RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

the BALTIMORE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM

HOMEPAGE
 

This section covers the light rail system that runs in Baltimore, Maryland.  It operates in Baltimore City, Baltimore County to the north, and Ann Arundel County to the south. 

There are two shops, the main shop is located of North Ave, next to I83 (the JFK), and is called the North Ave shops.  The southern shop is located in Ann Arundel County at the end of the line at Cromwell, and is called the Cromwell shops.

The system opened in 1991 just in time for the baseball season, and had an original order of 35 cars, numbered 5001 thru 5035.  A second batch of 18 was delivered starting in 1998, for a total of 53.  All cars are manufactured by ABB, now AdTranz.

The cars are 98 feet long over couplers, 12.5 feet high with a lowered pan, 8.5 feet wide (one of the wider cars running around), and weigh 54 tons empty.  They were the first LRVs in America to use AC traction power.  Despite the weight, the bearings are good enough so that one person can push an LRV on straight and level track.

A southbound "2 pack" running alongside Howard St, stopped at the Convention Center.  The Bromo-Seltzer tower is in the background, and Camden station is behind me to my left.  The tracks just left the middle of Howard St in the background.

Map of the Light Rail System, integrated with the heavy rail metro subway.

Maps of the North Avenue and Cromwell facilities.

Description and pictures of the signals on the Baltimore Light Rail system. 

Operating Rules  

     Light Rail train and signal pix starting at Hunt Valley and working south / strip map format

    Misc Light Rail pix from around the system. 

  Pictures of trackwork, substations and catenary, wayside structures, etc

How the Baltimore LRV's work - from a former railcar maintenance guy - ME

  The complaint department.  Don't go here unless you really want to, as I am not my usual reserved and clean speaking self.

Since the Baltimore Light Rail system is the only system I have worked for, I only have the rulebooks and technical info for them.  However, while I worked for them, I also used it as an excuse to visit several other systems, it was a great opportunity..... I had the chance to visit the Portland OR L/R shops (when there was only one, and I was in town for a job interview to leave the MTA) and the heavy rail system in Los Angeles (my wife even went on that tour).  I have toured one other transit system (besides, obviously, the Hiawatha system), but to protect the innocent, I can't tell you where, but it was a great tour (and you won't be able to tell from my pictures either, because I told my tour guide I wouldn't put any of those on here till he retired).

The general feeling amongst almost all of the maintenance personnel was the same as I experienced here in Baltimore - generally lousy.  I guess it's part of the union work environment.  Everybody complains, yet few really do anything about it (like changing jobs so they quit complaining about how awful their jobs are).  Soon after I left the MTA for better pastures, about two dozen ET's quit to go work in the (then) rapidly expanding communications and internet explosion (1998 timeframe).  A number of them wanted to get back in after the field went bust, but never made it.

New 5sep2005

Last Updated: 04/03/2011