Best Rail Fan Photography Sites in Baltimore - DC

[Anonymous]

Interested in hearing about your favorite places to photograph trains in the DC and Baltimore areas. Looking for nice curves, high traffic, scenic backgrounds, easy access without trespassing. I'm in heavy CSX country, so I'm especially interested in catching some Norfolk Southern trains in and out of Baltimore. I've enjoyed Relay, where the Old Main Line splits with the Camden Line, and several great spots along the Cumberland and Metropolitan subs along the C&O Canal between Point of Rocks and Harper's Ferry. Looking for fresh angles. Bring it on!

[Anonymous]

I am also a CSX fan and frequent the Relay Site. You might consider shooting with the neat old Laurel Station in the background or from the route 175 overpass by the Jessup station. Maybe I'll see you at Relay sometime. My name is Bill and I drive a red two door Explorer.

[Anonymous]

If you go north of Baltimore to Perryville Station (off of Route 40) you can catch AMTRAK, MARC and NS. The station sits in the middle of the wye connecting AMTRAK's Northeast Corridor and NS's Port Road to Harrisburg, PA. One can follow the Port Road for a few miles and park right on the trackside as the route squeezes between the Susquehanna River and the cliffs.

CSX passes over the Port Road as it crosses the Susquehanna in a high trestle. NS traffic is light and usually at night to avoid interfering with AMTRAK and MARC schedules. CSX is fairly active with 12-14 trains a day (mostly intermodal) and can be easily accessed on almost every road the exits Route 40 to the north. The old B&O Aberdeen Station is prime viewing area with trains coming upgrade in both directions.

In Belcamp there is a small industrial park that Westinghouse (?) operates a 25 ton critter and is home to a CSX GP-40-2 and road slug which switches between Belcamp and Baltimore. It sits most nights right at the crossing in the industrial park. Name of park escapes me (Brass Mills I think). Just get off of 40 at the Belcamp exit and head north. Park is on right. Turn at the Mercedes plant to reach switch lead.

Much more when I have more time.

Tim

[Anonymous]

In the DC area....

New Carrollton station, served by MARC and Amtrak. The top level of the parking garage provides a magnificent view. Accessible through Metro's Orange Line.

Seabrook MARC station ... a long straight stretch

Bowie Old Town. This is the junction of the Popes Creek Secondary with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. One can see both CSX coal drags and Acela express.

Riverdale MARC station on the Camden Line. This is near JD interlocking where CSX freights go to and come from points south.

L'Enfant VRE station, between 6th Street and 7th Street SW. Near the L'Enfant Metro station. CSX, NS, Amtrak and the VRE make this place a busy line during rush hour.

Washington Union Station. The view from the parking garage in back of the station offers a good view of station operations. Accessible through Metro's Red Line.

Alexandria Station. Served by Amtrak and the VRE, there's also plenty of freight activity courtesy of CSX and NS. Easy access is available via the King Street Metro (Yellow and Blue Lines).

There's a lot in the DC area to enjoy!

[rixflix]

I've actually camped at Relay several times, even sleeping on the monument base!!!
I would bicycle up Route 1 from DC and provision in Elkridge. Trains for DC and beyond rolled by just a few feet away and eastbounder's headlights would blow out my night vision. Great railroad dreams between trains.
Camped once with my son in the middle of the LV Junction wye in West Reading where Conrail's Harrisburg line splits for Philadelphia or Allentown. We were at headlight level in a yellow tent and it was like being inside a light bulb every time a train passed. It was the first time he questioned my sanity, but you gotta start sometime!!!
I've also camped in an Amtrak maintenance car (looked like a transfer caboose) in their yard next to Penn Station in Baltimore on the Northern Central branch. Track crews woke me up a couple of times throwing spikes and plates into a pickup, but then it was a stroll monday morning to the station, an early MARC train, and my job in DC.
Perryville was a good trip. (1) Friday pm MARC Dc to Perryville (2) Hike the Port Road to just below Port Deposit (3) Camp on flat rocks extending into Susquehanna (forgetting it was tidal there and waking up with feet and end of tent underwater) (4) Proceed on Saturday to a nice spot above Conowingo Dam and camp overnight there (5) Return to
Perryville Sunday night and camp on the entrance platform of the boarded-up interlocking tower with westward view of Amtrak's Perryville bridge (6) Board Monday AM
MARC train to DC and work.
So that's been my ploy for railfanning the area: Go with the flow of traffic on MARC or VRE and camp out on long summer evenings. You could even do overnighters during the work week.
What I don't like about Relay is watching the locals take their evening strolls across Thomas Viaduct. I keep expecting to see Cream of Pedestrian Soup someday

bon jour

Captain Video aka Rixflix

[RudyRockvilleMD]

A good vantage point for photographing trains on the Northeast Corridor in Perryville is the VA Medical Center which is on the south side of Amtrak's tracks. The last time I was there was April, 2003, and nobody bothered me. If you can go in by the ball field on the top of the hill you can get a good view of the trains crossing the Susquehanna River; you can get good photos of trains on either track. The VA Medical Center is a good site for photographing eastbound trains crosing the Susquehanna River from the early through the late morning.

Most of the trains that run on the Northeast Corridor during the daytime are passenger trains although from time-to-time you may see an NS local freight; but on very rare occasions NS may run a merchandise or an intermodal freight during the daytime between Baltimore and Perryville. The merchandise or intermodal freight trains usually take to the Port Road after leaving Perryville.

