Washington, Brandywine and Point Lookout Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Washington, Brandywine & Point Lookout Railroad (WB&PL), now defunct, was an American
railroad of southern Maryland
and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The troubled WB&PL, originally the Southern Maryland Railroad operated in and out of bankruptcy
and changed its name numerous times. It consisted of two pieces, one serving Washington, D.C. and Seat Pleasant, MD and the other, a single track line connecting Patuxent River, MD to the Pennsylvania Railroad
. Despite numerous problems, the railroad was able to survive for 73 years before shutting down in 1954. The Washington, DC section was absorbed by the Chesapeake Beach Railway
and later became the East Washington Railroad, which stayed in business until 1978. Parts of the right-of-way
are now used for homes, a rail spur and a rail trail
.
George’s County to Point Lookout.” As was typical of the roads of the era, the alignment of the right-of-way bisected the peninsula created by the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. A rail line from the major north-south Potomac River crossings into Virginia near Washington, DC, to a port on the Pawtuxet River near the Chesapeake Bay would be an ideal line to promote agricultural and mineral business and rail shipments from the counties of this peninsula. A commission was appointed, money was raised, and an engineer
was hired to build an eighty mile rail line.
and building a station near the Sheriff farm. Construction began at Chesapeake Junction and two miles of line were built connecting with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Deanwood
.
with connecting steamers to Norfolk, Virginia
. They began building a line immediately parallel
and adjacent to the SMR.
In 1876 the SMR was investigated for defrauding
the state of Maryland, the sole stock holder in the company, and went bankrupt without running a single train.
In 1878 the WC&PL was authorized to purchase the SMR but never did.
Construction was later restarted in Brandywine where the SMR connected with the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (later the Pope's Creek branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad
) and was built in a southeasterly direction. It wasn't until 1881 that the first train was run serving Charlotte Hall and Mechanicsville
. By 1884, twenty-one miles had been built and fifty miles graded.
than Mechanicsville until the U.S. Navy took over during World War II. The East Washington line went into receivership
and was taken over, illegally, by the Chesapeake Beach Railroad.
In 1894, the W&P merged with the WC&PL, which was by then in receivership.
.
during World War I
. In 1918, the state of Maryland attempted to have the U.S. government take over control of the railroad. Farmer
s in the area were able to purchase the line from a salvage firm and in June 1918 the line began running again, this time under the name of the Washington, Brandywine & Point Lookout Railroad.
In the 1930s, revenues were dropping due to increased competition from the automobile
and the line probably would have been gone for good, except for the intervention of World War II
.
to the base. However, when fuel started coming in by barge
, the importance of the line dwindled.
but there were no takers. Then, on June 26, 1970 the St. Mary's County Commissioners purchased 28 miles of the abandoned right of way from Hughesville, Maryland
to Patuxent River, Maryland.
The tracks were removed in the mid-1970s.
The East Washington survived for 40 years after the Chesapeake Beach Railroad stopped running in 1935. Its main customers were a liquor company, a cement
company and PEPCO
, the local power company. PEPCO needed coal
delivered to its Benning Road Plant from Chesapeake Junction, the interchange with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
. In 1975 the power plant converted to oil
, and shortly thereafter the cement company moved. In 1976, the railroad, which by then included four employees and a single Whitcomb
ceased operations.
In 1942, the federal government
took over operations of the railroad and continued to make deliveries to stops on the original route. In addition the line was extended and these stops added.
After 1954-Pennsylvania Railroad operation
When the USN excessed the line in 1954 and the PRR took over operations, they delivered and took away freight shipments and occasionally carried a passenger
car (USN) or caboose
(also USN) for special movements to/from the Brandywine Junction which became a Department of Defense
Warehouse and shipping point until it was destroyed by fire. The Brandywine terminal was U.S. government property and was maintained by Public Works personnel from Patuxent River. The terminal was turned over to the Air Force
just before it burned.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroad of southern Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The troubled WB&PL, originally the Southern Maryland Railroad operated in and out of bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and changed its name numerous times. It consisted of two pieces, one serving Washington, D.C. and Seat Pleasant, MD and the other, a single track line connecting Patuxent River, MD to the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. Despite numerous problems, the railroad was able to survive for 73 years before shutting down in 1954. The Washington, DC section was absorbed by the Chesapeake Beach Railway
Chesapeake Beach Railway
The Chesapeake Beach Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C. on tracks formerly owned by the Southern Maryland Railroad and then on its own single track through Maryland farm...
and later became the East Washington Railroad, which stayed in business until 1978. Parts of the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
are now used for homes, a rail spur and a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
.
