Amtrak GG1 entering B&P Tunnel, Baltimore. (John Engleman Photo)
We have recently been assisting John Engleman, an excellent photographer, by scanning 35mm color negatives he took, mainly in the Baltimore area, between 1968 and 1974. These include intercity trains, spanning the era before and after the 1971 Amtrak takeover, and much else.
This is our third post with photos by Mr. Engleman. You will find the others in our previous posts Christmas in July (July 27, 2021) and Chasing Sanborn (Our 275th Post) (August 30, 2021).
All the comments on these photos are by Mr. Engleman. We may yet have more of these to share in future posts.
-David Sadowski
Photos by John Engleman
B&O west end of Mt. Clare “A” Yard, Baltimore under Jackson’s Bridge. By this time I had become a B&O Engineer and could stop and take pictures wherever I liked providing it was safe. I was always fond of the F7s and having two consecutively numbered ones was rare. By the Engineer’s door of the GP30 propped open though, I was running from that end.
Amtrak E60 with standard NY-Washington Amfleet train coming into Odenton, Md.
Metroliner Northbound at Odenton
Texas International DC-9 crossing Amtrak on approach to BWI airport
Fire tower of some BWI tower (I don’t know which) on the glide path to BWI at Stoney Run
Southbound Metroliner at Stoney Run Road crossing
Amtrak GG1 4905 at Baltimore’s Pennsylvania Station
Scenes taken from my switching engine at the east end of B&O’s Bayview Yard.
Scenes taken from my switching engine at the east end of B&O’s Bayview Yard.
Scenes taken from my switching engine at the east end of B&O’s Bayview Yard.
Northbound Amfleet train with the GG1 that wasn’t, #4939 at Odenton, Md. This engine is now at IRM with it’s correct number, 4927.
Same train going away
Conrail Pope’s Creek coal train waiting to leave CR’s Bayview Yard, Baltimore
B&O’s Bayview fire track
B&O’s Bayview fire track
B&O caboose disappearing into the infamous Howard Street tunnel, Baltimore
GG1 popping out of B&P tunnel
The Silver Star leaving Baltimore’s Pennsylvania Station heading into the B&P tunnel
Conrail E33s (Ex-New Haven, exx-Virginian locomotives) passing around Pennsylvania Station
Northern Central branch of Conrail (ex-Pennsy) passing Woodberry Station enroute to Harrisburg. This is now Baltimore’s light rail line, and there is still a Woodberry station, although the handsome old one is no longer with us.
B&O freight trains at NA (North Avenue) tower on the Baltimore Belt Line
A view across two railroads looking at Baltimore Streetcar Museum’s car 1164
Metroliner going into B&P tunnel
Same Metroliner coming out of Pennsylvania Station
Sperry Rail Service Mack PCC railbus in the coach yard at Pennsylvania Station. 623 also shows a Baldwin switcher. At this time Baltimore still had a full time station switcher
At left, a Baldwin switcher. At this time Baltimore still had a full time station switcher.
Amtrak 4905 waiting as a ‘protect’ engine
Conrail hump power, SD9, #6912. Engine was permanently assigned to Bayview
Southbound Amtrak passenger and CR coal train at Bayview, Baltimore.
View of new rail pile at Baltimore Streetcar Museum looking towards Penn Central
Interior of BSM car 1164
Two B&O trains passing at NA Tower, Baltimore
B&O train heading into Howard Street tunnel at Mt. Royal Station
Eastbound B&O at NA, with much missed caboose trailing
PRR (PC) MP54s arriving in Baltimore, way prior to today’s frequent MARC service
Seaboard Coast Line Florida train (probably Silver Star) at Virginia Avenue Tower, Washington DC
Southern Ry. Southern Crescent passing Virginia Avenue Tower
SP freight somewhere in Texas or Arizona from the Sunset Limited
SP Sunset Limited, location ? Update: Ken Briers says the SP shots in the most recent batch look like San Antonio. Makes sense to me, as the train would have laid over here long enough for me to get off and take photos. Ken usually knows what he is talking about.
Penn Central RPO cars in Baltimore. PC still had one or two Baltimore-NY set out mail cars in the late ’60s, of various lineage
Remnants of a C&O train at Virginia Avenue Tower, DC
More RPOs in Baltimore
C&O streamlined 490 “Chessie” engine just after arrival at B&O Museum, 1968.
Penn Central freight from Potomac Yard passing Virginia Avenue Tower
More C&O at Va. Avenue
More RPOs
Southern Ry. Southern Crescent from B&P Tower, Baltimore with two coast to coast Pullman cars
SP Sunset Limited enroute westbound. According to Dave Williams, this is Houston.
