Steam-era passenger terminal Qs? - Model Railroader Magazine
For the early 1950's the B&O Employee Time Table (ETT) lists which trains used the wye and which trains headed in to Union Station.
One unusual train at Washington was 19/20, the Ambassador. Westbound it backed in; Eastbound it headed in, and was then pulled by a steam engine (usually a P7-until November 1953) backward to Baltimore's Camden Station, upper level (stub tracks, vs lower level, through tracks). The two switchers worked the head end and coaches, then other working the first class cars. Then there was no turning of the equipment in Baltimore, with the train reassembled on the upper level platform. Sleepers and diner moved to the platform about 3 hours prior to departure to apply steam heat and finish provisioning the diner. Coaches and head end came later, finally road engine came from Riverside engine terminal, to run westbound.
The Baltimore communters mostly headed in, with a WUT swticher pulling the consist to the coach yard for cleaning, and use later in the day. The engine then proceeded to the Ivy City engine terminal for service and turning.
I don't know, and would be interested in the group's collective knowledge as to whether other Baltimore trains (21/22 Washingtonian and 17/18 Cleveland Night Express) were turned on Bailey's wye, or the seats turned for the return trip. Commuters were generally not turned, with combines running 'backward' at the end of the consist.
The B&O had it's own wye 'outside' the WUT wye. Terminal charges applied to any cars entering the terminal. B&O's mail and express trains (29, 31, 32 and 2nd/8). The train remained on B&O's wye. Cars to be worked at Washington were cut off / added sometimes by WUT switchers and sometimes by B&O power into the terminal for placment at the mail or express facilities, so B&O did not pay for the cars running through.
WUT through tracks were used by PRR and the southern connections. Power and consists were changed , and the train proceeding onward. Prr also had many stub tracks on the upper level for its own traffic northward (eastbound), where terminal swtichers pulled consists to the coah yards and engines ran to Ivy City for service.
Travers, BaltimoreTerminal, 11-9-16
