Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the B&O up to it's 1972 merger into Chessie System. Visit the B&O Railroad Historical Society for more information. Also discussion of the C&O up to 1972. Visit the C&O Historical Society for more information. Also includes the WM up to 1972. Visit the WM Historical Society for more information.
 #1015107  by JimBoylan
 
Actually, a bit of the Main Line South of Camden Station, Upper Level, Baltimore was electrified, with overhead wire, for the Annapolis Short Line, later the Baltimore & Annapolis, and used until 1950. I don't know if the 3rd rail that used the Lower Level through platforms extended far enough South to meet the trolley wire.
 #1015551  by R,N, Nelson
 
No, the B&A's 1200-volt d.c.overhead and the B&O's 600-volt d.c. third rail were never together.

The B&A used an exclusive lead from the upper level that connected with the main near Warner Street, well west of the of the third rail that ended in a pocket track near the Hamburg Street overpass.

Norman
 #1143424  by mgiven
 
The B&O OE class tunnel motors were based on the NYC R1 class Detroit Tunnel motors. All were built by Alco/GE and what ive seen in photos and drawings the B&O and NYC units were almost identical. On both railroads units there is a peculiarity. In the photo I uploaded of the NYC R1B there are two strange items on cab just below window and also on truck below men. I thought maybe these were lights to illuminate walkway and third rail. But on walkway they only appear on one side of the cab. Any ideas. In photo you can clearly see wires or hoses running the ones on the truck.
Attachments:
NYC R1B
NYC R1B
nyctunmot.jpg (141.44 KiB) Viewed 7252 times
 #1166470  by mmi16
 
When the tunnel was being constructed there was talk of having a station in the area of Baltimore Street. Having had the opportunity to walk through the tunnel in the performance of my duties for the B&O, you can see a excavation to the East side of the tunnel several hundred yards from the Camden Street entrance that was going to be part of that station complex, that was never built to completion.
 #1229967  by mmi16
 
For a number of years there were actually 3 tracks through the tunnel. A Eastbound, Westbound and Gauntlet track down the center. Passenger trains could use both the Eastbound and Westbound, freight trains with equipment larger than AAR Plate B (standard cars) would use the Gauntlet track.

Needless to say passenger trains that used the tunnel made their station stop at the lower level of Camden Station. In addition to the CPL's at the entrance to the tunnel, in the early 50's (and probably long before) there was a 'Smashboard' that swung across the Gauntlet track when the Eastbound or Westbound tracks were in use.

In the early 70's only a single track was in the tunnel, down the center. It would clear open tri-level auto racks, 17'3" cars could run track speed of 25 MPH, 17'5" cars were restricted to 5 MPH account rocking and bouncing. Today the tunnel will clear 19'2" auto racks (all of which are enclosed) at track speed. The floor of the tunnel has been undercut to the level of bedrock. A pumping system has been installed to minimized flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.

The tunnel is the bottleneck to CSX handling double stack containers from the Sea Girt Marine Terminal & Dundalk Marine Terminal, both of which are on the East side of the tunnel and need to pass through the tunnel to reach the West. Double stack container are 20'2 inches high and 8'6" wide at that height.