According to Dave Williams, this Southern Pacific train is in Houston.
More RPOs
More truncated C&O at Va. Avenue
From vestibule of Southern Crescent somewhere in the “south” (Georgia, Alabama, etc.). No other information remembered
More shots of C&O Chessie 490 at B&O Museum
SP westbound freight somewhere in Arizona from westbound Sunset Limited
Did Not Win
Try as we might, our resources for purchasing vintage images are limited. Here are two that are very much worth seeing, but still escaped our grasp:
FYI, this 35mm slide recently sold for $263.88.
Pittsburgh Railways PCC Electric Streetcar #1470
Original Kodachrome Color Slide Processed by Kodak
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
7 September 1959
Photographer Credit: William D. Volkmer
Bob Sherwood writes, “This photo was taken during a Photo Stop during the NRHS Convention trip. My Dad, W. G. Sherwood, is on the sidewalk to the right walking toward the cameraman.”
FYI, this original slide recently fetched $100.99 on eBay. Chicago Aurora & Elgin 456 and 314 in Wheaton, sometime around 1952-55. We are looking west.
Recent Correspondence
Our resident south side expert M. E. writes:
My brother sent me this video teaser of Chicago streetcars in 1950.
A bit more than half takes place along Lawrence Ave. But the rest is on the far south side, my turf.
Right near the beginning, you see a streetcar crossing railroad tracks. This is at 111th and Hale. The view looks northeast. The train tracks are the Rock Island suburban line (which still runs). The streetcar is heading westbound on Monterey Ave., crossing the tracks, then continuing westbound on 111th St. Notice the awning on the drugstore on the corner. You’ll see it again soon.
Now go past all the north side stuff, and come to what is obviously a streetcar going up a hill. This view is a little more than a block west of the rail crossing view. It shows a streetcar climbing the 111th St. “hill”. The awning I mentioned in the rail crossing scene is noticeable in the distance in this view.
One of my neighbors at that time was a boy who attended Morgan Park Military Academy, a few blocks west of the “hill” on 111th St. He told me once that, during a rain, he and other boys soaped the streetcar tracks to watch the streetcars struggle to get up the hill. Nasty!
At the bottom of the hill is a traffic signal for Longwood Drive. Longwood Drive runs north and south along the bottom of the geological Blue Island, which is atop the hill. The road runs from 91st St. (just west of a Rock Island suburban line station) all the way to 119th St. (the city limit) and into the city of Blue Island. Along Longwood Dr. on the hilly side are many huge houses, some maybe even considered mansions. One of those houses is a Frank Lloyd Wright house, between 99th and 100th Sts. on Longwood.
After the hill scene are a few more shots taken at 111th and Hale, showing that a conductor has to get off the streetcar, walk to the railroad tracks, look both ways, then signal the motorman to cross the tracks. Many of the streetcar lines on the south side, even those that carried few passengers, required conductors because there were so many ground-level railroad crossings along those streetcar lines.
The final set of shots is taken at the west terminal of the streetcar line, at 111th and Sacramento. There, on both sides of 111th, you see cemeteries. The cemeteries are the reason the streetcar line was built that far out. Just outside the view to the left is the main line of the Grand Trunk railroad, which crosses 111th. This streetcar line was the Halsted/Vincennes/111th St. line, which at that time was route 8.
My brother also sent me this video.
It is a thorough presentation of the North Shore line in 1945, back when movies were rare and expensive.
One nice touch was the system map from Howard St. to just north of Waukegan. And the video nicely explained all the traffic patterns around North Chicago.
I couldn’t help but notice how busy the northbound trains were. The video shows lots of people waiting at stations to board the train. But consider: This video was shot just when World War II ended. Not many people had cars then.
Shore Line stations were much busier than Skokie Valley stations. It was sad that the CNS&M had to stop its Shore Line service in 1955. That was a very picturesque and interesting route. And, along the Skokie Valley route, there was no outdoor entertainment park at Ravinia at that time.
With all the shots of the Electroliners, it would be easy to think that there were a lot more than just two of them.
One observation: At every station there were signs indicating how far to Chicago and how far to Milwaukee. Along the Skokie Valley route, those signs were aligned properly — I mean, the Milwaukee distance was on the north side of the sign and the Chicago distance was on the south side of the sign. But along the Shore Line route, Chicago was north, Milwaukee was south. Tsk tsk.
Thanks very much! The 1945 video was shot by the late Charles Keevil. His nephew Walter worked for the CTA for many years and he has also been active in various railfan organizations.
Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.
