Back to Thursday at Brookland station in Washington DC where I board a Metro train each morning. There was a CSX Metropolitain sub train on track 1 w'bound . Coming back in the eveniing it was still there.. Blockage ahead? Motive power failure (it's happened before) on the grade up to Silver Spring ? Couldn't see any power in both directions but it seemed like they had track 1 plugged all day.
Back in 1965 college days, I got to be friends with the operator at the former B&O "Uninersity" or UX station. I hopped (don't this today, kids) slow empty coal trains to points west.. I'd love to find a picture of the station, brick platform, stone base, brick and wood wnidow band, massive wood brackets, slate roof. I've got everything in my head but need a photograph. It''s said that FDR used to be limo'd from this station when polio wouldn't look too good before the press at Union station.
Must have been busy on the Old Main when Metropolitain's track 1 was a siding for a day.
RIX
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
Westbound Autorack train had engine failure and stalled on Silver Spring grade. Trains cannot be shoved in this area by TTSI account political pressure and the lines proximity to DC Metro in the area between QN Tower at the throat of Washington Union Station and Georgetown Jct at Silver Spring. Crew that was originally operating train exceeded the Hours of Service. Crew with additional power was dispatched from Brunswick to couple to the head end and pull the train to Brunswick....train was on move to Brunswick about 11 AM. The train you observed on you afternoon trip was a different autorack train and was waiting it's slot in the MARC schedule to move West from Georgetown Jct.
rixflix Back to Thursday at Brookland station in Washington DC where I board a Metro train each morning. There was a CSX Metropolitain sub train on track 1 w'bound . Coming back in the eveniing it was still there.. Blockage ahead? Motive power failure (it's happened before) on the grade up to Silver Spring ? Couldn't see any power in both directions but it seemed like they had track 1 plugged all day. Back in 1965 college days, I got to be friends with the operator at the former B&O "Uninersity" or UX station. I hopped (don't this today, kids) slow empty coal trains to points west.. I'd love to find a picture of the station, brick platform, stone base, brick and wood wnidow band, massive wood brackets, slate roof. I've got everything in my head but need a photograph. It''s said that FDR used to be limo'd from this station when polio wouldn't look too good before the press at Union station. Must have been busy on the Old Main when Metropolitain's track 1 was a siding for a day. RIX
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
No, it was the same train in the same place. covered hoppers, white and black, and tanks. No rack attacks in sight. just nothing doing on 1.
A month before I had seen an apparently stalled westbound train at QN with power just beyond Franklim St bridge and well past QN's signals with empty racks. They probably wanted to haul the yard at Jessup but a unit failed. A clue BaltACD?
Merchandise train went HOS account of the autorack trains engine failure, the merchandise train had to be routed behind the rack train to have a route for the morning MARC trains. After the autorack train was recrewed with additional power it got a malfunction on the next defect detector and had to inspect it's 9000 feet of train. The plan had been for the crew that moved the rack train to come back and get the merchandise train. With the difficulties experienced with the rack train, the crew did not have sufficient time left upon arrival at Brunswick to implement that plan. Account crew issues it was necessary to wait until the next 'regular' crew came on duty at Brunswick to send them down to get the merchandise train and it was finally moving at 1830 having experienced approximately 12 hours delay.
The incident illustrates the cascading effect of a 'simple' failure across rail system where most all trains are powered to their maximum tonnage rating and the failure of a single engine on the ruling grade has the train stalling. Incident also highlights the current practice of staffing to the calculated minimum number of train & engine personnel. I might add that this incident occurred at the end of the month and several of the T&E personnel of the available manpower pool had achieved their Hours of Service Law maximum allowed work time for the month and thus were not available to be called to resolve the situation.
BaltACD [snipped] Trains cannot be shoved in this area by TTSI account political pressure and the lines proximity to DC Metro in the area between QN Tower at the throat of Washington Union Station and Georgetown Jct at Silver Spring.
"TTSI" = TimeTable Special Instructions ?
"political pressure" and "lines proximity to DC Metro" - can you elaborate on those ?
If not, that's OK - thanks for the investigation and quite candid explanation that you provided above. "Murphy's Law" and corollaries strikes again ! ("stuff" happens)
- Paul North.
