This tour page follows the blue line from midway between the big numbers 9 and 10, then clockwise around the 10. This 1948 map captures the area near its peak rail service, with B&O in blue, Western Maryland in green, and other railroads in amber. As of the 2020s, only a small percentage of the sidings depicted remain extant, and only some of those remain active.

East of Riverside Yard, the Locust Point Branch (LPB) splits and forms a loop about a half mile in diameter that roughly follows Locust Point's coastline. The west and east sides of the Loop are readily visible in this aerial. For the tour, we'll follow the Loop in a generally clockwise direction. Note "Loop" is merely a handy, descriptive moniker and not an official name.

The tall white stacks at left belong to a then-new American Sugar Refining Company factory. East (right) of the sugar refinery, from 1868 to 1914, B&O's Immigration Pier welcomed over a million Europeans to America. During that era, the southern part (nearer side) was called Whetstone Point. I-95 now crosses horizontally through the middle of this view.

Link: Baltimore Immigration Museum

Westbound I-95 drivers see this as they emerge from the Fort McHenry Tunnel. The railcars at right are sitting along the southeast part of the Locust Point Loop. Next, we'll jump to the western limit of the Loop, located just beyond and to the right of the mostly-dark, rectangular overhead sign left of photo center.

This looks back to the prior photo's location, with the same overhead sign now on the right. The Loop track, here merely quantity one, curves left in the foreground, proceeds into a cut, and then passes under Fort Avenue. On the drawing below, it is labeled Hopper Yard Lead.

Link: 1885

This drawing covers the western half of the Locust Point Loop. Rail customers during the 1980s included Coca-Cola, Chesapeake Paper, Uniroyal, Proctor & Gamble, and Amstar, previously known as the American Sugar Refining Company, and later as Domino Sugar.

The American Sugar Refining Company factory (upper center) was only a few years old at the time of this photo. There are too many railcars in the hopper yard to all be connected with the refinery. Fort Avenue had not yet been grade separated, as shown near the left edge.

Link: Jones Street 1921

As seen from the Fort Avenue overpass, the sugar refinery has received regular train service for over 100 years. I believe that makes it the railroad's longest-active, unrelocated customer in the region. Americans have a sweet tooth.

Around 2008, most of the hopper yard was remade into employee parking.

Link: 100 year celebration

A delivery of UTLX 70534 for Domino Sugar emerges from under Fort Avenue.

CSX 1137 pushes the tanker across Key Highway. The nearer tracks access additional sidings adjacent to Domino.

This is one of Domino's three largest refineries. The others are in New York and Louisiana. Previously, the Armour Fertilizer Works occupied this location. The next photo shows the same scene 70 some years later.

Link: Jones Street 1921

Since 1951, the Domino Sugars sign has nightly bathed the harbor in a gentle red glow. In this view, the back of the sign is partially visible atop the bright building. The nearby air wafts the pleasant aroma of warm French Toast.

During the 2000s, this portion of Key Highway was upgraded to better serve the next factory in the vicinity...

Link: Domino's solar-powered sign

The Under Armour Global Headquarters have taken the place of former occupant Proctor and Gamble.

At the Hull Street grade crossing, CSX 8513 backs carefully into the North Locust Point Marine Terminal, part of which can be seen in the background left.

Fourteen years later (2015), fewer tracks but more industry is seen in the similar view (left). Both photos are near the northernmost reach of the LPB Loop.

The Loop's eastern half served as storage, with a couple dozen tracks grouped in various named yards depending on whether they were for westbound (Brunswick) or eastbound (Philadelphia) railcars.

The North Locust Point Marine terminal dates to 1845 and was built to ease the congestion at Baltimore's original port at its inner harbor. The first B&O railroad line to here was completed in 1849.

The Roaring Twenties witnessed the construction of the Locust Point Grain Terminal, just getting started at photo bottom center.

Link: a Maryland National Register Property

Over 1 million immigrants arrived in America via B&O's original Pier 9 at right center, which is labeled European Wharf. Stopping there were North German Lloyd's Steamers and Allen's Liverpool Steamers. Pier 8 south of it is labeled Steamship Pier, visited by Dictator Steamers and Boston Steamers.

Links: source map, waiting area 1904, one family's story, ~1900

After fire claimed Piers 8 and 9, B&O rebuilt them slightly northwest of their original location. This circa 1920 map labels them as new.

Businesses listed on the map include Piedmont & Mt. Airy Fertilizer Works, Consolidation Coal Company, Bdwy & Locust Pt. Ferry, and G. Ober and Sons Company.

Link: source map

US Navy Algol class fast sealift ships Antares and Denebola are mothballed at the site of original Piers 8 and 9.

Link: 2017

Many tracks near the ships became rust covered after CSX ended service to this yard during 2018. Much of this antediluvian yard is less than 10 feet above sea level, with the lowest parts fated to go under rising ocean levels by the end of the 21st century.

