Lander, MD 1/25/2013 - Under a frigid and heavy snowfall, the early Friday afternoon MARC commuter train P-871 stirs up dusty snow past the high rocks of Catoctin Mountain along a narrow passage between mountain and river. Behind the locomotive, what was once the double-track Catoctin Tunnel on the B&O's mainline to Brunswick, MD is now home to the number one track--usually westbound. The P-871 is running west on the number two track that was routed out along the cliffs to allow the number one track to take the center of the tunnel when trains got taller decades ago. Not long from now, even that clearance will need to be raised to accommodate double stack trains. Behind the photographer is the abandoned C&O Canal and the Potomac River, today filled with ice in the bitter 19 degree weather.
From B&O RDCs to MARC bilevel coaches pulled by electric locomotives and diesels, the Maryland commuting scene has evolved, while trolleys, aka light rail vehicles, are back.
