High Trail from Brice Run Over and Around the Dorsey Tunnel

Hiked this afternoon along Alberton Road, past the dam and around to where Brice Run goes under the Old Main Line and into the Patapsco. Just past Brice run, heading west is a high through trail that goes up, over and around the Dorsey tunnel. I took it as far as the electric high power lines right of way that crosses the river at the eastern end of the Eureka Bridge on the approach to the Davis tunnel. I took the low trail on the return trip. I figure about six miles round trip.

           Looking back to the east from the ascent on the trail to bypass the Dorsey tunnel.

This fireplace was about 20 yards off the trail on the highest ridge maybe a half mile west of Brice Run. It would be easy to miss in the green season. No sign of a building foundation, and it is situated on slightly sloping ground. Odd even for a hunting cabin, if that was what the fireplace was for. Some nice pink granite granite is prominent just below the mantel shelf. Also saw two deer and three deer hunting tree stands in this area, which borders on private property adjacent to the Patapsco Valley State Park.

                                                Electric right of way, looking north.

                       Electric right of way looking south and across the river at the Eureka Bridge.

                       Two views looking east along the tracks and the river on the return hike.

                    And the closest thing to flowers you will see in the valley at this time of year.

Mt. Airy - Point of Convergence and Divergence in Central Maryland

Mt. Airy is a small town at the geographical heart of central Maryland. It is the only place in the state where four counties meet, Frederick, Carroll, Howard and Montgomery. It is west of Baltimore and north of Washington. The headwaters of the Patapsco and Patuxent rivers are there only .6 of a mile apart.
The four counties meet at Parr's Spring, the headwater of the Patapsco on the historic Four Counties Farm on Parr's Ridge. The Patapsco river divides Carroll and Baltimore counties on the north and east from Frederick, Howard and Anne Arundel counties on the south and west as well as Baltimore City on the northeast from Anne Arundel county to the southewest The Patuxent river divides Howard,  Anne Arundel and Calvert counties on the east from from Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles and St. Mary's counties on the west. The historic National Pike from Baltimore to Illinois passes along the southern boundary of Mt. Airy, as does the Old Main Line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, now owned and operated by CSX.

On the Road Again - Sykesville to Woodbine

On the rail road that is. Picking up where I left off in June on my quest to hike the B&O Old Main Line, I hiked from Sykesville to Woodbine, or at least to Morgan Road, about a mile from Woodbine. Four and a half mile each way. Nine miles in four hours with time to stop and smell the creosote and snap a few pictures. It was a perfect day for hiking; cool and partly cloudy, temperature in the mid 60's. Beautiful! Saw lots of wildlife:  at least a half dozen deer, hawks, geese, a blue heron, cattle, horses, bright colored song birds and even a box turtle trying to figure out how to get over a rail to cross the tracks. After a train passed over him, he turned back the way he came. Here is a view of the old Sykesville yard looking back toward the east.

I parked beside Baldwin Station in a lot on the old Sykesville freight yard, which has some old rail cars. It also serves as a staging area for Maintenance of Way vehicles for CSX. The 29 mile marker is about a quarter mile from Baldwin Station just around a bend heading west. The short Sykesville tunnel is another quarter mile down the tracks. It has two bridges over the Patapsco River, one on each approach. The river makes a sharp bend to the north around the ridge that the tunnel goes through. So, between the two bridges the track is in Howard County for a few hundred yards, then back into Carroll County. After the tunnel there are four at grade road crossings in the next four miles: Gaither Rd., Hoods Mill Rd., Rt 97 and Morgan Rd. about a quarter mile past the 33 mile marker on the approach to Woodbine. I encountered two eastbound trains during my hike and heard the whistle of a third train, headed west, as I drove out of Sykesville at the end of my hike.

I have posted more photos of today's hike at this link, but the pair of geese below, cruising the Patapsco, were too beautiful not to include here.

Woodstock to the Henryton Tunnel and Back

This morning I hiked the B&O Old Main Line from Woodstock to the Henryton tunnel, about three and half miles each way. It was a pretty stretch of track on a beautiful day. I saw two deer and a fox, which were too fast for me to get my camera ready.

The phrase "sylvan glades" captures the look of much of the track-side scenery, which included a fox's den.

The Henryton tunnel, built in 1903, is about a half mile west of Marriottsville Road and about a hundred yards past the 25 mile marker next to the track.          

There were no iron horses on rails today, probably because of tomorrow's holiday. However I did encounter some flesh and blood horses back at my starting point. It seems the "biker bar" at the Old Court / Woodstock Road rail crossing in Woodstock is as much a "horsewoman's bar" as it is a biker's. After I downed a brew with the boys, a few of the ladies let me photograph their rides.

This guy was the best looking of the herd and he just loved to pose.

All in all a very pleasant outing on a beautiful, sunny and cool day.

Steel Away - Hauling Off American Steel

Today, just below the Ilchester tunnel on the CSX / B&O Old Main Line, this maintenance vehicle is rolling on newly laid Nippon Steel rails and hauling off old US Steel rails, which were laid in 1958. They were working in the tunnel today. Otherwise it was a beautiful day for hiking with a friend and one of my brothers.

US Steel - What Happened?

Recently I have spent a lot of time walking the rails of the CSX / B & 0 RR Old Main Line, have posted many photos of the tracks. You may have noticed that there are unsecured rails laying next to the tracks and between dual tracks. A major rail maintenance project is in the works. The new rails and plates are being laid out all along the line in preparation for swapping out the old rails for new. In the past week I looked closely at the old and new rails. The old rails were manufactured by US Steel in Illinois in 1957. Assuming they were placed on the tracks in 1958, they have carried trains for 55 years! The new replacement rails, set to be placed in 2013 were made in 2012 in Japan. I aked myself: How is it possible for Japan, which has so few natural resources that prior to WW II  it was importing scrap metal from the US for their war efforts, can produce steel rails and transport, them across the Pacific ocean, then over or around North American to Baltimore cheaper than a US steel manufacturer can make them and deliver them here in the USA? What has happened to our country? And why?

A Cup of Coffee

This afternoon I walked to Ellicott City for a cup of coffee at the Bean Hollow. My stroll took only four hours, with time for the coffee and some photography. I started at the Union Dam tunnel beneath the Rt. 40 bridges over the Patapsco river in the Hollofield Section of the Patapsco Valley State Park, and walked south along the river and the rails of the CSX / B&O Railroad Old Main Line. After a nice stop stopover at the Bean Hollow I walked back. I started at 1:45 and finished at 5:35, just in time to drive home for dinner. A beautiful day for a walk. In the photo above you can see the Ellicott City B&O Railroad Museum in the center, with the low sloping roof, just to the right of the rails. Here's a nice little map.

Reinforcement

There are many small stone arched bridges carrying the Old Main Line over tributaries of the Patapsco river. I have never seen one reinforced and stablilized in this manner. It is on the stretch of rails between the Davis tunnel and Woodstock.

Dorsey Redux

Same location as last post. Looking east from the opening of the Davis tunnel toward the Dorsey tunnel. I love the day to day variations in the color tones any one location. This photo was taken today. The cloudy sky and muted colors appeal to me.

Eastbound to the Dorsey Tunnel

On the Old Main Line of the B & O just east of the Davis tunnel looking east across the Patapsco River toward the Dorsey tunnel in the distance. You can see that CSX is setting us to replace the rails on the bridge, using the old parallel track truss as the staging area for a crane. The new rails are laid along side the current rails they will replace.

Rolling on the Old Main Line

CSX 802 just out of the Dorsey tunnel heading east toward Baltimore.