Category Archives: Rail Photo of the Month

Rail Photo of the Month: April 2022

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ABB LRV 5043

Location: Camden Station, Baltimore, MD
Operator of Vehicle: MDOT MTA
Date of Photo: June 16, 2009

On this date in 1992, the Baltimore Light Rail began revenue operations.  The line’s initial segment operated from Timonium to Camden Yards, adjacent to the Orioles new stadium that opened the same day.  Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer advocated for the construction of the line in order to facilitate travel to the new ballpark.  The line was constructed without federal funding, which is a rarity for US rapid transit construction, using the right of way previously used by several interurban streetcar and commuter rail routes, the Northern Central Railway, Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway and Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad.  Service was extended such that by 1997, the system reached its current extent, operating as far north as Hunt Valley and as far south as BWI Airport and Glen Burnie.  There is also a short spur line to Baltimore Penn Station.

Initially, much of the line outside of downtown was single track in order to save money during construction.  This limited service to 17 minute frequencies, so the line was closed down in portions in order to double track it between 2004 and 2006.  The original rolling stock still operates on the line, though it received a mid-life overhaul in the mid-2010s.  Also in 2017, the system was rebranded “Light RailLink” in conjunction with the BaltimoreLink bus network redesign.

For more photos of the Baltimore Light Rail, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: March 2022

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Tatra KT4 1142

Location: Ivan Franko Street, Lviv, Ukraine
Operator of Vehicle: LKP Lvivelektrotrans
Date of Photo: June 1, 2008

It is very difficult to escape news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine right now.  I visited Lviv in western Ukraine in 2008 on a family origins tour.  From what I’ve read, Lviv has not been the site of any warfare yet, but many Ukrainians are passing through the city as they attempt to escape the country and reach Poland, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Lviv.  

Unlike the larger cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, Lviv does not have a Metro system.  The backbone of its public transit system is a tram network that traces its origins to horse drawn vehicles beginning operation in 1880.  The trams have been electrified since 1908.  However, due to the lack of expansion of the system since World War II and difficulties in keeping it maintained, ridership has declined by more than half between 1990 and 2010.  Until 2014, the system was operated entirely by Soviet built trams.  In that year, a Ukrainian-German joint venture delivered eight low floor trams to Lviv, and in 2020, a low floor tram model built entirely in Ukraine entered service.

For more photos of Lviv’s Tatra KT4 trams, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: February 2022

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Eidan 500 Series 732

Location: Carlos Pellegrini Station, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Operator of Vehicle: Metrovías
Date of Photo: January 12, 2018

Plenty of attention was given (and deservedly so) to the retirement of New York City’s R32 subway cars during December and January.  Most of the digital ink devoted to the R32’s farewell rides mentioned that these were among the oldest subway cars in the world.  So what cars should get this title?  I’m not entirely sure this is the answer, but Buenos Aires’s Eidan 500 Series cars are certainly in the running.  The Eidan 500 Series cars were built in Japan and entered service on the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (now known as the Toyko Metro) on January 20, 1954.  They ran continuously until July of 1996, at which time most of them were sold to be used on the Buenos Aires Subte, while some others were preserved in Japan.  They remain in service on Buenos Aires’s Line B, alongside other secondhand rolling stock purchased from the Madrid Metro.  

Incidentally, for many years, Buenos Aires was the indisputable winner of oldest subway cars in operation title.  The wooden “La Brugeoise” cars operated for nearly a century on Line A from its opening in 1913 until early 2013.  When they were removed from service after 99 years of service, there was no question that they were the oldest subway cars in use anywhere at the time.  Considering Buenos Aires’s tendency to purchase secondhand rolling stock for the Subte, it is quite possible that this distinction will reside in the Argentinian capital with some frequency.

Are you aware of any subway cars in service that are older than the Eidan 500 Series in Buenos Aires?  If so, post a comment with the subway car type that you think is the world’s oldest currently in revenue operations.

For more photos of the Eidan 500 Series, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: January 2022

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R32 3410

Location: Lorimer Street/Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: June 2, 2014

For the past 15 or so years, the MTA has operated some of its vintage subway cars on Sundays in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  After a one year hiatus last year due to the pandemic, the tradition is back again this year, albeit with a twist.  Instead of the traditional R1–9 (“Arnine”) train, this year’s event is a sendoff for the 58 year old R32 subway cars.  The R32s were nominally retired in April 2020, though they briefly reentered service during the summer of 2020 when the R179s were pulled from revenue service due to mechanical issues.  The farewell train will run twice more this year, on the 6th Avenue and Central Park West lines on January 2, and on the Second Avenue, Broadway, and Brighton lines on January 9.  On the latter date, the train will be operating over the Q train route, which is the line they originally debuted on in 1964.  As of this writing, the R32s are the oldest subway cars in operation anywhere in North America and among the oldest to be in operation anywhere in the world.  The R32 has also outlasted the R38s, R40s, R42s, and R44s, all of which were built after the R32.  

