Baltimore B&O and WM ???

Mike, 

The CSX abandoned the WM coal pier known as Port Convington Terminal in the late eighties in favor of the state of the art facility owned by the B&O.  I'm traveling using  a Nexus 7 so it is tough to see the snippet of map,  but it appears Port Covington is just a little more East on your map.   I will provide a snippet later today showing its location. 

In regards to the small intermodal facility,  one is operated by csx, the other by NS.  CSX tried to build a new facility,  but faced local opposition so it looks like that isn't going to happen. 

That spur doesn't see much traffic and you are right on about the museum using it to transfer assets into and out.  If I find more info on this section of track I'll let you know.  FYI... are you from the area? Hope the above is helpful. 

Remember that Mt Clare was the major build/repair facility for the B&O back in the day. The Loop provided easy access to the yard/shops from any direction.  The Loop also provided access to Curtis Bay and Wagners Point and interchange with the WM to/from Port Covington.

Interestingly enough, traffic from the Old Mainline used one side of the loop to access Mt. Clare while the Washington (or Met) sub came to Mt. Clare on the other side of the loop. Using the Loop was, I believe, the only way that OML traffic could get to Locust Point and Met Sub traffic could get to the Curtis Bay area.

Poppyl 

I am from SC but love researching railroad history of various places.  I have visited the Baltimore area a few times...or passed through as well.  

Also, just curious how many trains per day...Amtrak and Commuter one would see at Baltimore Penn Station?    Has the former PRR line that heads west out of there (used as light rail now) been abandoned for a long time now?  What about the freight bypass in front of the station.  It looked busy in a 1977 photo...why rip it up.  Surely with more rail traffic now those tracks could find use.  

Maybe one wide modern tunnel should be built so Amtrak and Freight can safely and quickly pass to replace the 3 tunnels now and that cramped CSX trench that caved in.

The former PRR line you mentioned was abandoned north of Cockeysville in 1972.  This was due to Hurricane Agnes.  The tracks were removed in the late 1970s between Cockeysville and the Maryland line.   The track was left in place between York and the Maryland line. 

About 20 years ago, Greenberg Publishing put out a book titled The Story of the Northern Central Central Railway by Robert R. Gunnarson.   A more recent book, Triumph 6hiladelphia, Columbia, Harrisburg to Baltimore and Washington D.C. by Charles S. Roberts and David W. Messer is another source on info about the PRR and B & O operations in the Baltimore area.

Mike;

From your picture pan to the east across the Patapsco and you will see the Dundalk Marine Terminal.  That's the major Port of Baltimore container facility.  Note the railyard just to the north of the Terminal.

Poppyl