Paul_D_North_Jr "political pressure" and "lines proximity to DC Metro" - can you elaborate on those ?
The CSX tracks are literally on either side of the Metro. Like CSX -- Metro -- Metro -- CSX. And in places with stations, CSX/Metro/Platform/Metro/CSX.
OK - "Gotcha". Lat./ Long. coords. of some of these places (per the ACME Mapper 2.0 application), so you can see what they look like in 'aerial' or 'satellite' views:
Brookland-CUA Metro station - about the 800 block of Monroe St. NE on the south, Michigan Ave. NE on the north, and 9th St. NE on the east: N 38.93322 W 76.99451
QN Tower at throat of Washington Union Station: http://wikimapia.org/19379704/QN-Tower
Just north of Rhode Island Ave. NE = U.S. Rt. 1, and the Rhode Island Ave. - Brentwood Metro station: N 38.9215001, W 76.9959378
LInks to photos (not mine) of QN tower: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=104002
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=157999
Georgetown Jct., about 1 mile northwest of Silver Spring, MD, about midway between brookville rd. on the northwest, and Rt. 390 = 16th St. on the east, to the northeast of Talbot Ave., and about 0.1 mi. northwest of Rock Creek Stream Valley Park : N 39.00274 W 77.04638
I also see there's a "Metropolitan Branch Trail" on the northwesterly side along here - see: http://www.metbranchtrail.com/ and http://www.silverspringtrails.org/?p=147
Is that reasonably 'safe', and any good for train-watching ?
rixflix [snipped] Back in 1965 college days, I got to be friends with the operator at the former B&O "Uninersity" or UX station. . . . I'd love to find a picture of the station, brick platform, stone base, brick and wood wnidow band, massive wood brackets, slate roof. I've got everything in my head but need a photograph. . . .
http://www.bullsheet.com/news/towers1958.html
BALTIMORE DIVISION
Following 3 1958 Divisions constitute the basis for todays CSX Baltimore Division. The existing staffed positions are listed in BOLD.
East Side (RG) - block opr handling switches Yardmaster handles Drawbridge - Signals & Switches are Dispatcher controlled CTC 36th & Jackson (G) - operator Bridge (DB) - block opr handling switches 58th Street (FY) - block opr handling switches Landenberg Junction (WJ) - block opr han-dling switches Aberdeen (A) - block opr handling switches (2 shifts) Bay View (BA) - block opr handling switches Penn Mary Jct. (PY) - block opr / clerk North Avenue (NA) - block opr handling switches Hamburg Street (HB) - block opr handling switches Riverside (RV) - block opr handling switches Carroll (CX) - block opr handling switches Brooklyn (BX) - block opr handling switches Halethorpe (HX) - block opr handling switches Brunswick (WB) - block opr handling switches Alexandria Junction (JD) - block opr handling switches Rhode Island Avenue (QN) - block opr han-dling switches Boyd (DS) - block opr handling switches (2 shifts) Charles Town (CH) - block opr / clerk / agent (2 shifts)
CUMBERLAND DIVISION
Harpers Ferry (HF) - block opr handling switches / agent Martinsburg (NA) - block opr handling switches West Cumbo (W) - block opr handling switches Miller (R) - block opr handling switches/ clerk HO Tower (HO) - block opr/clerk handling switches Orleans Road (AD) - block opr handling switches Patterson Creek (FN) - block opr handling switches Mexico (M) - block opr handling switches Cumberland-Virginia Lane - telephoner han-dling switches Cumberland-Baltimore Street - telephoner handling switches Viaduct Junction (ND) - block opr handling switches
PITTSBURGH DIVISION
Mt. Savage Junction (J) - block opr handling switches Hyndman (Q) - block opr handling switches FO Tower (FO) - block opr handling switches Sand Patch (SA) - block opr handling switches GA Tower (GA) - block opr handling switches Rockwood (RW) - block opr handling switches / clerk / agent Confluence (CF) - block opr handling switches Greene Junction (WH) - block opr handling switches Connellsville (D) - sidewire/block opr Broad Ford (BF) - block opr handling switches / agent Layton - (NS) - block opr handling switches Vista (VA) - block opr handling switches MK Tower (MK) - block opr handling switches Bessemer (R) - block opr handling switches Glenwood Jct. (WJ) - block opr handling switches Laughlin Jct. (GN) - block opr handling switches FY Tower (FY) - block opr handling switches Etna (BG) - block opr handling switches Bakerstown (RN) - block opr handling switches / agent Eidenau (MU) - block opr handling switchesButler (B) - block opr / ticket agt / clerk P&W Subdivision leased to Alleghney Valley & B&P Railroads Somerset (SX) - block opr / clerk Oliver (QN) - block opr handling switches S&M Jct. (SF) - block opr / clerk Cheat River (CR) - block opr Morgantown (MN) - block opr / clerk FM&P Subdivision leased to the Southwest Pennsylvania RR
What is the significance of the locations in red ?
