Nostalgia & History > In the way back machine again...another reject coming to light

In cutting through a mountain of unprinted images, it is amazing to see the "junk" shots I never bothered with printing. I am grateful that I did not print these now, because so many of the best shots I had were destroyed in a fire back in 81. Negatives and prints. While they can never be replaced, I fortunately kept all of my unprinted negatives in my home. The photo here is a case in point. This was taken at Bay View yard in Baltimore in the Summer of 1965. I remember it so wel because it was my first time at Bay View. I was still only 14 at the time, but my father was bugged by me enough to take me out on a Sunday afternoon to find this mythical place. All I knew is that it was in Northeast Baltimore on Pulaski Highway. To his credit, dad started at the Beltway and worked his way to the city. We missed it on the first shot going west, but, turning around I spotted the small sign you see in the photo. We drove up the dirt road to the yard office. I was so excited you would have thought I just bought the place! We did get out like we owned it, and walked around. A couple of guys said hi, one guy said be careful, and that was it. I had only seen the Fairbanks Morse H10-44s, and H12-44s from bridges on the Baltimore Belt line. To see a bunch of them sitting together was euphoric!
The smoke from the small hostlers shed kept blowing over the units but I was so enthralled, I didn't care until I developed the film. The shot was disappointing and did not have the feel of the reality I enjoyed. Just finding this treasue, brought back a flood of memories, and silent gratitude that I never "liked" this shot.

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

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Thanks !  Your text filled in a blank in my memory.  I visited
there several times in 1966, and didn't have the exact location,
etc.  Yes, employees friendly, to extent one let me run one of the
FM's.  Those were the days, when many locations were "open"
to railfans.

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You got the right place. Love the FMs. They were the first units I ever rode in. Never got to run one, but they let me play brakeman a few times. Nice shot! I do love seeing that beautiful royal blue in all of its glory! Thanks for the image, and you are right, those were great days to be a railfan.

Bill Rettberg
Bel Air, MD

Another nice spread of B&O FMs. I agree that despite the low quality of many of my shots, they do bring back good memories. That's truly what its about. Thanks for sharing yours.

Thank you Bill and everyone else here on Trainorders for displaying and sharing all their great photos from the past, especially anything B&O and Western Maryland.  I love them all.
John in White Marsh, Maryland