The R32 is also the last New York City car type to have a full “railfan window” at the front of the train.  This meant you could stand at the front of the train and see signals and other infrastructure pass by with a view almost identical to that of the train operator.  I loved standing at this window on the R32s (and other New York City car types with the feature) and while going through my photos to select one for this post, noticed there was often someone standing at the window.  I wonder how many New Yorkers became transit enthusiasts because of this opportunity that future generations will not experience.  While there may be operational advantages to building trains with full width cabs, a certain nostalgia is being lost as a result.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to New York for any of the farewell trips.  However, I had a great time chasing the R32 trainsets on the J line on June 2, 2014, and one of the photos from that day is featured here.  (My last R32 photos were taken in 2019 but aren’t particularly noteworthy.)

For information about the farewell trip routes and schedules, please click here for the press release from the MTA.

For more photos of the R32s, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: November 2021

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CQ311 272

Location: Five Points Station, Atlanta, GA
Operator of Vehicle: MARTA
Date of Photo: August 12, 2000

This Photo of the Month selection honors the Atlanta Braves, who just won the 2021 World Series.  Back when I took this photo on my first trip to Atlanta in 2000, the Braves were not even five years removed from their first championship in Atlanta, they played at Turner Field, and the CQ311 rolling stock seen here would not begin to undergo rehabilitation for another six years.  While Turner Field wasn’t particularly close to a MARTA station, a short shuttle bus ride connected the stadium to the West End station, about two miles away.  Starting with the 2017 season, the Braves have played their home games at what is currently called Truist Park, which has practically no public transit access.  Two circulators serving the Cumberland area around the stadium operate every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 60 minutes on Saturdays.  A CobbLinc route from the Arts Center MARTA station stops about a 7 to 10 minute walk from the stadium, but does not operate on Sundays.  MARTA route 12 connects the Midtown Station to Cumberland Mall, but then one must transfer to the aforementioned Cumberland area circulator, which doesn’t operate on Sundays.  For all intents and purposes, the best way to get to the stadium is by car, which is why the Braves cited the lack sufficient parking at and the long drive for many fans to Turner Field as reasons they needed to move out to the suburbs.  

While you can’t easily take transit to see the Braves defend their title next season, fortunately, many other MLB stadiums are easily accessible by transit.  Truist Park has a “Transit Score” of 43, ahead of only the Tampa Bay Rays (41), Milwaukee Brewers (40), Kansas City Royals (32) and the Texas Rangers (0 due to playing in a city with no fixed route public transit at all).  

For more photos of MARTA Rolling Stock, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: October 2021

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MPI MP36PH-3C 102

Location: Santa Fe Depot, Santa Fe, NM
Operator of Vehicle: Herzog Transit Services (under contract to the New Mexico Department of Transportation and Rio Metro)
Date of Photo: August 3, 2018

Staying in New Mexico for the rail photo of the month, we head up to the state capitol of Santa Fe.  This is the terminal of the state’s lone commuter rail line, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, which connects Santa Fe and Albuquerque.  Service began in 2006 on a portion of the route from Albuquerque to Sandoval County, and reached Santa Fe in 2008.  The Santa Fe Depot serves as the northern terminal of the line.  The depot building was the namesake of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, founded in 1880, but was only connected to the mainline railway by a spur due to steep grades making it difficult to connect the mainline to Santa Fe itself.  The station was little used for many years, housing the offices of the short line Santa Fe Southern Railway until 2008.  This past July, it was announced that the depot building will be overhauled and restored in accordance with the historical preservation guidelines that the station falls under.

The area around the Santa Fe Depot, known as the Railyard, has been a focus of urban renewal since 2002.  A “Viewfinder” post about that development will be coming later this week.