Link to an interesting site with 'tours' of the old B&O lines: http://www.frograil.com/railroad/md.htm
and then this one for the Metropolitan Subdivision:
http://www.frograil.com/tours/csx/BOHarpersFerry-DC.htm
and then this one: http://www.frograil.com/tours/csx/CSXOldMainLine.htm
and then this one for the Capitol Subdivision:
http://www.frograil.com/tours/csx/BaltimoreWashington.htm
Also, "Reference 1." on this webpage - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_(MARC_station) - is this: Soderberg, Susan C. (1998). The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, Its Stations and Towns. Germantown, MD: Germantown Historical Society.
Might also try one of the Barnard, Roberts & Co., Inc.'s books on the B&O, such as Impossible Challenge II by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr. - see: http://www.barnardroberts.com/bookdescriptions.html
And I'm still looking for a photo of UX, the Catholic University ? B&O station.
Where was it - streets, etc. ?
They are no longer a part of what CSX actually operates. They have been leased and/or sold to short line carriers. Most of the locations listed were 3 trick operations which supported 4.2 jobs per location. WB Tower is the only 'operator' position that is left, and it's only reason for existance is that MARC wants to pay for it.
Paul_D_North_Jr What is the significance of the locations in red ? - Paul North.
OK - thanks for the supplemental information. I suppose WB at Brunswick is handy for MARC to facilitate local switching and turning of its trains that end their runs and/ or are 'stabled' there ?
I expect to be down that way on May 1st & 2nd with a few hours of 'free' time . . . thus my curiosity on the details.
rixflix And I'm still looking for a photo of UX, the Catholic University ? B&O station.
University (mile 3.2)This stop at the Michigan Avenue crossing was established in 1890 to serve the nearby Catholic University. Francis Baldwin, a Catholic himself, took special care with the design of the station house here. The small building on the south side of the tracks was unique in its masonry construction, Romanesque design, and arched porte-cochere on the front. It was damaged by fired and later torn down the 1970s. It was similar in design to the station at Hagerstown that inspired writer George Alfred Townsend to build a monument to honor war correspondents. A subdivision called University Heights was built nearby in the 1870s. The UX block tower was here.
A depression in the 1870’s kept the B&O from building the elaborate brick train stations or smaller frame stations planned for the line; most stops had to make do with temporary wood buildings or waiting shelters for a few years. When they were built, nearly all of the station houses on the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad were designed by Baltimore architect, Ephraim Francis Baldwin (1837-1916), who is most recognized for the large Victorian Gothic Station at Point-of-Rocks, built in 1875. Station houses at Rockville, Kensington, Gaithersburg, and Dickerson still stand and are historic sites.
The interlocking machines were composed of sets of levers with electrical contacts controlling the signals. If one lever was pulled it interlocked with others to create the correct signals to allow a train to pass safely. The systems were placed in block tower located at . . . University (UX), . . .
The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, Its Stations and Towns by Susan Cooke Soderberg, May 1998, The Germantown Historical Society, Germantown, MD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_Francis_Baldwin
From: http://baltimorearchitecture.org/biographies/e-ephraim-francis-baldwin/
For more information on E. Francis Baldwin you can purchase a copy of the book, E. Francis Baldwin, Architect: The B&O, Baltimore, and Beyond by Carlos P. Avery, by clicking the button below, or by using the “Buy a Book” feature on the sidebar to the right. The book is 150 pages soft cover with a cover price of $23.00.
