Nostalgia & History > 4 Unknown Wreck Slides -- Bill Howes

First is one of the slides so you can see what Bill Howes wrote on each.

B&O Train 682 probably had a wreck at Charles Street in October 1979.

I don't know what the "RCA" at the top and the "MD" and "PHIL" mean, probably Maryland and Philadelphia but why?

What would be the caption you would write?

I just learned that these photos were taken by Randy Alrich, a good friend of Bill Howes, Reid Adams collection



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/24 12:54 by MartyBernard.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/24 10:57 by MartyBernard.

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My guess is that these photos are on the B&O main line coming across the Baltimore Belt Line as it is called, where the train was either coming from the Howard Street Tunnel from South Baltimore and heading east towards Bay View Yard or the opposite heading towards the Howard Street Tunnel, and this main line parallels 25th Street in Baltimore running under a number of streets including Guilford Avenue, St. Paul Street, Charles Street, Maryland Avenue, and Howard Street.  For some time, the railroad did not cut back on the foliage that was growing along this right-of-way, but at one time, this area was double tracked, back when passenger trains heading towards Wilmington, Philadelphia and father north ran here.
John in White Marsh, Maryland.

682 was an eastbound train, Potomac Yard to Philadelphia.
Given that it's in Maryland (the "MD" notation), the location is clearly on the Baltmore Belt Line at Charles St., which is the only "intersection" of the B&O with a "Charles St." that I know of.
Additionally, the tunnel portal depicted in the photograph is consistent with those on the Belt Line. This portion of the Belt Line operated through a deep cut, with back-to-back (albeit short) tunnels taking the railroad under several north/southbound streets--including (in order, west to east):  Huntingdon Ave., Charles St., St. Paul/Calvert St., Guilford Ave., Barclay St., and Greenmount Ave.
I don't know what "RCA" refers to, but the "PHIL" notation probably refers to the Philadelphia Subdivsion, which this trackage was a part of in 1979. Charles St. would place it at about mp 93.4. Today, the Belt Line is part of the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision.
/Ted



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/24 19:04 by WM_1109.

Isn't there a streetcar stop here now?

Feel sorry for the cleanup crew working in that confined space!