Origins
The Southern Maryland Railroad (SMR) was incorporated on March 20, 1868 “for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, and working a railroad from some point in PrinceGeorge’s County to Point Lookout.” As was typical of the roads of the era, the alignment of the right-of-way bisected the peninsula created by the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. A rail line from the major north-south Potomac River crossings into Virginia near Washington, DC, to a port on the Pawtuxet River near the Chesapeake Bay would be an ideal line to promote agricultural and mineral business and rail shipments from the counties of this peninsula. A commission was appointed, money was raised, and an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
was hired to build an eighty mile rail line.
The East Washington Line
In 1871, the SMR began construction on its East Washington line by laying its tracks close to the Old Bladensburg-Piscataway RoadRoad
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
and building a station near the Sheriff farm. Construction began at Chesapeake Junction and two miles of line were built connecting with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Deanwood
Deanwood
Deanwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., bounded by Eastern Avenue to the northeast, Kenilworth Avenue to the northwest, and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue to the south....
.
Washington City and Point Lookout Railroad
In 1872, a competitor railroad, the Washington City and Point Lookout Railroad was incorporated and authorized to run trains between Washington, DC and Point LookoutPoint Lookout, Maryland
Point Lookout is a Maryland state park at the southern tip of St. Mary's County, Maryland. It is a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River....
with connecting steamers to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. They began building a line immediately parallel
Parallel (geometry)
Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. The assumed existence and properties of parallel lines are the basis of Euclid's parallel postulate. Two lines in a plane that do not...
and adjacent to the SMR.
In 1876 the SMR was investigated for defrauding
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
the state of Maryland, the sole stock holder in the company, and went bankrupt without running a single train.
In 1878 the WC&PL was authorized to purchase the SMR but never did.
Construction was later restarted in Brandywine where the SMR connected with the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (later the Pope's Creek branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
) and was built in a southeasterly direction. It wasn't until 1881 that the first train was run serving Charlotte Hall and Mechanicsville
Mechanicsville, Maryland
For the Census Designated area in Montgomery County formerly known as Mechanicsville see Olney, MarylandMechanicsville is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland. It is adjacent to the community of Charlotte Hall, which is known for its agriculture, Amish population, large...
. By 1884, twenty-one miles had been built and fifty miles graded.
Washington & Potomac Railroad
The line went into its next bankruptcy in 1886 and emerged on April 1, 1886 as the Washington & Potomac Railroad (W&P). The line wouldn't run farther southSouth
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
than Mechanicsville until the U.S. Navy took over during World War II. The East Washington line went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
and was taken over, illegally, by the Chesapeake Beach Railroad.
In 1894, the W&P merged with the WC&PL, which was by then in receivership.
Washington, Potomac & Chesapeake Railway
In 1900, the line went through another bankruptcy and emerged on July 24, 1901 as the Washington, Potomac & Chesapeake Railway. The WP&C had a contentious relationship with the state. In 1910 they were ordered to run two trains a day - up from one and to drop their prices. The line had trouble fulfilling its obligations and in 1914 the state of Maryland threatened to withdraw their charterCharter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
.
Washington, Brandywine & Point Lookout Railroad
At the end of 1917 the line again found itself in bankruptcy and was very nearly scrapped due to the high price of scrap metalMetal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1918, the state of Maryland attempted to have the U.S. government take over control of the railroad. Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s in the area were able to purchase the line from a salvage firm and in June 1918 the line began running again, this time under the name of the Washington, Brandywine & Point Lookout Railroad.
