Baltimore railfanning questions!

Hello, I may be going on vacation to Baltimore,MD during Spring Break and I was wondering where the best railfanning spots are within about 20mins of downtown Baltimore for the NEC,MARC,and CSX, thank you.

I was looking on the maps and is warner st by the Ravens stadium a good spot for CSX and MARC is it in a safe location and is there a place to park?

St. Denis in Relay (mapquest Relay, Maryland) is your best bet for safe railfanning. You can get some decent shots downtown by Ravens/Orioles Stadium too but access is tougher and the area isn't the best.

Ok,thanks, how far of a drive is it?

Also how often does CSX run through there and what CSX line is it?

Over the years my fav train spots were Bayview (east), Warner Street (by the stadiums) Patapsco Avenue overpass and St. Denis (on the west side).
There were several secondary spots I would traverse if I was chasing 'cross city.
I never had any problems with Warner Street, but then I'm from Dundalk and might appear to fit right in or was just comfortable...I even use to rfan there at night LOL
Each has its benefits.
I never did find a spot to watch EVERYTHING (NEC) without a hike and being out in the woods or on private railroad or other property.

Thanks for the info,has anyone been to Halethorpe station on the NEC and knows if it's good for railfanning?

I don't see why not; its right down the road from St. Denis on CSX.
NEC was never much interest to me except on the east side w/the (then Conrail now NS) traffic from their Bayview Yard and traffic to Consol Coal and asst ops. Unfortunately, most of that freight traffic works at night.
If you look south from the Halethorpe NEC station you might be able to see the bridge crossing w/CSX; don't know about that.

IMO, St. Denis/Relay is your best bet. You'll catch traffic on the Washington sub and Old Mainline (which merges with the Washington sub just north of the Thomas Viaduct). Traffic has really picked up on the Old Main in the last several months -- mostly coal drags, auto racks, and single stacks. During the week, the preponderance of action is overnight but there is some daytime action spaced around the commuter trains running between Frederick and DC. Surprisingly, weekend action (Saturday) has improved lately.

You might also consider a trip to Ellicott City (about 12 miles west). There is a nice museum (old station) next to the Old Main. Also, don't forget the B&O Museum in d-town Baltimore.

Poppyl

Thanks for the info guys I was planning to do a full day of railfanning around Baltimore on a Friday,stopping at the B&O museum, Halethorpe,and St Denis so now my question is since im going to do the day about half and half with the B&O museum being about half of the day and Halethorpe and St Denis the other half of the day, when would be the best time to go to St.Denis and Halethorpe and then I'll do the B&O museum before or after then.

I always found more train action in the morning, a lull in the noon/afternoon, then a pickup again come evening/night.
I would start taking a break or exploring new areas around this afternoon "lull"...I think that'd be a good time to visit B&O.

Ok thanks,so should I go to St.Denis around 3pm or what time should I go in the morning because I'm not sure if I'm going in the morning or afternoon so I just want to know when to go in the morning and when to go in the afternoon.

Google "railfan Baltimore Maryland"...I've come across some great online resources w/maps, location pics and descriptions. Lots of stuff out there. be safe; have fun.

thanks