A Second B&O CPL For Baltimore Penn

A year ago I reported on Amtrak replacing the NECIP era cantilever mast covering tracks 7 and 8 at CHARLES interlocking with a pedestal and ground mounted B&O style CPL dwarf. Well at some point over the winter of 2023, CHARLES' ad-hoc cantilever governing track #3 was also replaced by a CPL dwarf. Baltimore Penn Station has always been a land of close clearances, so is this part of a trend that will result in even more new B&O CPL dwarfs? Probably not, but its fun to take a look at the new one on track #3 since there's a bit more history than meets the eye.

Pulling up the 1992 track chart we can see that after the NEC Improvement Project (NECIP) and before the late 1990's expansion of MARC service that restored Track #5 as a stub terminal, tracks 3 and 4 converged past southbound PRR pedestal signals over the 34 switch before passing a second PRR pedestal, 3SA, guarding the convergence with track #1 and ultimate connection into through track #6.

With the MARC expansion, track #4 was extended to its own switch with through track #6 with the 34 switch and 3SA signal being removed.

Photo courtesy B&O Photo Tours

The improvements also left track #3 as the only remaining low level track at Baltimore Penn Station as track #1 was being used as a freight bypass stood off from the platform and protected by a low fence. At this time it was also decided to replace the 3S pedestal with a cantilever mast to raise the pedestal up off the trackbed for some reason. The low level platform would eventually fall into ever more disrepair before being completely taken out of passenger service in the 2010's Track #3 would be used for storage of MARC trains, but the 3S signal was still positioned in relation to the long removed 34 switch resulting in the waste of several carlengths of storage space and extended train movement transit times through the interlocking.

Above we can see the placement of the new temporary(?) 3S CPL dwarf in relation to the 1S pedestal and the insulated joints for the 64 switch. (The 4S pedestal is located under the bridge to the upper left.)

The CPL dwarf has a R-Y-G face and orbitals in the 12 and 6 o'clock position. This is slightly confusing as the 3S lacks any straight routes for Clear or Approach that would utilize the 12 o'clock orbital, but it might be used for a Stop and Proceed marker light in a way that made the wiring easier.

The 3S now joins the 7S as the second B&O CPL in the Baltimore Penn Station terminal area. A fitting turn of events as Baltimore has very few of its namesake CPL signals in service on home rails.