In the 1930s, revenues were dropping due to increased competition from the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and the line probably would have been gone for good, except for the intervention of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Navy Control
In June 1942, the US Navy took over the line and extended it to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. The name was changed again, this time to the more accurate Brandywine and Cedar Point Railroad. As late as the mid-1950s the Navy was still operating the line. The Navy operated an "accommodation" train that connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad in Brandywine until the PRR stopped passenger trains on the Pope's Creek Line in 1949.Pennsylvania Railroad Control
In 1953 the railroad fell into disrepair. The extensive maintenance costs were too much to keep it in business and the Brandywine and Cedar Point was closed in 1954. The last regular run was made in July 1954 from the Naval Air Station to Hollywood, MD. Through the late 1950s/early 1960s, PRR trains used the line to deliver aviation fuelAviation fuel
Aviation fuel is a specialized type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft. It is generally of a higher quality than fuels used in less critical applications, such as heating or road transport, and often contains additives to reduce the risk of icing or explosion due to high temperatures,...
to the base. However, when fuel started coming in by barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
, the importance of the line dwindled.
End of the Line
When train operation ceased, the line was offered for sale by the GSAGeneral Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
but there were no takers. Then, on June 26, 1970 the St. Mary's County Commissioners purchased 28 miles of the abandoned right of way from Hughesville, Maryland
Hughesville, Maryland
Hughesville is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census. Truman's Place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.-Geography:...
to Patuxent River, Maryland.
The tracks were removed in the mid-1970s.
The East Washington Railway
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
company and PEPCO
Potomac Electric Power Company
The Potomac Electric Power Company, known as Pepco, is a public utility supplying electric power to the city of Washington, D.C., and to surrounding communities in Maryland...
, the local power company. PEPCO needed coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
delivered to its Benning Road Plant from Chesapeake Junction, the interchange with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
. In 1975 the power plant converted to oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, and shortly thereafter the cement company moved. In 1976, the railroad, which by then included four employees and a single Whitcomb
Whitcomb Locomotive Works
Whitcomb Locomotive Works was founded by George Dexter Whitcomb , of Chicago, Illinois, who started a modest machine shop in 1878, and began the manufacture of coal mining machinery, laying the foundation for the concern that became known as The Whitcomb Locomotive Company.-Beginnings:Mr. Whitcomb...
ceased operations.
Stations on the Line
Original line pre-1942- Brandywine
- Cederville
- Woodville
- Gallant Green
- Hughesville
- Oaks
- Charlotte Hall
- New Market
- Mechanicsville (original end-of-the-line)
In 1942, the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
took over operations of the railroad and continued to make deliveries to stops on the original route. In addition the line was extended and these stops added.
- Oakville
- Laurel Grove
- Forrest Hall
- Hillville
- Hollywood
- California
- USN Pax River
After 1954-Pennsylvania Railroad operation
When the USN excessed the line in 1954 and the PRR took over operations, they delivered and took away freight shipments and occasionally carried a passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
car (USN) or caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
(also USN) for special movements to/from the Brandywine Junction which became a Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
Warehouse and shipping point until it was destroyed by fire. The Brandywine terminal was U.S. government property and was maintained by Public Works personnel from Patuxent River. The terminal was turned over to the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
just before it burned.
Surviving Landmarks
- Trackage that runs from Brandywine to Hughesville, MD where it connects to a spur to the Chalk Point Generating StationChalk Point Generating StationThe Chalk Point Generating Station is a 2,647-MWe electricity-generating plant owned by GenOn which is located near the tiny incorporated town of Eagle Harbor, Maryland, United States, on the Patuxent River.-Individual Units:...
. - From Hughesville to the Patuxent River Naval Station, the railroad's right-of-way is being used to create the 28 mile long Three Notch Trail. The first mile of which opened on June 3, 2006.
- Mile Posts, MP13 & W
External links
- Southern Maryland Railroad Map
- Photos of railroad's artifacts Sorry, the GeoCities web site you were trying to reach is no longer available.
- Three Notch Trail
- http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/home/www/data/gmd/gmd370/g370931/g370931p/rr006080.jp2&style=rrmap&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(g370931p+rr006080))+@field(COLLID+rrmap))&title=Map%20showing%20the%20Washington%20City%20and%20Point%20Lookout%20Railroad%20and%20its%20connections. Map showing the Washington City and Point Lookout Railroad and its connections in 1888]
- Map and Schedule of the East Washington Railway