An initially-single-tracked spur to BWI Airport (off photo-left) opened December 1997 and Harwood was there to document one of the first revenue trips upon it.

The spur was built along a new right of way, that is, one not formerly used by a railroad.

MTA 5049 is rounding the same curve as in the prior photo, but as seen from the opposite direction at Andover Road.

The paved area at the Andover Road grade crossing is unusually expansive.

Just west of Andover Road what had been single track split into double track, plus a pocket track.

Most of the BWI spur was double tracked by 2005.

There's no room at BWI for a yard, so this pocket track (on left in this reverse view) permits one light rail train to be staged along the spur.

West of the pocket track, MTA 5049 climbs over a small mound that had been enhanced around 1908 by the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway (WB&A) to ease up to a bridge over Camp Meade Road. The green signs stand adjacent that road, which light rail parallels for a short distance.

Change for: WB&A tour at this site

That mound bordered the intersecting bright lines in this 1938 aerial. The WB&A is the more vertical of the two bright lines, Camp Meade Road is the other; where they intersect there appears to be a ramp that connects the WB&A and the road. That may have been temporary to facilitate dismantling of this part of the WB&A after the company shuttered during 1935.

The new right of way received modern culverts like this.

One can see the planes from the train at this Camp Meade Road (MD 170) grade crossing.

Before renamed to BWI, Friendship Airport opened at this site during 1957. Bond films, always looking to incorporate whatever was new at their time, mention the airport in Goldfinger. Friendship Church lent not only its name to the airport but also its cemetery (right), which still exists just four jet-lengths from a main runway. The red stanchions in the background support runway lighting and other equipment.

Light rail cars overhang their wheels by what would seem to be an excessive distance, but it has not been a problem.

Curves are equipped with guard rails on the inside to reduce the risk of derailment.

Even with guard rails, tracks are superelevated (one rail higher than the other) at curves, as illustrated by the tilting MTA 5006.

The grade crossing ahead is for an extended Elkridge Landing Road.

Light rail's BWI Business District station is well east of the busiest part of that district. Nearest the station are runway approaches, parking lots, and snow removal equipment storage.

Amazon's warehouse at the airport is 50% longer than B&O's warehouse at Camden Yards, the latter noted for being the longest brick building along the US East Coast. Amazon's warehouse is designed for expansion to a half-mile in length. If you live near BWI Airport, an Amazon Prime plane will drop your ordered items to your home via parachute. (No, not really.)

Airport circulator buses so badly want to be railcars that they emulate not only MTA 5031's Maryland state flag paint but also its articulated design.

The BWI Business District stop is one of the less-busy stations in the system. That's MTA 5037.

I have yet to grasp the point of the unusual signage at the Terminal Road grade crossing. "These are your signals." OK, at this spot they want drivers to ignore the more distant set of signals, but what is the purpose of those signals? At first, I thought the light rail grade crossing must be beyond the distant set, but no, the trains run closer than the distant set, as can be seen in the next photo.

The aforementioned distant set of road signals can be glimpsed at the upper left. They would not prevent traffic moving right-to-left from conflicting with, in this case, MTA 5037. Those signals would seem to accomplish little but to add confusion, something especially bad at an intersection more likely than average to be visited by drivers from out of town.

As light rail nears BWI's terminal and its pyramidal roofline, the route necks down to single track where space is limited. That's MTA 5031 departing.

Along the single-track stretch, MTA 5049 and MTA 5032 pass Boeing 767 cargo planes. If you are wondering why cargo planes have so many windows, these have been converted from passeger service. The closer of the two, registration N640GT, began flying in 1991 with EVA Airways.

Link: plane spotters

Next is an S-curve... note how the distant car is bending at its articulation point, as intended.

After the S-curve, the track splits to enter light rail's BWI Airport Station. Among other things, bigger 10 and 5 speed signs were added after two incidents of (intoxicated) operators approaching too fast and impacting the bumper at the end of the line.

This train is departing for Penn Station, but Northeast Corridor trains can also be reached via shuttle bus from the airport to Amtrak's own BWI station.

During the first few years after the BWI spur opened, trains departing BWI operated to Penn Station. That was changed such that as of this writing, those trains instead operate toward stops near the northern end of the line, typically either Timonium or Hunt Valley. That change seems logical as it is likely more people travel between BWI and the businesses in the Hunt Valley area than between BWI and Penn Station.

Change for: PRR / Amtrak tour at this site

Airport patrons qualify for a canopy, the only one like this in the system. MTA 5037 waits partially underneath.

Illuminated red tail lights tell you this train arrived recently. Bright concrete ties tell you the station was quite new at photo time.

Under the pyramidal roofline inside the terminal, one found/finds an airport history exhibit.

Light RailLink is a convenient and inexpensive way to travel between the airport and Baltimore city, and beyond. The system makes BWI one of the country's most-accessible airports.