baltimore md. places to railfan

The "big places" are the B&O Museum and the Baltimore Trolley Museum (which I have never been to). You can spend a full day at the B&O's main campus. 

I personally like Pickles down across from Camden Yards. The MARC station is also right around the corner. 

St. Denis is very popular with local fans becuase the Old Main Line and Capital Subdivision both pass there.   You may meet some nice folks.

We've been here as six days on business/pleasure, staying downtown - leaving in about an hour.  The B&O museum is worth seeing.  You can walk to at least one trainyard over near fort McHenry, etc., too. and there was some stuff worth watching - we did for a while.    Years ago when M B Klein was downtown I would walk over to their store but now that they have moved I don't visit: I can have anything form their website so easily in just two days.   

The inner harbor is a nice area for about one day of stuff.   Around breakfast time it is easy to find a bench just a few feet from the water and it is cool and quiet and wonderful to just sit by the water: we did that this morning.  

We always love the aquarium but it was incredibly crowded this time and we didn't stay too long, although I did seek out ans see my favorite - the ropefish.   Fort McHenry is nice. And the science museum if you have kids with you.  The USS Constellation is a very good hour, particularly if like me you are into maritime and naval history as much as trains.  

I feel very sad for Baltimore.  I've been coming here on and off for thirty years, and I've watched downtown gradually lose  its glimmer and energy.  Frankly I recommend staying very close (within two or three blocks, of the inner harbor or the ball stadium.  Last trip, four years ago, we noticed mostof the upscale hotels had closed or gone downscale and most of the top tier restaurants, like Churchill's, had closed in favor of good but large chain places like Phillips and such. The only remaining restaurant out of the top 50 in Baltimore that is still downtown is the B&O Restaurant in our hotel (the Kimpton Monaco) - really a good place but very noisy - about four blocks up Charles from the harbor.  

This trip, once we got more than a few blocks away from the inner harbor north or east, we saw junkies and panhandlers and a lot of stuff that made us a tiny bit uncomfortable - or more.  Nearer the harbor you don't have to worry: there is always at least one panhandler per block and one or more strung out junkies stumbling along or sitting against a building quietly singing to the sun or something like that per block, but you are never out of sight of at least one police officer or a "Baltimore City Guide" (they look like officers in yellow vests but without the guns and there are often two of them) and many businesses - not just jewler stores but even dry cleaners, have private security, who areactually the most reassuring of all: nice specimens of homo sapiens giganticus wearing guns who stand at the front entrance to the business with very serious expressions, who are nonetheless very polite and greet you with a friendly smile and without request walk in your general direction until you are at the corner to closer to the next private guard.  

Baltimore was fun this trip but what we saw did convince us that maybe The Wire isn't fiction after all. 

Most of the railroads run thru the bad parts of the city.    M B Klines is worth the visit.

The Hunt Valley Light Rail line goes through Baltimore by Camden Yards, where the Orioles play, and the Camden station of the old B&O. MARC commuter trains run to Washington, DC, from there.

On its way north to Hunt Valley, thIS light rail line passes Timonium, MD, where fairs and train shows take place. The line extends south to Glen Burnie, MD. A branch to the Amtrak (formerly Pennsy) station climbs up and down a steep grade like a roller coaster. I think this line also serves BWI Airport.

In terms of railfanning, St. Denis is good at almost any time.  Ellicott City on the CSX Old Main Line is okay from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on weekdays (after the morning commuter trains out of Frederick and before the afternoon trains).  Heaviest action on the Old Main is during the overnight and surprisingly enough, on the weekends.

Poppyl

Thanks Lee :  For the tutorial on existence in Downtown Baltimore. My sixth grandchild was born, I believe St Francis hospital a little over a year ago.  This hospital was beautiful, and extremely well kept, impressive.  Relatively easy access to this hospital and the very large John Hopkins hospital.   My daughter talks about riding her bike around the inner harbor area with friends.  

Columbia, MD. is in the mix, where MTH is located.

Yes, Baltimore, we had a good stay there a year ago.  Stayed a couple of blocks from the Harbor.  Visited the train museum and spent time on the waterfront both of which are worthwhile.   We did a run there which took us through some of the neighborhoods, but the folks were friendly.  About a half mile from the harbor in the street was a dead critter about half the size of a coon, but was a rat.  A short distance from the finish, the crowd was pretty big, when a younger lady leans over the railing and picks me out of the crowd of slow movers, and says in her best southern drawl, "Sir, what hotel are you stayin at?" Rode the Accela back to Union Station in Washington.