Baltimore Terminal Subdivision

Last updated
CSX autorack train on the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision in Baltimore 20120729 31 CSX Railroad, Baltimore, Maryland-2 (8906988710).jpg
CSX autorack train on the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision in Baltimore
Camden Station in 1865 Camden Station in 1868.jpg
Camden Station in 1865
Baltimore Terminal
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon CONT3.svg
Bay View Yard and Penn Mary Yard
BSicon ABZg+1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BAK
89.6
Bay View
BSicon STR.svg
BAK
91.5
Clifton Park
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Harford Road Tunnel
BSicon STR.svg
BAK
92.0
Waverly
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Greenmount Avenue Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Barclay Avenue Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Guilford Avenue Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
St Paul & Calvert Street Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Charles & Oak Street Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
BAK
93.5
Huntingdon Avenue Tunnel
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
Twin Tunnels
BSicon eBHF.svg
BAK
94.6
Baltimore
Mount Royal Station
BSicon HUB2.svg
BSicon KBHFa.svg
BSicon HUBc3.svg
BSicon tSTRa.svg
BAA
0.2
Baltimore
Camden Station
MARC train.svg BSicon TRAM.svg
BSicon HUBc1.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon HUB4.svg
BSicon etHST.svg
Howard Street Tunnel
BSicon KRWgl.svg
BSicon PORTALg.svg
BSicon exBUILDINGr.svg
BSicon KRWg+r.svg
BAA
0.4
HB Junction
(tower closed)
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon dABZg2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BAA
0.5
BSicon STR2.svg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon cdSTRc1.svg
BSicon STRl+4.svg
BSicon CONTf@Fq.svg
Locust Point Branch
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon ABZg+4.svg
BAA
0.7
Bailey
BSicon POINTER2.svg
BSicon kABZg2.svg
BSicon cSTRc2.svg
BSicon dSTR3.svg
BAA
1.5
Carroll
Mt Clare Branch
BSicon dSTR+1.svg
BSicon BS2l.svg
BSicon kSTRc1.svg
BSicon dSTRc4.svg
BSicon kSTRl+4.svg
BSicon lCONTf@Fq.svg
BSicon BS2c3.svg
Baltimore industrial trackage
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Carrollton Viaduct
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon exBUILDINGr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
CX Tower
(closed)
BSicon SKRZ-G4u.svg
BSicon SKRZ-G4u.svg
I-95.svg I-95
BSicon dCONTgq.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon dCONTfq.svg
BSicon dCONTgq.svg
BSicon SHI1r.svg
BSicon vSTR+r-.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon BS2l.svg
BSicon dBS2c3.svg
Mount Clare “A” Yard
BSicon SHI1+l.svg
BSicon LKRW+l.svg
BSicon KRWgr.svg
to Mount Winans Yard
BSicon ABZgl+l.svg
BSicon STRq.svg
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon lCONTf@Fq.svg
BAC
2.8
Curtis Bay Junction
Curtis Bay Branch
BSicon KRWg+l.svg
BSicon LKRWr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BAC
3.2
to Mount Winans Yard
BSicon KRWl.svg
BSicon KRW+lr.svg
BSicon KRWr.svg
BAA
3.2
West Baltimore
BSicon STR.svg
BAA
3.8
Lansdowne
BSicon SKRZ-G4o.svg
I-695.svg I-695
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon SKRZ-G4u.svg
I-195.svg I-195
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon ABZg3.svg
BAA
5.8
Halethorpe
BSicon CONT1.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
BSicon STR2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon CONT4.svg
Capital Subdivision to Washington

The Baltimore Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland. The line runs from Baltimore to Halethorpe along the original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line, one of the oldest rail lines in the United States and the first passenger railroad line. At its east (north) end, it connects with the Philadelphia Subdivision; its west (south) end has a junction with the Capital Subdivision and the Old Main Line Subdivision. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Mount Clare to points south and west

The B&O began construction in 1828. The original terminal was located in Baltimore at Pratt and Poppleton Streets. This location, initially a temporary wooden shed, became known as the Mount Clare Station. The Mount Clare Shops, the first railroad manufacturing facility in the U.S., was also built in this area. The rail line exited the city in a southwesterly direction. The company encountered varied terrain that required several large cut and fill earthmoving operations. The B&O built the Carrollton Viaduct, the first stone masonry bridge built for a U.S. railroad, during this project. The company provided an inaugural ride on the line from Pratt Street to the viaduct on New Year's Day 1830. The bridge, a National Historic Landmark, is still used by CSX today. [note 1] Construction of the tracks continued southward to the Patapsco River near Halethorpe, and then turned west following the river. Today Halethorpe is the southern terminus of the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision.

The railroad offered the first regular passenger train service in the U.S. in May 1830, from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills (now called Ellicott City) along the Patapsco. The first permanent train station, the Ellicott City Station, was completed in 1831.

