Even though I lived in Baltimore for 30+ years and knew of the B&P tunnel, I never knew about it's "open section" just west of Mount Royal Ave.
As I was doing research for my M&Pa route, I read about this cut, and then spotted it on one of the maps I was reviewing (from 1915 as I recall).
But after seeing this view on Bing maps (http://binged.it/Rjzi1l) I see a mystery - now I read that the open cut was the result of a collapse "during the Pensy era" and that engineers removed the collapsed material and left it open to the sky.
My conclusion is that there was once a split in the tunnel, effectively forming a wye connection between the B&P tunnel and the PRR to the south, and the NCR to the north. This wide section over the turnouts was weak, and colapsed. And that either then, or later, the lack of use for the north branch resulted in it's abandonment. (there was a time when the old NCR mainline was missing a large section in the middle, and now it's right of way is a light rail MTA line)
Only trouble is, where was the other end of the north branch of the tunnel? I can't find it on any map, nor any evidence of it in any photos - either on Bing, Google Earth, or in old photos dating to the 1950s.
So, anyone? Am I right? Crazy? On to something no one has ever noticed?
As I was doing research for my M&Pa route, I read about this cut, and then spotted it on one of the maps I was reviewing (from 1915 as I recall).
But after seeing this view on Bing maps (http://binged.it/Rjzi1l) I see a mystery - now I read that the open cut was the result of a collapse "during the Pensy era" and that engineers removed the collapsed material and left it open to the sky.
My conclusion is that there was once a split in the tunnel, effectively forming a wye connection between the B&P tunnel and the PRR to the south, and the NCR to the north. This wide section over the turnouts was weak, and colapsed. And that either then, or later, the lack of use for the north branch resulted in it's abandonment. (there was a time when the old NCR mainline was missing a large section in the middle, and now it's right of way is a light rail MTA line)
Only trouble is, where was the other end of the north branch of the tunnel? I can't find it on any map, nor any evidence of it in any photos - either on Bing, Google Earth, or in old photos dating to the 1950s.
So, anyone? Am I right? Crazy? On to something no one has ever noticed?