Local History: Catholic University of America Book by Bob Malesky - http://brooklandavenue.com/blog/?p=2251
The day to day servicing of MARC equipment is done at Brunswick, Frederick and Riverside in Baltimore, which are their nightly layover point. The equipment is operated in Push-Pull service. The trains are Pushed into DC and pulled from DC. Brunswick does not have any turning facility, if something needs to be turned (either CSX or MARC) it has to be taken to Point of Rocks, (where the Frederick MARC trains join the Metropolitan Sub from the Old Main Line Sub).
Paul_D_North_Jr OK - thanks for the supplemental information. I suppose WB at Brunswick is handy for MARC to facilitate local switching and turning of its trains that end their runs and/ or are 'stabled' there ? I expect to be down that way on May 1st & 2nd with a few hours of 'free' time . . . thus my curiosity on the details. - Paul North.
Yep - by 'turn' I meant just swapping the control ends, not literally turning the entire train 180 degrees.
Studying a map for a few minutes, I just realized that the MARC-operated part of the B&O/ CSX, see: http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/marcTrainSystemMap.cfm - plus a little more of the Old Main Sub - could trump some model railroad schematics. Specifically, it's almost a complete loop with essentially 4 junctions that are complete 'wyes' embedded in it along the way, with the outer 'leg' of each wye going to what is functionally an end-of-the-line station/ terminal, as follows:
- At the SW corner, QN with the stub going further SW to Washington Union Station;
- At the NW corner, Point of Rocks with the stub going further NW to Brunswick;
- At the N corner, Monocacy (?) with the stub going further N to Frederick;
- At the E corner, Thomas Viaduct (Halethorpe - HX ?) with the stub going further NE to Baltimore. Only this junction needs a 3rd track on the SW side to make it a full wye, and to make the loop a complete circle - but only about 1,000 ft. of track and a new bridge over the Patapsco River would fill that slight gap in the system . . .
Now, back to rixflix's Original Post: Still no luck in finding an on-line photo of that station, but at least now I know what I'm looking for. Supposedly it was based on the Hagerstown station per the History excerpt from the Metropolitan Branch Trail website above, but I can't even find a photo of that one . . .
For the B&O (CSX) Washington Union Station forms the Apex of a Wye. QN Tower denotes the West Leg and F Tower denotes the East Leg. The Main tracks between QN & F are approximately 4000 feet. In the days of B&O passenger service most trains backed into WUT. Trains from Baltimore would pull past QN Tower and then back into the station proper. Eastbounds from Brunswick would pull past F Tower and then back in.
To build a connection from the Old Main Line to the Westbound Capital Sub at Relay would be quite a undertaking as the bridge across the Patapsco River would end up having to join or abut the B&O's iconic Thomas Viaduct which also crosses the Patapsco. The business structure of the B&O and later CSX has no need of this connection. Trains between Brunswick and Baltimore can operate via either the Old Main Line or the Capital/Metropolitan Sub routings. Cap/Met has a speed advantage and the Old Main Line has a tonnage advantage.
Paul_D_North_Jr Studying a map for a few minutes, I just realized that the MARC-operated part of the B&O/ CSX, see: http://mta.maryland.gov/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/marcTrainSystemMap.cfm - plus a little more of the Old Main Sub - could trump some model railroad schematics. Specifically, it's almost a complete loop with essentially 4 junctions that are complete 'wyes' embedded in it along the way, with the outer 'leg' of each wye going to what is functionally an end-of-the-line station/ terminal, as follows: - At the SW corner, QN with the stub going further SW to Washington Union Station; - At the NW corner, Point of Rocks with the stub going further NW to Brunswick; - At the N corner, Monocacy (?) with the stub going further N to Frederick; - At the E corner, Thomas Viaduct (Halethorpe - HX ?) with the stub going further NE to Baltimore. Only this junction needs a 3rd track on the SW side to make it a full wye, and to make the loop a complete circle - but only about 1,000 ft. of track and a new bridge over the Patapsco River would fill that slight gap in the system . . . - Paul North.
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