Watch CBS News

Baltimore Streetcar Museum To Reopen Sunday After CSX Train Derailment Knocked Out Its Power

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Nine days after a train went off the tracks above the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, the visitor center will open again.

The derailed cars didn't hit the main building, but did cause other damage.

Train Services Restored Following CSX Train Derailment

One of the fallen train cars did knock out its power supply. Now, after one weekend shut down, it's back to business.

The lights are back on inside Baltimore's streetcar museum and this weekend it will welcome visitors for the first time since a freight train slipped off elevated tracks... Just steps away from the building.

"I've always worried that one day a wreck would happen that would come this way and that would be totally devastating to us," said Ed Amrhein, the administrative vice president at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.

That wasn't case this time, but the derailment did knock out it's power supply.

When cars from a CSX train came tumbling off the tracks and landed on Falls Road, the museum was closed at the time and the building dodged a direct hit.

Baltimore Train derailment
A view of the train derailment in Baltimore from Chopper 13.
Baltimore Train derailment
A photo of the train derailment in Baltimore. Photo via Roxanne Kooser
Baltimore Train derailment
Train derailment in baltimore. Photo: Baltimore Fire.
Baltimore Train derailment
An eyewitness photo of the train derailment in Baltimore
Baltimore Train derailment
An eyewitness photo of the train derailment in Baltimore

The toppled train cars caused a domino effect of lesser damage to a substation that houses the buildings power supply.

Jennifer Gwynn's van was parked outside at the time

She cleans the museum and was outside in her driver's seat when she heard a bang.

"I look up, and the train was falling off the bridge," Gwynn said.

Now with clean-up and repairs in motion, the museum's streetcar rides will stay temporarily out of service.

But, Amrhein said the visitor's center is ready to go.

"We figured, we're going to have a lot of people want to come down and see what happened," he said. "We figured we might as well be open and greet them."

The visitor center portion of the museum is scheduled to reopen Sunday at noon.

Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.