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PRR / Amtrak Photo Tour


PRR / Amtrak in Maryland
Modern day photo tour

Accompanying each photo below are:

Click a photo to see a larger view. Please send your comments and corrections to Steve.


Special Note: >>> Places described on this page host quiet, high-speed trains. Stay well clear! <<<

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President Street Branch

President Street Branch
Mile: 91.9 Date: Aug 2018
Ease: A View: W
Area: B T6:
Map: Ba 36 B 12 Topographic Maps

This tour page follows freight line known as the President Street Branch (left) from Bay View yard south to the Canton (east Baltimore) waterfront. What is now a branch had been Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad's (PW&B's) main line to its station at President Street.

Links: 2013, 2014


Intermodal

Intermodal
Mile: 92.0, spur 0.5 Date: Aug 2016
Ease: A View: N
Area: C T6:
Map: Ba 36 A 13 Topographic Maps

An NS intermodal facility operates adjacent Lombard Street as a sort of Bay View extension. The leftmost track supports rail car interchange with CSX.

Link: 2013


Under B&O

Under B&O
Mile: 92.0, spur 0.7 Date: Aug 2016
Ease: B+ View: NE
Area: C- T6:
Map: Ba 35 K 13 Topographic Maps

After PRR cut off B&O's track-leased access northeast of Baltimore, B&O built its own line to Philadelphia during the 1880s, including this Whipple truss bridge, the only survivor of its kind in Maryland. It is believed to be the oldest steel bridge still in use by CSX.

Change for: B&O Sparrows Point tour


Four Tracks

Four Tracks
Mile: 92.0, spur 0.7 Date: Aug 2016
Ease: B+ View: E
Area: C- T6:
Map: Ba 35 K 13 Topographic Maps

Four tracks over Eastern Avenue tell you this route has been busier. Much containerized cargo now goes directly from ship to truck, or vice versa, at the marine terminals, leaving these tracks underutilized.


Union Crossing

Union Crossing
Mile: 92.0, spur 1.3 Date: Nov 2016
Ease: A View: N
Area: C T6:
Map: Ba 43 K 2 Topographic Maps

As seen from O'Donnell Street, the ex-PW&B/PRR tracks now curve to join the ex-Union Railroad / Northern Central tracks, but previously had crossed and continued more to the left (west) to docks at what is now Canton Park, plus beyond to President Street Station. A few stranded boxcars sit at right.

The route to President Street Station ran along Boston and Fleet Streets. Except for the station and assorted oddly-curved buildings, no evidence of the line remains. Consequently, as PRR had, we'll continue south to the waterfront as NS trains now do.


Canton Junction
Photo courtesy Todd Sestero

Canton Junction
Mile: 92.0, spur 1.6 Date: 1972
Ease: A- View: S
Area: C- T6:
Map: Ba 43 K 2 Topographic Maps

semaphore 2016 About 0.3 miles south of Union Crossing the ex-Union Railroad / Northern Central / PRR tracks crossed those of B&O. Here two semaphore signals hung on into the 1970s. Both signals are gone, but one of their poles survives, now obscured by vines (right). These photos both look generally south into Canton Yard now shared by CSX and Norfolk Southern.

B&O tracks had crossed left-to-right via multiple diamonds as seen in the 1972 photo and continued west (right) where they would cross Haven Street at grade.


Coal

Coal
Mile: 92.0, spur 2.1 Date: Nov 2018
Ease: A View: S
Area: B T6: 300
Map: Ba 44 A 4 Topographic Maps

Coal, and lots of it, is the primary transport along these rails, bound for CONSOL Energy at the waterfront. Sometimes the hoppers stack up waiting to be unloaded.


Coal Hill

Coal Hill
Mile: 92.0, spur 1.9 Date: May 2017
Ease: A View: S
Area: C+ T6:
Map: Ba 44 A 3 Topographic Maps

All that coal has to be held somewhere until the next ship arrives. It is piled into 70-foot mounds like the one seen in the background from Penn Mary Yard almost a mile away. That's CTN 1204 and CTN 1307 in the foreground, both belonging to the Canton Railroad, a Class III switching and terminal railroad that operates at the port.

Change for: Canton Railroad tour


From Keith Avenue

From Keith Avenue
Mile: 92.0, spur 2.6 Date: Jul 2016
Ease: A View: SW
Area: B T6: 304
Map: Ba 43 K 4 Topographic Maps

The coal holding area at the waterfront occupies more than 40 acres.

Change for: movie fimed here within CTN tour


Salt

Salt
Mile: 92.0, spur 1.9 Date: Jul 2016
Ease: A View: SE
Area: C+ T6:
Map: Ba 43 J 3 Topographic Maps

Coal is not the only bulk material delivered via train. Equally large mounds of salt wait for the next icy winter.


From I-95

From I-95
Mile: 92.0, spur 2.5 Date: Aug 2017
Ease: A View: N
Area: B T6:
Map: Ba 43 K 4 Topographic Maps

As seen from I-95 near the Fort McHenry Tunnel, huge salt mounds make tankers look small enough to be models. The branch now ends in this vicinity as a loop to ease the return of empty hoppers.


Boston Street
Photo courtesy Johns Hopkins University

Boston Street
Mile: 92.0, spur 2.7 Date: 1924
Ease: View: SE
Area: T6:
Map: Ba 43 F 1 Topographic Maps

In the past, the spur also continued west of Canton via Boston Street and other surface streets as PW&B's main line. Even after Union Tunnel opened in 1873 and enabled passengers to reach the main station at Charles Street, this route remained in use for freight purposes for about another 100 years.

In the full-size image, tracks are visible along Boston Street, as well as boxcars on sidings. The tall building at lower left remains extant as of 2018 at the corner of Boston and Hudson Streets, with "The Can Company" painted on its corner, and an Outback Steakhouse occupying its bottom floor.


President Street Station
Photo courtesy Google

President Street Station
Mile: 92.0, spur 3.7 Date: Oct 2017
Ease: A View: SE
Area: B T6:
Map: Ba 43 D 1 Topographic Maps

By more westward street running, ultimately PW&B reached its Baltimore passenger station at President and Fleet Streets. Horse-drawn carriages shuttled travellers between here and B&O at Mount Clare and Camden Station.

The 1849-constructed building is the oldest surviving rail terminal in the USA. (Ellicott City Station is older, but no longer a terminal.) During 1861 riots, it saw some of the earliest bloodshed of the American Civil War, and now houses a Civil War Museum. A burgeoning Harbor East development during the 21st century brought several high rises to the area.

Links: 1936, Trains Magazine 1948 Baltimore RR map, 1974


Wood Stringers
Photo credit HH Harwood

Wood Stringers
Mile: 92.0, spur 3.7 Date: 1998
Ease: View: ?
Area: B T6:
Map: Ba 43 D 1 Topographic Maps

Sewer work at the east side of President Street Station uncovered old track made with wooden stringers presumably to which iron strap rail had been affixed. This style of track was tried during the 1830s after which it quickly fell out of favor due to lack of durability. This may be track built by the Baltimore and Port Deposit RR.

Link: 1998 newspaper report


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