Equipment in the MARC riverside Yard

I took a video while in the car on 95 passing the MARC/ CSX Riverside Yard on Sunday 12/31.
https://youtu.be/nmR2XlkPpyo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Right at the beginning you can see two new Charger Locomotives parked. # 81 and 82.

The cars are almost all of the new bi-levels. I don't understand this. These cars have two sets of doors, and the extra doors only open at high level platforms. Most of the stations on the Camden Line are not high level platforms, so the doors are not used. I've seen these cars on the Brunswick Line as well- same issue. Why isn't the MTA putting these cars on the Penn Line during rush hour? If you are not putting these cars on the Penn Line, then the extra doors are wasted, you might as well have put seats there instead.

Couple of reasons methinks:
1) they can't be used on the Penn line while they're being used on the other two. The same trainsets that make up the Camden/Brunswick trains are used in the middle of the day up and down the Penn.
2) there's already enough capacity in management's view with the MARC IIIs which ply the Penn already. Correct me if I'm wrong, my understanding is the IVs are meant to expand capacity on the other two lines, not the Penn. The new ones also don't like to play nice with the older bilevels, so they can't be mixed in a single set.
3)About the doors: MARC is all about flexibility (see transitioning to all-diesel fleet) so it would be ideal for the coaches to be able to switch lines/platform height at will. Some of this also just comes down to car design as well, more doors means easy boarding at high level platforms.

avgeeky wrote:Couple of reasons methinks:
1) they can't be used on the Penn line while they're being used on the other two. The same trainsets that make up the Camden/Brunswick trains are used in the middle of the day up and down the Penn.
2) there's already enough capacity in management's view with the MARC IIIs which ply the Penn already. Correct me if I'm wrong, my understanding is the IVs are meant to expand capacity on the other two lines, not the Penn. The new ones also don't like to play nice with the older bilevels, so they can't be mixed in a single set.
3)About the doors: MARC is all about flexibility (see transitioning to all-diesel fleet) so it would be ideal for the coaches to be able to switch lines/platform height at will. Some of this also just comes down to car design as well, more doors means easy boarding at high level platforms.

Kinda sorta.

You're right that the train sets can be used everywhere. The MARC IIIs are still good, as is the MARC IV's here. MARC Operations likes to even out the wear on the cars. The IIIs cannot be mixed with the IVs, and the IIB cabs are partially compatible (you can't open the IV's doors with the IIB's).

But you may not know that Riverside is a MARC repair facility and storage for Camden line trains. If a car breaks down on the Camden or Penn lines, it's sent over to Riverside for repair more often than not.

Now only if there was a link around West Baltimore between the Penn and Camden lines via the B&O Museum branch.

Where do the 2 lines meet in Balto.? Or what CSX branch does MARC have rights to use for shop moves?

STrRedWolf wrote:

avgeeky wrote:Couple of reasons methinks:
Now only if there was a link around West Baltimore between the Penn and Camden lines via the B&O Museum branch.

Wasn't there a proposal to restore the Claremont branch for service to camden from the penn line, maybe a decade ago? http://www.trainweb.org/oldmainline/cmb1.htm#top" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Backshophoss wrote:Where do the 2 lines meet in Balto.? Or what CSX branch does MARC have rights to use for shop moves?

The two lines never meet in Baltimore I thought(dates back to the old PRR vs B&O days) ? The Camden line (CSX Capital subdivision) crosses the NEC at St. Denis/Halethorpe but there is no junction there.

And isn't most Penn line maintenance done at Martin Airport anyway? At least that was where I heard HHP-8 (4914?) was being rebuilt

Claremount is close (and I'd love to see that rebuilt) but the main connection is in Bayview, on the other side of the city.

The maintenance is at least two yards (Riverside and Martin State Airport). I think the gear for doing repairs on the electrical engines (the HHP-8's) is up at MSA. Everything else is at Riverside. Some minor repairs can be done at the yards in Brunswick and Monocacy.

STrRedWolf wrote:Claremount is close (and I'd love to see that rebuilt) but the main connection is in Bayview, on the other side of the city.

The maintenance is at least two yards (Riverside and Martin State Airport). I think the gear for doing repairs on the electrical engines (the HHP-8's) is up at MSA. Everything else is at Riverside. Some minor repairs can be done at the yards in Brunswick and Monocacy.

It did occur to me that a obstacle to Claremount would be building interlocking for it. But everything else is intact.
I didn't know Brunswick was still used for anything. I've seen the Monocacy shop from I-70, and wondered what it's used for, other than servicing and cleaning out the Frederick trains, end of run. As there don't appear to be any customers on the branch, is MARC paying to maintain the tracks?

I'm fairly sure that MTA owns the Frederick branch, about 3 miles from the wye at the Monocacy National Battlefield until the Frederick Station.

In google you can see a siding at Williams Agri Services of Frederick, just south of Frederick Station. You can see cars in that siding. So there is still one customer on the branch

jcepler1 wrote:I'm fairly sure that MTA owns the Frederick branch, about 3 miles from the wye at the Monocacy National Battlefield until the Frederick Station.

In google you can see a siding at Williams Agri Services of Frederick, just south of Frederick Station. You can see cars in that siding. So there is still one customer on the branch

At the very least, they own a short line on the Eastern Shore as well. It's advertised at Penn Station.

The Brunswick Line riders were quite happy to receive the bulk to the new cars. Since the Brunswick Line riders were basically the dumping ground of old cars forever. Seeing a new train pull up with air conditioning that works, and doors that don't try to dismember you is quite pleasing.

STrRedWolf wrote:

jcepler1 wrote:I'm fairly sure that MTA owns the Frederick branch, about 3 miles from the wye at the Monocacy National Battlefield until the Frederick Station.

In google you can see a siding at Williams Agri Services of Frederick, just south of Frederick Station. You can see cars in that siding. So there is still one customer on the branch

At the very least, they own a short line on the Eastern Shore as well. It's advertised at Penn Station.

Oh, I wasn't sure if that still saw service, or not.
as i've not been to Penn, in a few years, which short line?

"STrRedWolf"
At the very least, they own a short line on the Eastern Shore as well. It's advertised at Penn Station.

The Maryland Department of Transportation own all the trackage in the state operated under the flag of the Maryland & Delaware Railroad along with several dozens of miles of unused railroad right of ways over here in the Sand Box.