Old Main Line Subdivision
Here you will find facts relating to the Old Main Line as well as links to various websites and a photo gallery.
The Old Main Line Subdivision extends from Relay, Maryland (outside Baltimore) west to Point of Rocks, Maryland and was once the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad one of the oldest rail lines in the United States. At the east end the Old Main Line Subdivision has junctions with the Capital Subdivision and the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision and at its west end it has a junction with the Metropolitan Subdivision.
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HISTORY:
The initial route of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) followed the Patapsco River valley west out of Baltimore with the first section (to what is now Ellicott City, Maryland) opening for service in 1830. The line left the valley to cross Parr’s Ridge which after an abortive attempt to use a system of inclined planes was crossed via a more round-about routing through Mount Airy, Maryland. It continued west to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia passing south of Frederick, Maryland on the way. This line was the only route west out of Baltimore until the Metropolitan Branch was constructed from Washington, DC to Point of Rocks, Maryland in the 1870s. The section of the original route from Relay, Maryland (where the Washington Branch began) to Point of Rocks, Maryland became known as the “Old Main Line” as it was relegated to secondary status and continues to be known as the Old Main Line Subdivision.
PASSENGER SERVICE:
The MARC commuter rail system originally did not serve any portion of the Old Main Line though there was always service over the oldest portion of the line into Baltimore, Maryland and from Point of Rocks, Maryland to Washington, D.C. In the late 1990s however commuter traffic to Washington, D.C from Frederick, Maryland had grown substantially and MARC service between the two cities was initiated. The existing wye which connected the two lines at Point of Rocks station was upgraded to take through traffic and trains were thus able to follow the Old Main Line up to Frederick Junction and then into town. This service remains the only scheduled passenger operation over the Old Main Line.
DISASTERS:
In 1868 a freak storm flooded the Patapsco River and severely damaged the railroad as well as washing away many of its customers. Most of the railroad was rebuilt but with many alterations to the surviving structures. For instance, all but one arch of the Patterson Viaduct at Ilchester were washed away the railroad retained the remaining arch to use as an abutment for the Bollman truss bridge which replaced the viaduct.
In 1972 Hurricane Agnes flooded the valley again washing out large portions of the line. The B&O considered abandoning the line and several years passed before service was restored. For many years much of the line remained dark (i.e. operating without signals) but eventually the entire line was re-signalled.
CSX reminds the public that walking along or inside of railroad property is illegal.
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