Camden Yards
Camden is the historic terminus of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The B & O was one of the first railroads to open in American and the historic Camden Station began being built in 1856 and was completed in 1865. This two-, and three-story headquarters building was in railroad passenger use from 1865 until 1992 when the passenger platforms were pushed farther south and rebuilt as part of the building of the Oriole Park at Camden Yards baseball stadium. At this time the historic depot was removed from railroad passenger use and was turned into two different museums one of sports legends, one of pop culture, opening in 2005 and 2006 and closing in 2015 and 2018.
In 1992, the same year light rail opened, the station was closed and replaced by a temporary space frame station over two trailers. This new 'building' is south of the historic depot (which is directly across the street from the Convention Center Light Rail station) with a parking lot and Conway Street between the historic depot and the modern structure. This "space frame" had a green framework and white roof and two green modular trailer-type structures.
Just beyond this structure MARC Commuter Trains stop at one three tracks at one of two high-level platforms. The station has been made accessible by depressing the tracks to below grade, this means no ramps lead up to the two high-level platforms. There is a high-level island for two of the tracks and a third quasi-side platform for the third track. The northern end of this 'side platform' is low-level and electrified for one of three light rail tracks. The other two light rail tracks have a narrow island platform. The light rail line expands to three tracks just through the Camden Station with the middle track used by Camden Yards-Penn Station Shuttle trains when they operated (it hasn't operated due to construction at Baltimore Penn Station since 2020). The station was the original terminus of the light rail with ballgame only service beginning at the same time the Camden Yards ballpark opened in April 1992, and regular daily service in May 1992.
When I visited the station in 2009 an additional baggage car was permanently parked at the end of the westernmost track.
In 2020 the 'temporary' station was replaced by a modern LEED certified permanent station building with an overhanging green roof. On top of this modern station Camden Station is written in silver letters. Inside is a very airy waiting room. This waiting room contains lots of modern (with hostile arms) benches. Along one wall is wallpaper trying to show what the station would have looked in the 1800s. The station also contains two sets of restrooms. No Ticket Office is present but there are a couple of TVMs inside the station.
Photos 1 & 2: June 16, 2009; 3-26: October 10, 2015; 27-65: January 17, 2025;
