Eastern Railroad Discussion > NEC photo location help

Thinking about visiting the NEC for a few days this summer. I'm interested in photo locations that offer a
different perspective than the head-on shot from a platform, but I don't want something that's a 1/2 mile away either.

Are there any open spots between NY and DC where the ROW is open and reasonably accessible and a 3/4 train view is achievable?

Any overpasses that offer decent photo sightlines?

Thanks!

Robert Pierce
Sugar Land, TX
SWRails.com

Overpasses are tough because roads over the tracks all have big barriers to keep people from dropping things on the trains and/or jumping into the wires.

I would recommend that you go to Havre de Grace/Perryville, Maryland, where the NEC crosses the Susquehanna River. Lots of shore angles of the bridge as well as the platform at Perryville station. You might even catch a freight coming off the NS Port Road Branch, and CSX crosses the river a mile or two upstream, if you know they're coming. Crossing the river from west to east on US-40 (or I-95) will cost you a toll each time, however.

A more ground-level, wide-open angle is open much farther north just west of the station at Linden, New Jersey. There's a road parallel to the south side of the tracks past where the old auto plant used to be and the empty yard there means no buildings or trees between the road and the tracks.

And yet another good bridge shot is the Delaware River stone-arch bridge at Trenton. Plus, if you go to the Morrisville end of that bridge on a Sunday, you might catch NS running on lightly-used street trackage that goes under the westernmost arch.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/18 18:22 by toledopatch.

I would suggest the parking garage at the Elizabeth NJ train station.

Good elevation, multiple decks, you are at the top of the S curve, abundant trains. Reasonably safe, excellent Colombian food within a block.

This is a pm location, the jail house garage across the tracks offers morning light.

Posted from Android

Here are the two afternoon angles from the Elizabeth Parking garage, shot in September 2016. The first is an eastbound Amtrak, the second a westbound NJT commuter. Go on a weekday for maximum rush-hour action but don't expect to be able to move anywhere else quickly because the street traffic is pretty busy, too.

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The Baltimore County, MD fire station at Chase, MD. It's about 20 minutes north of Baltimore just south of the Gunpowder River. Open views for both northbound and southbound trains.

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The Martin State Airport station offers good views and no track fence due to the low level duckboards.

The parking deck adjacent to 30th street station can be a pretty good vantage point too. Gets up fairly high with views of the main and an ajoining yard/maintenance complex.

On the SE side of Newark, DE is another site, probably semi decent for most photographers. This is on a dead-end lane off DE 72 which crosses AMTK on a bridge about 1/2 mile East. Check Google Earth, I hope it is still that way altho I have not gone there in about a year altho I only live 8 miles away. CSX is much closer and has more trains so I watch them. The North side of Chapel street is no good. This is not an at-grade crossing of a road and the NEC, There are none left between DC and NYC. Back to S side of Chapel St, this is also where you can see the NS line to the Delmarva Peninsula
sharply curve south. There are about 8 trains a day on this line, most in daylight. The NS connection to the Delaware shortline railroads is a daylight turn but using NS power. There may also be a crude oil mty/ld to the PBF refinery at Delaware City. In the afternoon a short shuttle of AMTK cars to and from AMTK's Bear, DE shops passes M-F, usually with AMTK diesel switchers on both ends. The remnants of a once big freight that goes to/from Wilmington on the NEC is early morning or late evening now due to the recent loss of so much DE manufacturing that it served.

In the past AMTK cops have bothered railfans here. But if you are behind the concrete barriers, and stay off the tracks, they do not have much of a case at South Chapel St because there is an active concrete company there and their trucks come and go all day. I'd give it a try.

Thanks for the replies! I was getting cross so I figured I'd ask for some help.

Robert Pierce
Sugar Land, TX
SWRails.com