Mount Winans Yard. The set of three tracks on the right is the current CSX main line. The pair of tracks on the extreme left is the Mount Clare Branch, part of the original B&O main line, leading to the Carrollton Viaduct. Mt Winans Yard CSX.jpg
Mount Winans Yard. The set of three tracks on the right is the current CSX main line. The pair of tracks on the extreme left is the Mount Clare Branch, part of the original B&O main line, leading to the Carrollton Viaduct.

Also in 1831, the B&O built a junction, known as Relay, just north of the river near Halethorpe and began construction of the Washington Branch south toward Washington, D.C. (This branch was later named the Capital Subdivision.) The section of the line proceeding west from Relay, along the Patapsco, eventually became known as the Old Main Line.

The B&O built a branch line to Locust Point, on the Baltimore harbor, during 1848–49. The branch had a rail yard and terminal that was used for shipping coal and bulk minerals, and later for grain and merchandise. A permanent station at Mount Clare was completed c. 1851. The railroad opened the larger Camden Station nearby in 1857, and expanded it in 1865. In 1875 new roundhouses were built at Bailey's (Ostend Street, near the site of the present-day M&T Bank Stadium) and Riverside Yard on Locust Point. Another branch line and a larger shipping terminal at Curtis Bay was opened in 1884. Subsequently, all coal traffic was routed to the new terminal. The B&O built two larger roundhouses at Riverside in 1907 (totaling 50 stalls) and no longer used the Bailey's facilities for locomotive operations.

Baltimore to Philadelphia

Mount Royal Station in 1961 Mt Royal Station Baltimore.jpg
Mount Royal Station in 1961

The B&O's initial route from Baltimore to Philadelphia was on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. The B&O operated a car float across the Baltimore harbor to bring trains from Philadelphia to connections at Locust Point and to the south and west. By the early 1880s this line was controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which proceeded to deny access to the B&O. The B&O then built the Philadelphia Branch (known formally as the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad). To move trains more efficiently around the city it also built the Baltimore Belt Line and the Howard Street Tunnel during 1891 to 1895, at considerable expense. The car float operation was shut down after the new facilities opened.

The Mount Royal Station, along the Belt Line, opened in 1896. This became the second of two Baltimore stops for the Royal Blue passenger train, which began service in 1890 between Washington and New York City. (The other stop was Camden Station.) Passenger traffic declined significantly after World War II and the B&O closed the Mount Royal station in 1961.

Locomotives entering Baileys Wye, heading north to the Howard Street Tunnel. CSX Balt Term Sub - Baileys09.jpg
Locomotives entering Baileys Wye, heading north to the Howard Street Tunnel.
The southern terminus of the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision at the northern terminus of the Capital Subdivision, in St. Denis, Maryland. St Denis; CSX Capital-Baltimore Terminal Subs.JPG
The southern terminus of the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision at the northern terminus of the Capital Subdivision, in St. Denis, Maryland.

The junction of the Philadelphia Branch and the Belt Line, in east Baltimore, is the northern terminus of the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision.

CSX acquisition

CSX completed formal acquisition of the B&O in 1987.

Current operations

The Baltimore Terminal Subdivision continues to support both freight and passenger train operations.

Local commuter passenger trains are operated on the line by the state-run MARC Train service. The MARC Camden Line operates between Camden Station and Washington's Union Station.

See also

Notes

  1. The Carrollton Viaduct is located on the present-day Mount Clare Branch, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the Carroll junction on the main line. The B&O rebuilt the main line tracks in the 1870s.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore and Ohio Railroad</span> Rail system in the United States

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of the National Road early in the century, wanted to do business with settlers crossing the Appalachian Mountains. The railroad faced competition from several existing and proposed enterprises, including the Albany-Schenectady Turnpike, built in 1797, the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Maryland Railway</span> Freight railroad in Appalachia

The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad (1852–1983) that operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Subdivision</span>

The Capital Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The line runs from near Baltimore, Maryland, southwest to Washington, D.C., along the former Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road (B&O) Washington Branch. The subdivision's Alexandria Extension provides a connection to Virginia and points south.

The Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad was a railroad line built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Maryland-Delaware state line, where it connected with the B&O's Philadelphia Branch to reach Baltimore, Maryland. It was built in the 1880s after the B&O lost access to its previous route to Philadelphia, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B). The cost of building the new route, especially the Howard Street Tunnel on the connecting Baltimore Belt Line, led to the B&O's first bankruptcy. Today, the line is used by CSX Transportation for freight trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Viaduct</span> Railroad bridge in Maryland, US

The Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay, Maryland and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It was commissioned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O); built between July 4, 1833, and July 4, 1835; and named for Philip E. Thomas, the company's first president. Some claim it to be the world's oldest multiple arched stone railroad bridge. However, the Sankey Viaduct on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened in 1830, and finally completed in 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patterson Viaduct</span> Bridge in Ilchester, Maryland