There is a small park overlooking the Susquehanna River in Perryville, outside of and near the entrance to the VA Medical Center. This is a good site for photographing eastbound trains crossing the Susquehanna River late in the afternoon, and this includes MARC trains to Perryville. Most MARC trains arrive in Perryville, discharge their passengers, and then they deadhead back to Baltimore. However, starting March 1 MARC will run two off-peak local trains between Washington, DC and Perryville so you can leave Washington or Baltimore early in the morning, spend most of the day in Perryville, and take the midafternoon train back to Baltimore or Washington.

Havre de Grace is across the river from Perryville, and it is a better site for photographing westbound trains crossing the Susquehanna River in the late afternoon or the early evening. Some good vantage points are the Canal Museum about 1/3 mile upstream from the Amtrak Bridge or the boat launch ramp (Jean Roberts Park) immediately upstream from the Amtrak Bridge. A watefront park runs downstream from the Amtrak Bridgfe from which you can photograph trains crossing the Susquehanna River; that site is best for photographing eastbound trains in the morning.

There is no public transportation in Havre de Grace or Perryville, or between the two cities. The toll on the US 40 bridge crossing the Susquehanna River is now $5.00 for the round trip.

[rixflix]

An addenda to my Perryville-Havre de Grace musings:::
Camping around there no longer suits my current style, but it was fun and if you can, do it!!! Havre is infested with charming little B&B's and I suspect Perryville and Port D. are following the lead. My ex and i just spent a long weekend in Havre at Currier's for $105.00 a night for single bed (of course) double occupancy. Bill with discount for 3 nights in an historic (Underground Railroad station) house with breakfasts and Jane, our sweet, unubtrusive but engaging innkeeper was under $300.00. Someone told me there's an L.L.Bean store around Perryville. We'll never be Red Roof Lobster House Inn people again or L.L.Bean people ever, and while the massages and snuggling were sweet, we've been brotherly/sisterly since the divorce, long years ago.
You can trainwatch or photograph and enjoy the local amenities with a car if you like, but I prefer to leave mine behi....actually I don't own one. Living in Washington, I've got my BMW::: Bus, Metro, Walk, and try to patronize railroads.
So Here's a revised scheme, as E.M.Frimbo used to say.
From Washington, Baltimore and all stops through Aberdeen, jump on the evening MARC train to Perryville.
Walk the Route 40 Bridge back into Havre de Grace.
Since you've made reservations at the B&B and are probably starving, check out Italian food and yummy deserts at La Cucina on Market Street before strolling along the harbor or down leafy Union Street to your host's historic home turned refuge from urban cares. If Jane or Carol or whomever has retired they'll be instructions and keys in a pre-arranged place. Enter, settle in and have wild or tender sex. Your sleep will then be the envy of the gods. Don't worry about the next days because you will be taken care of, have mobility things handled with the greatest of ease, and generally get your asses Pampered!!! Don't miss McGregor's for extremely local and fresh seafood. I've never had rockfish and could it be that shad's coming back? We've booked a waterview table
for Easter Sunday evening.
Get yourselves over to Perryville Monday morning early for the MARC train that will land you back in Washington around 7:30 am. You may then go directly to work if you please, but your employer may notice that you seem to be Still In Heaven!!!
The folks up there aim to please and like their fowl-hunting kin, don't miss!!!
While I kinda expect to be facing restrictive (Sweetie I still need my own space) signals this weekend, I've been getting friendly with a lady at the bus-stop who might give me all-green come Autumn.
Peace and happiness this Passover and Easter season.
Rick

[RudyRockvilleMD]

Update on Perryville, MD.

I went back to the Perryville, MD area today (April 9, 2004).

I first went to Jackson, MD (CSX calls it East Aiken) which is the location of the B&O Holly Tree. When the B&O ran passenger trains to Jersey City the Holly Tree was decorated with lights between Thanksgiving and New Years The trains slowed down and the coach attendants on the trains running after dark used to briefly douse the lights to give the passengers a better view of the tree which was spectacular to begin with. The B&O donated the tree and some land to Cecil County, and it is now a county park which is easily accessible by road. Drive east 3 miles from the intersection of US 40 and MD 222 to Jackson Road. Make a sharp left turn on to Jackson Road, and make the first right turn on to Holly Tree Road to the park. Morning shots of eastbound trains are best because you can photograph them passing between two color position light signals. East Aiken is at the east end of a long passing siding which run from Aiken which is north of Perryville. The CSX seemed to be busy, 3 trains (all eastbound) within an hour and a half.

It is still possible to photograph trains crossing the Susquehanna River from the grounds of the Perryville VA Medical Center. Considering today's conditions you would think they would restrict access. The MARC Penn Line recently added early morning and midday round trips between Washington and Perryville; you can get the schedules from MARC's (or MTA Maryland's) web site: www.mtamaryland.com. The midday train consisted of 6 bi-level cars hauled by one of MARC's new HHP 8 electric locomotives, and it arrived in Perryville 15 minutes early

For Rixflix:
Don't even think of trying to walk across the US 40 bridge over the Susquehanna River! There are no walkways. Cars and trucks travel at 55 mph or more. Pedestrians are forbidden. That bridge is well patroled by the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Toll Facilities Police.

Strangely enough - and according to its schedule - MARC will not pick up passengers in Aberdeen and take them to Perryville, but they will pick up passengers in Perryville and discharge them in Aberdeen.