RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.

Todd's Railfan Guide to
WASHINGTON DC
Map 3 - JD Tower and Alexandria Junction
in Hyattsville MD

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JD, or Alexandria Junction, is where CSX freights head south towards Virginia.  There is no one place to get pictures of everything coming thru here, as the wye is spread over a fair distance, and "stuff" is in the middle of the wye, making it difficult if not impossible to find a single good advantage point.

South from here, the tracks eventually wind up next to 295 as the highway parallels the DC Metro, and then eventually crosses the river.  On the south side of the wye is a unique excessive height detector system.  Adjacent to the north side of the wye is an old streetcar R-O-W.

  Drawing courtesy Fred Dunn

          Photos by Steve Martin and Fred Dunn.

For a site devoted exclusively to B&O's JD Tower, check out Don Smith's website: http://www.jdtower.org/ 
I'd like to thank Don, Fred Dunn, and Steve Martin for all of the time they spent at JD and assembling this great resource.
We are in their debt for preserving history.
For additional photos of towers on the B&O, click here

THE SIGNALS OF JD

   1        Equipment and excessive height detectors

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Sorry, I didn't catch any pix of this signal, has anyone else?

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   10  

     These photos by Steve Martin, shows JD in the distance.

   A shot facing JD from 31 crossover, 1992.  Photo by Fred Dunn.

     On the other side of the tree line from location 10 is the old trolley line.

   11  

New 02/17/2008
Last Modified: 03/06/2012