The Patterson Viaduct was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as part of its Old Main Line during May to December 1829. The viaduct spanned the Patapsco River at Ilchester, Maryland. It was heavily damaged by a flood in 1868 and subsequently replaced with other structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Main Line Subdivision</span>

The Old Main Line Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland. The line runs from Relay west to Point of Rocks, and was once the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, one of the oldest rail lines in the United States. At its east end, it has junctions with the Capital Subdivision and the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision; its west end has a junction with the Metropolitan Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Branch (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad)</span> Railroad line in Frederick County, Maryland, US

The Frederick Branch is a railroad line in Frederick County, Maryland. It was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1831, and is now owned by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The 3.4 mi (5.5 km) branch extends between Frederick Junction – a wye with the Old Main Line Subdivision of CSX Transportation on the west side of the Monocacy River – and its terminus at East Street in downtown Frederick, Maryland. The wye at Frederick Junction was the first example of its kind in the United States and is still in use today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Belt Line</span> Baltimore USA railroad line

The Baltimore Belt Line was constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in the early 1890s to connect the railroad's newly constructed line to Philadelphia and New York City/Jersey City with the rest of the railroad at Baltimore, Maryland. It included the Howard Street Tunnel, the Mount Royal Station for B&O's Royal Blue Line passenger trains, and the first mainline railroad electrification in the United States. CSX Transportation currently operates the line as part of its Baltimore Terminal Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad</span> Defunct railway line in Maryland, US

The Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad was an American railroad of central Maryland built in the 19th century. The railroad, the second to serve Annapolis, ran between Annapolis and Clifford along the north shore of the Severn River. From Clifford, just north of the present day Patapsco Light Rail Stop, it connected with the B&O's Curtis Bay branch so that trains could travel to Baltimore. In 1921, when it was called the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line, it was purchased by the larger Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway (WB&A), and then emerged from the WB&A's 1935 bankruptcy and closure as the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad. B&A electric passenger operation between the two cities continued until 1950, at which time the rail line became solely a freight carrier, operating buses for passenger service. Freight service to Annapolis continued until June 1968 when the Severn River Trestle was declared unsafe. In the 1980s, the line was completely shut down. The right-of-way now serves as part of Baltimore's light rail system and as the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrisburg Subdivision</span> Rail line in Pennsylvania, US

The Harrisburg Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Pennsylvania. The line is located in Philadelphia, and connects Greenwich Yard and the Philadelphia Subdivision with the Trenton Subdivision along a former Pennsylvania Railroad line. Much of the Harrisburg Subdivision is the High Line' or West Philadelphia Elevated along 31st Street over the 30th Street Station area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Philadelphia Elevated</span> Railroad viaduct in Pennsylvania, United States

The West Philadelphia Elevated, also known as the High Line or Philadelphia High Line, is a railroad viaduct in the western part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now part of the Harrisburg Subdivision of CSX Transportation, the viaduct was built in 1903 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to allow through freight trains to bypass rail yard, industrial sidings, and a passenger station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Subdivision</span> Rail line in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Subdivision</span> Railroad line in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, United States

The Metropolitan Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the District of Columbia and the U.S. state of Maryland. The 53-mile line runs from Washington, D.C., northwest to Weverton, Maryland, along the former Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P&W Subdivision</span>

The P&W Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation, the Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR), and the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Rankin north through Pittsburgh to West Pittsburg along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line, once the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Station</span> Rail station in Baltimore, Maryland, US

Camden Station, now also referred to as Camden Street Station, Camden Yards, and formally as the Transportation Center at Camden Yards, is a train station at the intersection of South Howard and West Camden Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, behind the B&O Warehouse. It is served by MARC commuter rail service and local Light Rail trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halethorpe station</span> Railway station in Halethorpe, Maryland

Halethorpe station is a passenger rail station located in the unincorporated community of Halethorpe, Maryland on the Northeast Corridor. MARC Penn Line trains serve the station; Amtrak trains pass through but do not stop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Denis station (MARC)</span> Rail station in Baltimore County, Maryland, US

St. Denis station is a passenger rail station on the MARC Camden Line in the Maryland town of the same name. While the small station is the line's closest station to its terminus at Camden Yards in Baltimore, it has low ridership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Winans, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood of Baltimore in Maryland, United States

"Mount Winans" is a mixed-use residential, commercial and industrial neighborhood in the southwestern area of the City of Baltimore in Maryland. Its north, south and east boundaries are marked by the various lines of track of the CSX Railroad. In addition, Hollins Ferry Road running to the south towards suburban Baltimore County in the southwest and further connecting with adjacent Anne Arundel County to the southeast, draws its western boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Terminal Subdivision</span> Railroad line in Maryland, US

The Cumberland Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the Cumberland, Maryland area. The line centers on the Cumberland rail yard and is a junction with three other subdivisions.

References

  1. "BZ-Baltimore Terminal Sub". RadioReference.com.[ unreliable source? ]
  2. "CSX Baltimore Division Timetable" (PDF). Multimodalways.com. January 1, 2005.