The Canton Railroad is a Class III

switching and terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It genera ...

, operating in eastern

Baltimore City Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

and

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

. It serves the

Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities f ...

and local shipping companies, and connects with two

Class I railroad In the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, st ...

s: CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway.

History

After the federal government enacted legislation in 1905 approving the dredging of shipping channels to the Baltimore harbor to a depth of 35 feet, the Canton Company of Baltimore, a marine terminal operator, sought to develop property it owned in southeast Baltimore for use by manufacturers and shippers. This necessitated access to rail services. Since neither of the two local railroad companies, the

Baltimore and Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B&O) and Pennsylvania Railroad Companies, were willing to extend their lines to undeveloped areas, the Canton Company decided in 1905 to build its own local railroad. The Canton Railroad Company was chartered in 1906 by the Canton Company, to serve industrial, manufacturing, and shipping customers in the Baltimore port area. Its tracks, starting from the interconnection with the Pennsylvania Railroad, were laid during the period from 1905 through 1914. The Canton track interconnected with the B&O Railroad in 1910. Rail operations began in 1907. Canton Railroad Engine

The Canton Company was purchased by the conglomerate International Mining Company in 1960. It passed through several owners in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984, alleged financial improprieties by the owners of the Canton Development Company, then the owner of the railroad, led to its being placed into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

. The State of Maryland purchased the Canton Railroad at a bankruptcy

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

in 1987 for $875,000 to provide railway access to the Seagirt Terminal of the Port of Baltimore. The Canton Railroad dispute with Maryland involving whether the state

franchise tax A franchise tax is a government levy (tax) charged by some US states to certain business organizations such as corporations and partnerships with a nexus in the state. A franchise tax is not based on income. Rather, the typical franchise tax ca ...

on railroad activities in the port of Baltimore violated the Import-Export or

Commerce Clause The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution ( Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and amon ...

s of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

led to the Supreme Court case '' Canton Railroad Company v. Rogan'', 340 U.S. 511 (1951).

Current operations

Today the Canton Railroad is owned by the

Maryland Transportation Authority The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is an independent state agency responsible for financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining eight transportation facilities, currently consisting of two toll roads, two tunnels, and four bridge ...

and operates as a for-profit enterprise. Engines used by the Canton Railroad are painted yellow and black in a pattern similar to that used in the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

flags. The railroad currently operates 6 miles of mainline and 17 miles of secondary track.

Engine roster

Canton Railroad's rolling stock also included a model M930

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in railway switch, switching and Shunting (rail), shunting, keeping a l ...

and eight model A302

boxcar A boxcar is the North American ( AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...

s. The caboose was intended for carrying potential customers for tours along the line but was sold several years ago, as it saw little use. No. 1906 was purchased with grant money that was part of the Volkswagen diesel scandal settlement with the federal government. As a stipulation of the grant, the railroad was required to get rid of its oldest locomotive. That would have been SW1200 No. 1204; however, the federal government considers the GP7Us No. 1307 and No. 1364 to be the oldest units, even though they have been rebuilt and are more modern than the SWs. The railroad had to select No. 1364 because it has an older frame and will have to cut a big hole in the prime mover to ensure it can’t be used again. The railroad was also supposed to cut the frame in half, but that would require a crane which the railroad doesn’t have, so the railroad will cannibalize the #1364 for parts. With the addition of No. 1987 to the roster, No. 1307 is likely to meet the same fate as No. 1364.

References

External links

Canton Railroad Company website1941 Map of Canton Co. and Canton Railroad Co. property

Canton Railroad Company Photographic Roster

Canton Railroad locomotive roster, past and present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canton Railroad Companies based in Baltimore Maryland railroads Switching and terminal railroads Transportation in Baltimore