimes called dollies or dolly signals.

Even after ASL metamorphosed into WB&A, then B&A, interurban cars were still serving Camden Station. This location and view are virtually the same as in the prior photo, but several decades have elapsed.

Links: B&A 102 at Camden Station, 1940s color

A caboose always makes a fitting end. This B&A unit, its green striping having faded toward blue, called the B&O Museum in Baltimore home at photo time.

Links: caboose in 1988, 2005