Note the tower at left is not the one remade into Silo Point as seen in the photos below. That's Fort Avenue passing over the disused yard.

Fort Avenue was the perch for this pair of photos separated by 14 years.

The Wire's fictional account of Frank Sobotka's efforts to save the jobs of port workers was inspired by impending change here. In reality, such efforts did not prevent the industrial silos from being converted into condos with a beautiful view. There is no longer much interchange between rails and ships on this side of Locust Point. As will be shown farther below, the other (south) side of Locust Point remains busy with port activity. Many port scenes in The Wire were filmed at Canton, which sits a few miles southeast of Locust Point.

Link: Silo Point condos

Branches sprout branches, literally, at what had been the Bridge Yard at Pier 6. The salt pile behind predicts either lots of snow or lots of popcorn ahead.

A large cargo ship registered in Amsterdam makes rail tankers parked in the foreground look like models. I believe this is Pier 5. Little spurs like that seen had extended to the various piers to facilitate unloading and loading, but as of 2020 most/all were disused.

The yard (left) was full of trains at photo time. From the Loop's eastern limit, various sidings weaved east and north. Fort McHenry occupies the tongue of land at right.

The LPB Loop continues under Fort Avenue, and curls into the South Locust Point Marine Terminal, which can handle large vessels, such as that at distant right. In the foreground, oversized (extra height) "Big Blue" boxcars have little to do but work on their tan.

Between 1840 and 1850, coal production in the USA quadrupled. By 1880, B&O was hauling almost 2 million tons of coal annually for export from Locust Point. Shortly after that, Pennsylvania RR opened a competing terminal across the harbor at Canton and siphoned off some of B&O's coal business. Subsequently, B&O moved its coal operations to Curtis Bay and left Locust Point to handle mostly containerized shipments.

The southern limit of trackage served as home for lost, broken, and derelict railcars. The west portal of Interstate 95's Fort McHenry Tunnel is behind the photographer.

After finishing work at Domino Sugar, CSX 1137 has teamed with CSX 6124 to find something to push or pull according to the yardmaster's whims. McComas Street is closest on the left, then I-95 adjacent.

BIDS is a bulk intermodal distribution terminal at the south end of the Loop. Previously it went by the acronym TBS for terminal bulk storage. The Staley name and reporting mark were used on tank cars for only a short period, so few were photographed; STMX 502 is the closest to the camera. Many Staley cars have been repainted for Tate & Lyle, with an STSX reporting mark.

Off photo left, B&O had constructed a pier for ships arriving with bananas.

United Fruit's Tanamo, one of a fleet of white ships, has arrived from Central America and offloaded bananas at a dedicated pier opened by B&O during 1958. The specialized conveyors at right hoisted 100-pound stems full of bananas directly from ships into railcars that were refrigerated or heated as weather dictated. Railcars used any of seven tracks within the adjacent warehouse.

The banana transport business proved slippery, however, as starting during the 1960s the growers split banana stems into smaller hands that fit in boxes that could be containerized before loading onto the ship. The growers then built their own unloading pier at Wilmington, Delaware, from which trucks carried the bananas to market via newly-opened I-95. The last few banana boats arrived at B&O's pier during the 1970s. Before being demolished in 1985, the pier was found south of the bulk intermodal distribution (BIDS) terminal that has outlived it.

Links: 1958 aerial, unloading, inside, chilling

The banana pier is at photo center. That's McComas Street extending in from the upper left. Now, Fort McHenry Tunnel's west portal opens just north of the former pier.

The windsock helps trains know which direction to land. Umm, no, actually, it's a visual guide for humans so they can move upwind should a dangerous substance leak at the BIDS bulk intermodal distribution terminal.

Speaking of signs, who would pay for a billboard (right) that's so far from the Interstate and the local cross street (Andre Street) that only train crews can read it? Let's zoom in for a closer look.

The answer is you and me, our tax dollars at work via the Ad Council. Their web site states, "Each Ad Council campaign is sponsored by a non-profit organization or federal government agency, which provides the production and distribution costs and serves as the 'issue expert.'"

I suspect Clear Channel gets to choose where such ads are placed, and sure enough, they are relegated to spots no one else would buy. This billboard's message to not waste is a message going to waste.

After Andre Street the LPB Loop rejoins at the east end of Riverside Yard. Old Seaboard caboose SBD 16606 carries a sign that reads Home Shop For Repair Do Not Load.

A caboose makes a fitting final photo for the Locust Point Branch tour, which I hope you enjoyed. If you visit this area to railfan be sure to include Fort McHenry which is basically next door.

Western Maryland Railway's easternmost reach was immediately to the south, and can be toured via the link below.

Change for: Western Maryland tour at this site