Railfanning at BWI

Hello,
I may be in the vicinity of the BWI Amtrak/MARC Station next month. Is that station good for railfanning? Would I stand a high chance of being questioned and asked to move along? Thanks.

Having stopped at that station aboard Amtrak trains on the way to NYC, the general surroundings are pretty much obscured by trees and the only observation points are the upper decks of the parking garage and the platform itself. So unless someone else can state other options away from the station for you, I think you stand a chance of being told to move on.

Thanks. I have been past BWI many times on Amtrak, and have noticed a lot of trees along the right of way.

There are plenty of better places than BWI for railfan.

Try Halethorpe. Then, if you get bored of Amtrak, you can drive down the street and see CSX at St. Denis.

I have heard good things about Halethorpe. At this point, I'm leaning toward staying in or closer to DC. I'll probably check out Seabrook, and maybe New Carrollton. If I fan at New Carrollton, I would do it from the WMATA platform.

Railfanning from any WMATA platform can end up being a hassle. Hassle, in that you'll need to buy a farecard to get onto the platform, and as far as parking is concerned, it's even more of a hassle. You will need an electronic SmartTrip pass to get you and your car out of any WMATA Metro parking lot, as the parking attendants do not take cash. It costs about $5.00 initial cost to get a SmartTrip pass, plus the additional cost for riding/parking. Cost is around $4.50/day for parking (last I knew), provided you're lucky to find a parking spot; most will already taken by commuters. Lastly, WMATA employees have stepped up security on Prince George's County stations, so you may be told to move on. Sorry to be negative on your intended railfanning plans, but those are the facts of getting access to WMATA Metro.

If you're going to be driving, I'd suggest the Bowie Train Station Museum. You'll be able to observe the parade of Amtrak and MARC trains without fear of being hassled and if you are lucky you may catch a freight branching off the NEC and on to the Pope's Creek sub.

http://www.cityofbowie.org/LeisureActiv ... Museum.asp

There's a parking garage in New Carrollton that gives a good view of both the NEC and Metro (And the adjacent Metro yard) from the upper levels. I've taken photos from that spot but had parked a vehicle in the garage so had a "legitimate" reason for being there although I didn't spend too much time in one spot.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:I have heard good things about Halethorpe. At this point, I'm leaning toward staying in or closer to DC. I'll probably check out Seabrook, and maybe New Carrollton. If I fan at New Carrollton, I would do it from the WMATA platform.

New Carrollton is probably not the best place to go. The station is manned, and the trains are called, so I am pretty sure the platform area would fit Amtrak's definition of a restricted area, similar to the way Baltimore, NYP, Boston, Philly, etc are considered. The WMATA Platform is iffy, PG County has been having a bit of trouble with murders this year, and gang violence, so security may be increased.

You'll probably be questioned by Amtrak police.

Check out the threads on railfanning MARC, it has a ton of good places to go that are more railfan friendly, safer, and cheaper than NCR.

I'm NOT going to fan from the WMATA platforms WITHOUT riding a Metrorail Train. I'm aware that a lot of the Orange Line Stations in Maryland aren't in the best neighborhoods, either, especially once you cross the District Line. In fact, I think the first few in the District coming east are in very rough areas.

I don't think I will photograph from the NRC Amtrak Platform as the views aren't the best, and since there's one platform, the only good shots you could get pretty much are going away shots.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote: I think the first few in the District coming east are in very rough areas.

"Very rough" would be an understatement, lol, been there, done that....
Any Orange Line stops within the district would be a distance away from the NEC, the last stop in MD (Cheverly), is the last one adjacent to the corridor, and a crappy spot anyways, only thing I ever filmed there was a CSX Popes Creek Train.


Echoing reccomendations above, I would say Seabrook, and Bowei Museum are two great spots (you have a chance at seeing a CSX movement as well). Other good spots North of there would be the Bowie State stop, Odenton (I like Odenton a lot) and Halethorpe. Go any farther north of Halethorpe and right back into the same troubles you'd find back down in the district. All of the MARC stops really aren't incredibly far from the CSX Capital Sub (MARC Camden Line) which has plenty of variety.

If you rule out any Amtrak and WMATA stop, you'll be fine. MARC doesn't man stations and I really don't think they care if you're there as long as you're safe.

Davis

Thanks for the rundown about Seabrook and the other's such as Odenton and Bowie.

How is Riverdale, College Park, and Greenbelt for morning shots? Thanks.

All are great locations for railfanning and all are pretty open for shots. Really at all listed spots you can move to any side of the track and face any direction. The line is pretty straight North-South so you have a similar layout at each location. Riverdale has plenty of open space and platform space to mess around at.

Davis

What are my chances of seeing a freight on the Capital Sub rolling through College Park between 10 and 11 in the morning?

The thing with the Capital Sub (and a lot of lines I'd assume are similar) is that traffic really comes in waves, very unpredictable waves. I've waited three to four hours on that line just to get a train but other days I get like 10 trains in three hours. You could see a lot, you could see a little. Its like playing the lottery, limiting your time to 1 hour really narrows your chances at scoring but you could get lucky. I believe thats in a lull in the MARC schedule, so no passenger movements either. That's a fun line, you just need to be willing to devote some time to it. If you go anywhere on the Capital Sub and you are looking for a high amount of return go to the Hyattsville Wye. All movements from any point that go through DC have to hit Hyattsville at any direction. It isn't near any Metro stop though, so that may be a no-go.

Davis

As far as railfanning goes on the Capital Sub, I'm looking at either Greenbelt or College Park. I'm not going to be catching any MARCs on that line.

Hyattsville, I don't think I'll do anytime soon. I believe part of it can be rough, neighborhoodwise. I don't think it's within any walking distance of a Metro stop; at least, I would have to take a Metrobus to a Green Line station.