This is the newest version of the trackside manhole covers. C&S stands for Communication & Signals.

In the Piney Orchard vicinity the line reaches its highest elevation within Anne Arundel County. Here the ascent from the Patapsco River becomes a decline to the Patuxent River. A grade crossing with Lokus Road near the center of this photo was closed around 1930.

Link: Derailment 12 Jul 2019

Piney Orchard's water tower does its best jellyfish imitation near an Amtrak yard.

This small yard hosts Amtrak maitenance of way equipment. During my 2003 visit, the place was deserted, except for several run-down looking MOW units. Later visits found more activity. The yard dates to 1981.

Links: 1988, 1988, 1988, 1988, 1988, 2013 inside MARC 68

Trains bypassing the yard come under the jurisdiction of these signals.

Deep zoom reveals heat distortion even on a mild autumn day. This tour has more deep zoom photos than other tours because reasonable access to the Penn Line is more limited. Enjoy only from a safe distance.

These bi-level cars are Viewliner Sleeper Cars. The car at the end carries baggage.

Before the 1970s, many of the PRR's baggage cars doubled as railway post office (RPO) cars for the United States Post Office Department. About 1835 the B&O had procured the first contract to regularly carry mail. The last RPO run between New York and Washington happened on June 30, 1977.

Links: Viewliner info, baggage car info

Northbound MARC 26 leads six bi-level cars that are not Sleeper Cars, though some exhausted commuters have been known to doze off in them.

Original B&P stonework is found along the western side of the bridge over Range Road and Rogue Harbor Branch. The remainder is relatively newer concrete, probably dating from when the bridge was widened for 3 tracks around 1930. Four tracks might fit as well.

As might be obvious from the stream's location, these two photos look opposite directions. Since Range Road no longer connects through, driving from the location of the photo above to the one at left involves a roughly 14-mile, 40-minute trek.

Note that judging by post-2000 graffiti and gunfire, this seems to have become a favored hangout of well-armed teenagers.

Rain at 39 degrees arrived earlier than forecast, making for one of the more miserable - but memorable - rail history research outings. I'm told, "Nothin' lasts forever, even cold November rain."

The view at left from downstream came during a much more pleasant autumn day, though it seemed no amount of waiting would produce a train. This bridge will need to be widened before it has room for the planned 4th track.

North of the river between the railroad and Patuxent Road, from the 1920s to the 1950s the Salvation Army operated a summer camp known as Happyland, and later Camp Patuxent, for disadvantaged families of Washington, DC. Attendees arrived via train, and later by bus.

Link: Happyland

Sleepy Woodwardville's capriciously-named Fifth Avenue is the Penn Line's only driveable single-lane underpass. Fifth Avenue serves a tiny trackside community, the only one between Odenton and Bowie on the west side of the line. The B&P's Patuxent Station in this vicinity continued to appear on PRR station lists through at least 1945. During the 1800s a cannery had operated near here.

Stonework dates this grade separation to circa 1870 original B&P construction. The bridge for the trains was widened for 3 tracks probably around 1930, with room made for 4 plus a maintenance road.

South of Fifth Avenue MARC 7857 splits the uprights.

A little farther south we come upon one of the Penn Line's more curious (re)configurations. What had been triple track on the left was during the 1980s split into two separate rights of way.

The bracing between old and new catenary columns appears to be a customized crossbar, insulated to prevent current from flowing between the rights of way, even if a live wire falls onto it. The other end of the split does not have similar bracing. The black rectangles at the track detect problems with the cars rolling above.

The original triple-track alignment was retained, reduced to single track. This is the only place along the Northeast Corridor that one can find a train on a single-track alignment.

The new alignment received double track. At maximum the new alignment is 150 feet away from the original. Though the new alignment lessens a curve; if that were the goal an even straighter path was possible.

Very possibly the last survivor of its kind in Maryland, this PRR-keystone-sporting Communications and Signals shed (right) stands in relative obscurity along the least-developed Penn Line mile between Baltimore and Washington. This PRR concrete design was popular during the 1908-1918 period after which the railroad shifted to steel sheds. The PRR used a three-window version of this shed as a Block Station. This one was made by Massey Concrete Products Corporation.

The B&P had a stop in this vicinity named Anderson.

As for CUT SEC, SEC refers to a Section of powered catenary, hence the insulated track joints in the foreground. CUT? Perhaps circuit? This is where the Severn (PRR section 22) and Bowie (PRR section 23) substation circuits meet.

Link: PRR power overview from 1935 (PDF file)

Baltimore-bound MARC 32 reaches the Conway Road grade crossing that closed during the 1940s when Fort Meade expanded.

Crews were working on the original alignment as AMTK 2031 took the newer route. A disused signal bridge rusts in the foreground.

On a gray day, milepost 118 peeks up on the right to see that northbound AMTK 651 has just crossed into Anne Arundel County.

The PRR bridge over the Patuxent River is much like its one over the Patapsco: low and long. At one time it supported 4 tracks, but only 3 have been raised and upgraded for Northeast Corridor use, while the 4th, seen straight ahead in this photo, grows moss as a maintenance truck accessway.

The B&O spanned the Patuxent River via a higher, shorter bridge at Laurel, about 10 miles upstream (left).

Link: bridge ~1900

The line's piecemeal widening over time is revealed by the varying styles of track supports.

With Maryland being prime B&O turf, surprisingly little has been written about the history of this B&P/PRR line. As of this writing this photo tour is the most comprehensive online historical documentation of the line.

The Patuxent River separates Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties, plus makes this railroad bridge necessary. A B&P two-track version that predated this bridge survived the flooding of August 13, 1873 because the embankments at both ends were washed downstream, thus widening the passage for the river.

Links: 1873 flood, LoC Source photo ~1970

Deep zoom looking back north finds AMTK 616 passing milepost 118 as it approaches PG County.

About the Bowie Race Track Branch, reader Jim Younger wrote:

"The wye at 'Arundel' where the main met the branch is long gone. The actual right of way through the pines is now a vehicle road, which is more or less passable. All along the ROW there are ties and spikes, now mostly hidden by vegetation.

"I always thought this branch was an interesting rail operation. It's just a shame to let it slip into obscurity."

The next page tours the branch...