Howard Street Tunnel

Howard Street Tunnel
	North portal (1971)
use	Railway tunnel
place	Baltimore
Number of tubes	1
Largest coverage	18 m
construction
Client	Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O)
business
operator	CSX Transportation
location
Coordinates
North	39 ° 18 ′ 18 ″ N , 76 ° 37 ′ 13 ″ W.
south	39 ° 16 ′ 52 ″ N , 76 ° 37 ′ 9 ″ W.

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

The Howard Street Tunnel is a 1.65 km long rail tunnel in downtown Baltimore that is part of the Baltimore Belt Line . It was built from 1890 to 1895 and connects Camden Station with Mount Royal Station.

history

B & O's E-Lok No. 1 (1896)

Electric locomotive at the entrance to the Howard Street Tunnel

Since smoke in long tunnels was a problem at the time, the Howard Street Tunnel was the first railroad in North America to be electrified in 1895. It was operated with 675 V DC via an overhead conductor rail . In 1902 this was replaced by a third rail made according to the Manhattan Railway Company system. With the onset of dieselization , electrification was reduced in 1952.

In 2001 a large fire broke out in this tunnel.

As part of the National Gateway project, CSX Transportation is planning to increase the passage height of the tunnel by half a meter so that it can accommodate double-deck container transport.

literature

Joseph J. Cunningham: Howard Street Tunnel: origins of mainline railroad electrification . In: IEEE (Ed.): IEEE power & energy magazine . january / february 2010, p. 62-71 (English).

Web links

Commons : Howard Street Tunnel - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations, Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore City, Maryland , July 2002
^ JJ Cunningham: Howard Street Tunnel [History] . In: IEEE Power and Energy Magazine . tape 8 , no. 1 , 2010, p. 62, 64-71 , doi : 10.1109 / MPE.2009.935174 .
^ The port's big catch . In: Baltimore Sun . April 27, 2016 ( baltimoresun.com ): “Why not renovate, not replace, Howard Street Tunnel? That simple idea could mean billions for Maryland's economy "

[report-1] A ^b Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations, Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore City, Maryland , July 2002

[2] JJ Cunningham: Howard Street Tunnel [History] . In: IEEE Power and Energy Magazine . tape 8 , no. 1 , 2010, p. 62, 64-71 , doi : 10.1109 / MPE.2009.935174 .

[3] The port's big catch . In: Baltimore Sun . April 27, 2016 ( baltimoresun.com ): “Why not renovate, not replace, Howard Street Tunnel? That simple idea could mean billions for Maryland's economy "