For more photos of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: September 2021

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Class 7200 locomotive 7273

Location: Gare d’Austerlitz, Paris, France
Operator of Vehicle: SNCF
Date of Photo: March 22, 2008

When one thinks of the national railroads of Europe, people often think of high speed trains such as the TGV.  However, there are other types of trains in Europe.  For example, the French national railroad company, SNCF, operates electric locomotives such as this one on a variety of non-TGV passenger services, as well as freight services.  Although slower than their high speed counterparts, the Class 7200 locomotives are capable of reaching speeds of 120 MPH (200 KPH) on long distance express services.  This particular locomotive was photographed at the Gare d’Austerlitz, which is currently undergoing major construction work to accommodate TGV services.

For more photos of SNCF locomotives, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: August 2021

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R46 5994

Location: Broad Channel Station, Queens, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: September 3, 2019

In late June, the first of the new R211 cars was delivered for acceptance testing, While they probably won’t enter revenue service until some time in 2022, their delivery does mark the beginning of the end for what are currently the oldest subway cars in New York, the R46s. The R46s certainly reflect the 1970s when they were built in terms of interior color scheme and other features such as transverse seating, wood paneled windscreens, and a lack of traditional straps for commuters to hold while standing. Fittingly, the R211s that will replace the R46s are also meant to revolutionize subway car design with new LED front end signage, open gangways, interior LED lighting and wider doors.

For more photos of the R46s, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: July 2021

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Type 12G 820

Location: Dam Square, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Operator of Vehicle: Gemeente Vervoerbedrijf Amsterdam (GVB)
Date of Photo: June 3, 2008

Last week, I saw an article about the retirement of two tram types in Amsterdam.  The first tram type, the Type 12G, is seen here.  These were among the first low floor trams to operate in Amsterdam, although only the middle section of the tram was actually low floor.  They were also notable for having pedal controls, due to their design being derived from the HTM 3000 Series trams in The Hauge where pedal controls are used widely.  Like most Amsterdam trams, the Type 12G Trams were single ended and required a loop at each end of the line to turn around.  The Type 12G trams were retired without fanfare on January 2, 2021.

The Type 11G trams were much more unique.  They were double ended trams assigned exclusively to Line 5, which did not have a loop at its southern end for trams to turn around.  Line 5 shared the southern portion of its route with Route 51, a hybrid Metro and tram line, at which stations would have two platforms.  A high level platform would serve Route 51, and a low level platform adjacent to the high level platform would serve Route 5.  Due to construction projects in the vicinity of the Amsterdam Zuid railway station (where routes 5 and 51 merged), the connection between Line 51 and the hybrid route to the south was severed in 2019.  Therefore, it was decided to convert this line to one that would only serve low floor trams.  As part of this conversion project, new Type 15G trams were ordered from CAF to operate on both Route 5 and new Route 25 (the replacement for Route 51) that will replace the Type 11G trams.  Although the plan had been for these cars to be retired as of early 2021, some remain in service as of this writing.

A local museum, the Elektrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam, is acquiring one Type 11G and one Type 12G tram for preservation.  The Type 11G car that they are acquiring is #919, and the Type 12G car that will become a part of their collection is #820, seen here in 2008 at Dam Square in the center of the city.  I have a photo of 919 in my collection as well, which can be seen below.

For more photos of the Amsterdam Type 12G trams, please click here. 

For more photos of the Amsterdam Type 11G trams, please click here. 

Rail Photo of the Month: June 2021

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R62A 1750R62A 1750

Location: Grand Central-42nd Street Station, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: March 24, 2017

Last week, I had a business trip to New York City.  Despite not having been on public transit for over 400 days due to the Covid-19 pandemic, being back on the rails didn’t feel all that different, until I descended in to the subway to take the 6 train to where I was having dinner.  I consider the 6 train to be my “home route” in New York, but after about 15 years of R142As exclusively serving the line, I’m still not used to seeing R62As, such as the one pictured here, on this route.  One might think that this would be an easy adjustment to make, as R62As were the predominant car type from the late 1980s until the introduction of the R142A in 2000.  However, for some reason, I just haven’t gotten used to their reintroduction along the Lexington Avenue Line.  Is there any vehicle assignment and line pairing that just seems out of place to you, no matter how hard you try getting used to it?

Although the sight of an R62A on the 6 still seems unusual to me, I really like this picture because of how the curved platform creates a “snaking effect” for the yellow platform edge and makes it possible to see the front part of the train from the location where I took the photo near the rear end of the platform.   Curved platforms are definitely a relic of older systems such as New York’s and while they pose a variety of accessibility and safety concerns, they can also make for some interesting photography vantage points.

For more photos of the R62A Subway Cars, please click here.