Dating to 1970, Capital Beltway Metropark was the last station planned by PRR; it opened under the name of successor Penn Central. It was an infill station designed for easy automobile access from the Capital Beltway. Three months and five days after the station opened, Penn Central declared bankruptcy; in 1971 control of the station was turned over to Amtrak. Conrail operated PRR's commuter trains from then until Maryland took over.

During 1982, MDOT (later MARC) ceased commuter service at both Lanham and Landover in favor of Capital Beltway, thereby overloading it. Fortunately, a larger station was already under construction nearby, adjacent Washington Metro's New Carrollton stop. When in 1983 MARC began stopping at New Carrollton, the Capital Beltway station was shuttered.

Links: about station, 1973, 1976

Concern about high speed trains running adjacent to, but not stopping at, the Capital Beltway's platform led to the addition of gauntlet track, the nearer set of rails seen in this photo, as at Seabrook. Gauntlet signals, the small circles next to the larger position light signals, alerted train operators to the switch settings.

Penn Central would never get around to repainting all its old PRR equipment, hence the leftover red and gold Pennsy keystone heralds on these MP54 units. The company had filed for bankruptcy a few weeks before this photo.

MP54s came in several varieties, the first of which entered service during 1908. Such "red cars" or "red rattlers" were a familiar sight to commuters in various Northeastern US cities until the last car was retired in 1981. Several examples survive in museum collections.

Links: 1970, 1970s

The addition of commuter service during 1982 overwhelmed the tiny "Capital Beltway Transportation Center" that offered seating to just 10 waiting passengers. The station operated from March 16, 1970 to October 30, 1983.

Link: source photo

With extensive remodeling the station found a new life as an office. At least they retained, the, umm, front door, maybe.

A now disused and sealed passenger passageway runs under the tracks.

Link: more about station

The aforementioned Capital Beltway station was at distant center, this side of the visible overpass, which is the Beltway. Since 1978 Metro's New Carrollton yard and repair shops have been at right.

New Carrollton has blossomed into a transportation center to rival DC's Union Station. Metro, MARC, and Amtrak all stop here, as will light rail trains of the Purple Line under construction at photo time.

Links: 2010, 2010

In the main photo's deep zoom, a northbound Amtrak train is changing tracks after passing a pole-mounted signal, one of only two along the Penn Line between Baltimore and DC. The pole signal is displaying Rule 281c, Limited Clear at what is named Carroll interlocking.

The wide area between tracks previously hosted one platform of Capital Beltway Station.

At left an approaching southbound MARC train is slowing to stop.

Links: 1979, rule 281c limited clear, CR 3253 at Carroll interlocking

If you gild it, they will come. Large office buildings and fancy mixed-use developments, such as Metroview, have sprung up around the busy station.

At photo time, MARC 86 had not yet celebrated its first birthday. If the Siemens Charger model SC-44 looks longer than all other MARC engines, that's because at 71 feet 4 inches it is. Amtrak also has some Chargers, that as of this writing it operates along the US west coast. The SC-44 can reach speeds in excess of 130 mph.

While the trains make electric music, solid walls of concrete grace a station entrance that manages to look sleek.

New Carrollton's proximity to both the Capital Beltway and US 50 is one reason for its popularity. There were no transportation facilities at this site Before Metro opened here during 1978, though the Penn Line's old Lanham and Landover stations, plus the Capital Beltway stop, were not far.

Link: Metro under construction

Burnt orange was a popular color when Metro was getting going. New Carrollton's well-maintained station is older than it looks.

Link: more station pics

It takes a bit of luck to see more than just passenger trains operating along the Penn Line during the day. The Norfolk Southern engine within this consist is behind empty hoppers, and ahead of full ones. HZGX is the reporting mark of Herzog Contracting Corporation who would appear to have been actively reballasting this stretch of track at photo time.

The solar panels on top do not power the hoppers' movement but rather the doors at their botton that dispense fresh stone ballast. The link below is to a 4-second video of ballast pouring from a similar hopper along CSX's Old Main Line during April 2014.

Link: ballasting video (MPG format)

Since photo time, Amtrak's HHP-8 model units have been retired, but before that happened delivery of ACS-64 units began -- including, oops, some with the same numbers. Unit 650 shown above was later renumbered 680 to avoid confusion with the newer 650 at right.

A side note: ACS-64 units numbered 665 and 667 exist, but 666 was skipped.

Detour: this site's Amtrak ACS-64 photo page

By photo, time Amtrak's boxy AEM-7 "toasters" such as AMTK 914 were nearing retirement. However, many of the round-sided Amfleet cars like these, some dating to the 1970s, were still rolling as of 2019 having been refurbished during 2017. Amfleet cars are modeled on the Penn Central's Metroliner cars of 1969.

To reach up and touch the overhead electric supply line, Amtrak's preferred pantograph design has settled on the flexing arm and contact seen at right. I am surprised the "ears" at its top sides curve downward since an upward curve would better discourage the mechanism from sliding to the side then up over the catenary, which would be Not Good.

Two of these (insulated?) catenary pole crossbars are found at the station.

Link: similar view from ground 1977

From left to right at New Carollton: Metro (Orange Line), Amtrak, MARC. The Purple Line will be another option; the line's other end is in Bethesda at Metro's Red Line. Compared to Baltimore, the DC region is better at interconnecting disparate transportation types.

Links: ~1978, ~1980, ~1980

These are not round-sided Amfleet cars. Instead, here AMTK 631 leads a set of MARC bi-level cars on what was announced as a MARC train. In 2019 MARC arranged to borrow a limited amount of Amtrak equipment during rush hours.

All the cantilevered signal mounts along the Penn Line are near stations, however this is the only one holding one full-sized signal.

Links: 1987, Amtrak Archives Northeast 1980s

Yes, these two Washington-bound trains are going bye bye, but do not despair, trains less camera-shy will appear on the next page.

Link: ~1980 similar view pre-station