On my way between South Carolina and New York I usualy get of I-95 and take US Route 301 around Washington and Baltimore. Not only does this route save several headaches, it also has some interesting railroad-related diversions. The first and best is a power plant located at the Maryland side of the Potomac River (Harry W. Nice) Bridge. This plant burns coal, recives deliveries by rail and has some interesting motive power. I’ve seen an F7, an Alco RS1 and a chop-nosed geep running around in there. It’s all vissable from public property, but, the bridge’s toll plaza is right across the road so I would not recomend stopping for any length of time.
Further north in LaPlata, MD is a train of old LIRR coaches sitting on a siding. My map of the area lists the US Government as the operator of the line through the area and there are several plaes that look llike good railfanning spots.
The power plant is the Morgantown facility of Patomac Electric Power Co…(PEPCO) it is served by CSX crews (former ConRail) who originate the trains from Benning Yard in the District. These crews also deliver coal to the Chalk Point power plant near Indian Head.
While US 301 will permit one to miss several of the I-95 congestion points, it can also be a congestion point all on it’s own…having sat in traffic from the crossroads at Dahlgren to the Harry Nice Bridge (5+ miles) and slogged through the local traffic through LaPlata and Waldorf the US 301 route is not free and clear. Normally if I-95 is flowing freely, so is US 301, if I-95 is a parking lot, so will US 301 from Dahlgren to the US 50 interchange East of the District. The locals use US301 as an I-95 alternate so the traffic issues affect both at the same time.
I had a similar situation when my daughter and her husband were living in MD. We drove down to Laurel for pizza, having come south from Hampstead in Carroll County. Coming back, about 7PM, we took the Balt.-Washington Pkwy north thinking it would be less congested. Wrong. So we went back through Laurel and caught I-95. Not any better. Over 2 hours shot.
Everyone thinks their own home town has the worst traffic, but I think that’s worse than old St. Louie. Still, I had many great railfanning adventures in MD and recommend it highly.
Yeah well, At least THEY don’t have 5 miles of Interstate Shut Down for complete rebuild…you know what I am talking abuut, I-64/US40
Well, I live very far south and you live north, so if you don’t have to drive to work it’s OK. I’m retired, so am not involved.