Railfanning in and around Alexandria

Hello,
I'm going to be in ALX a week from tomorrow. I have photographed at the station a few times, and plan to do so, when I'm down there.
Are there any good areas, such as the parking lot of Potomac Yards Mall, that are good for photography, especially in the late afternoon?
What about street overpasses west of the Alexandria Station? Thanks.

Potomac Yards Shopping Center is not the best place to railfan because it is all ground-level, though you can do it for convenience of parking your car and getting back to it quickly when you've seen/photographed as much as you want. I would recommend the Route One overpass south of Potomac Yards and west of the Alexandria station. For railfanning from the Route One overpass, I would recommend parking your car on a side street off Route One on the north side of the overpass as opposed to the south, as the neighborhood on the south side isn't the best in the world. It will be a bit of a walk, though I recommend that for security reasons. Also, watch out for heavy vehicular traffic on Route One during the commuter rush in the mornings/afternoons.

In addition to regular CSX and Amtrak trains, railfanning during the week here has an added advantage to be able to see VRE commuter trains. These particular trains are better photographed from the Route One overpass in the afternoon/evening commute times.

I'm not going to have any car down there. I don't even drive. I'll be using the Metro and possibly area public buses.

Looking at maps, I don't see any Rt. 1 going over the right of way west of ALX.

Is there a sidewalk on the north end of the 1 overpass? Could I possibly get a view of trains with the DC memorials and monuments in the background? Thanks

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:I'm not going to have any car down there. I don't even drive. I'll be using the Metro and possibly area public buses.

Looking at maps, I don't see any Rt. 1 going over the right of way west of ALX.

Is there a sidewalk on the north end of the 1 overpass? Could I possibly get a view of trains with the DC memorials and monuments in the background? Thanks

If you look at the City of Alexandria on Mapquest, locate U.S. Route 1 going north. The map has a label, "Slaters Ln", which is the exact location of the overpass. You will also note "Potomac Yards Retail Center" a bit further north. On both of your questions you ask, the answer is yes.

I'm going to add the Rt. 1 Overpass to my list. I see that it's within walking distance to the Braddock Rd Metro Station.

I personally love Slaters Lane, thats the name of the Interlocking there to "SLATERS LANE." There is a crossover between the 2 and 3 tracks, and a branch off of 1 track that you will see the NS Local, train P54, on trackage rights from CSX as Z854-XX, diverge towards the power plant. You can also catch this local at Alezandria. Anywhere North of Slaters Lane you cannot catch it because thats where it splits off. Anywhere South of Alexandria you cannot catch it because it switches off to NS right in that area.

I railfan this area a TON! Please ask as many questions as you like!

Davis

Hey, from Slater Rd, looking north, could I see the memorials and monuments in DC?

How is Crystal City for photography, and how is the view of the CSX and Metro bridge from the Arlington side of the Potomac?

Thanks.

Maybe just maybe from the top of the Slaters Lane bridge you could see the Washington Monument but thats a stretch and wouldn't end up in any of your shots. Looking South from the top of the bridge you shouldn't have too much trouble including the Washington Mosaic Memorial in your shots.

Crystal City I find is really good for photography, lighting you may have to work with a little, but nice broad curves on either end to get great pics off of. I just filmed the Circus Train there last Monday.

The Arlington side of the Potomac is kind of hard to access from your nearest Metro stop (Pentagon), or really by driving for that matter. If you have the energy and the will there is a trail you can walk down to right on the bank of the Potomac. Anywhere along there you can set up a shot and have the two bridges. Specifically whereabout are you trying to get waterfront, hard to fully understand what spot you're saying.

Davis

As far as the two bridges go over the Potomac, I would say be NO MORE than a half a mile north of them.

The only bridge across the tracks in the area immediately west of the station is Telegraph Rd, and it is definitely not pedestrian friendly. In fact, I'm not sure there's even pedestrian access during the current construction. The station is the prime railfan location in Alexandria (and fans are pretty well tolerated there--don't know that would be true at Potomac Yards). If you want a view of the monuments in DC, I suggest visiting the George Washington Masonic Memorial (directly across the street from the station). If you take the tour, you'll get to go to their observation deck. Also, from the observation deck, you can get a good view of the tracks north of the station. There are not a lot of other good railfan sites in the immediate Alexandria vicinity, especially without a car.

That Telegraph Rd overpass is not pedestrian friendly. While the view of the tracks might be wonderful, safety comes first.

ALX Station is a nice place for photographing trains, especially the entire consist. I have photographed there three times.

I know once you get out of ALX, you need a car. I'm going to skip Potomac Yards.

Thanks for recommending the Masonic Memorial. I may consider doing it.

Is there a sidewalk on the south side of Slaters Lane? I may decide to also go there in the morning. How's the view from Slaters Lane looking toward Downtown ALX? Thanks.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352025

Duke Street Overpass

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=357009

About 1/4th mile North of Gravely Point park. (Also a neat place to watch airplanes).

I've never been west or south of ALX.

http://suncalc.net is a great tool if you plan to do some serious shooting, it'll help you plan your day based on the angles of the sun.