Baltimore, MD
CSX operates the Curtis Bay coal pier, the largest east-coast coal export terminal. Public viewing is from city streets along Curtis Ave and the Pennington Ave bridge — the pier and surrounding yard are CSX private property and not accessible. Photography of loaded coal trains on public streets and the bridge is fine.
The entire Curtis Bay yard + pier complex is CSX private property — DO NOT enter, even areas that look unfenced or abandoned. Active CSX Police patrols this area. Coal dust is significant downwind — bring a mask if you are sensitive. The neighborhood is industrial; be situationally aware.
Street parking on Curtis Ave or near the Pennington Ave bridge. Industrial neighborhood; park in well-trafficked areas only.
Mid-day for elevated bridge views of the pier. Coal trains are most frequent on weekdays.
Moderate — loaded coal unit trains arrive and depart multiple times daily. Schedule is opaque (operations-driven); patience helps.
Limited at the spot itself. Brooklyn / Curtis Bay neighborhoods have a few diners. Federal Hill and Locust Point (with full services) are 2-3 miles north.
Hotels and rail experiences nearby. Links earn us a small referral — we only surface partners we'd use ourselves.
The starter kit serious railfans wish they'd bought day one. Each link earns us a small Amazon Associates referral — we only list gear we'd actually carry.
The no-setup railfan scanner. Comes pre-loaded with AAR railroad band channels — hear road comms, dispatchers, defect-detector calls. Knowing a train is 20 minutes out beats staring at the horizon. ($110-$130)
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Florida + Texas + Arizona + Southern California railfanning is unforgiving at noon. UPF 50 wide-brim with a chin strap so it doesn't blow off in the train slipstream. ($15-$30)
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Weatherproof pages that take pen ink in rain or sweat. Log road numbers, consist notes, observed times — you'll want them in your logbook later. The No. 311 is the original yellow tagboard model — the most popular field notebook in history; the same one surveyors and biologists carry. ($10-$15)
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