-David Sadowski
Dr. Harold E. Cox – In Memoriam
Sad news… prolific author and historian Dr. Harold E. Cox has passed away, aged 90. He was the author of PCC Cars of North America (1963) and The Fairmount Park Trolley: A Unique Philadelphia Experiment (1970), among many others.
Post Script
M. E. adds:
Comment about your Engleman posting:
See
https://ggwash.org/view/2733/washingtons-rails-part-1-the-network
which contains a nice map at this link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/39017545@N02/3866497418/sizes/l/in/set-72157621837169293/ .
This article and map give you everything you ever wanted to know about the rail network in Washington DC. (The article also has a similar map of Baltimore.)There is no electrification south of Washington DC Union Station, so through passenger trains had to switch between electric and diesel engines at the station.
But freight trains changed engines in Virginia. Pennsy electrification crossed the Potomac River into Virginia. Alongside US 1 through what is now Crystal City and south from there another few miles, there was a long freight yard called Potomac Yard. That is where the engine switch took place. Consequently, one could see GG1s in Potomac Yard.
I’ll bet not a whole lot of people know that GG1s ran south of the Potomac River
into Virginia.Also, the Pennsylvania Railroad reached almost to Norfolk, in southeastern Virginia, via a route south from Wilmington, Delaware, through Delaware, eastern Maryland and the eastern shore of Virginia. If I remember correctly, the train cars were put on ferries to reach Norfolk. (Question: Which railroad’s engines handled the train cars at the Norfolk end?)
M E
The Trolley Dodger On the Air
I recently appeared on the Dave Plier Show on WGN radio, to discuss Chicago’s Lost “L”s. You can hear that discussion here.
Our Latest Book, Now Available:
Chicago’s Lost “L”s
From the back cover:
Chicago’s system of elevated railways, known locally as the “L,” has run continuously since 1892 and, like the city, has never stood still. It helped neighborhoods grow, brought their increasingly diverse populations together, and gave the famous Loop its name. But today’s system has changed radically over the years. Chicago’s Lost “L”s tells the story of former lines such as Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Kenwood, Stockyards, Normal Park, Westchester, and Niles Center. It was once possible to take high-speed trains on the L directly to Aurora, Elgin, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The L started out as four different companies, two starting out using steam engines instead of electricity. Eventually, all four came together via the Union Loop. The L is more than a way of getting around. Its trains are a place where people meet and interact. Some say the best way to experience the city is via the L, with its second-story view. Chicago’s Lost “L”s is virtually a “secret history” of Chicago, and this is your ticket. David Sadowski grew up riding the L all over the city. He is the author of Chicago Trolleys and Building Chicago’s Subways and runs the online Trolley Dodger blog.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.
Title Chicago’s Lost “L”s
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2021
ISBN 1467100007, 9781467100007
Length 128 pages
Chapters:
01. The South Side “L”
02. The Lake Street “L”
03. The Metropolitan “L”
04. The Northwestern “L”
05. The Union Loop
06. Lost Equipment
07. Lost Interurbans
08. Lost Terminals
09. Lost… and Found
Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus facsimile of a 1926 Chicago Rapid Transit Company map, with interesting facts about the “L” on the reverse side.
The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.
For Shipping to US Addresses:
For Shipping to Canada:
For Shipping Elsewhere:
NEW DVD:
A Tribute to the North Shore Line
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the demise of the fabled North Shore Line interurban in January 2013, Jeffrey L. Wien and Bradley Criss made a very thorough and professional video presentation, covering the entire route between Chicago and Milwaukee and then some. Sadly, both men are gone now, but their work remains, making this video a tribute to them, as much as it is a tribute to the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee.
Jeff drew on his own vast collections of movie films, both his own and others such as the late William C. Hoffman, wrote and gave the narration. Bradley acted as video editor, and added authentic sound effects from archival recordings of the North Shore Line.
It was always Jeff’s intention to make this video available to the public, but unfortunately, this did not happen in his lifetime. Now, as the caretakers of Jeff’s railfan legacy, we are proud to offer this excellent two-hour program to you for the first time. The result is a fitting tribute to what Jeff called his “Perpetual Adoration,” which was the name of a stop on the interurban.
Jeff was a wholehearted supporter of our activities, and the proceeds from the sale of this disc will help defray some of the expenses of keeping the Trolley Dodger web site going.
Total time – 121:22
# of Discs – 1
Price: $19.99 (Includes shipping within the United States)
Help Support The Trolley Dodger
This is our 277th post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 805,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.
You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”
We thank you for your support.
DONATIONS
In order to continue giving you the kinds of historic railroad images that you have come to expect from The Trolley Dodger, we need your help and support. It costs money to maintain this website, and to do the sort of historic research that is our specialty.
Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.
