The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad (P&BC) was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

that operated in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the n ...

and Octoraro Junction, Maryland (near

Port Deposit Port Deposit is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River near its discharge into the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 653 at the 2010 census. Geography Port Deposit is located ...

), plus several branch lines.

History

The P&BC was chartered in Pennsylvania in 1854 and quickly absorbed the Baltimore & Philadelphia Railroad and its Maryland charter. Starting from a connection with the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P) at Wawa, Pennsylvania (formerly called Grubb's Bridge), the initial plan was to build southwest for to a junction with the

Northern Central Railway The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I Railroad in the United States connecting Baltimore, Maryland, with Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania R ...

, north of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. As built, however, the line would reach only from Wawa (where the WC&P line arrived from Philadelphia in 1856) to the northern bank of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, in

Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

, near Port Deposit. P&BC construction began in 1855 at Concordville, Pennsylvania. The first section of the line, between Wawa Junction and

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester counties, Pennsylvania, United States, comprising the Unincorporated area, unincorporated communities of Chadds F ...

, opened in 1859. Rails reached

Oxford, Pennsylvania Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 5,733 at the 2020 census. History The borough was once called Oxford Crossing and Oxford Village during t ...

by the following year, and the first train arrived there on December 22, 1860.Garrett, Jerre
"The Baltimore Central Railroad Reaches Rising Sun."
Accessed 2011-09-14. P&BC reached

Rising Sun, Maryland Rising Sun is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2010 census. History The town which became known as Rising Sun was located in the disputed “Nottingham Lots” along the border between colonial P ...

on Christmas morning, 1865. By December 1868, it reached and its southernmost point at Rowlandsville ( north of Port Deposit, along Octoraro Creek), where it connected with the Columbia & Port Deposit Railroad (C&PD). Instead of building its own bridge over the Susquehanna to continue service toward Baltimore, the P&BC simply leased the C&PD line for a few miles to Perryville, where trains could proceed south over the new

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad (PW&B). In 1881, P&BC absorbed the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad — both lines were controlled by the PW&B, which was itself controlled by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

(PRR) — extending its main line to West Philadelphia. In 1916, P&BC was formally purchased by PW&B's successor company, the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington. Subsequently, the line from Wawa south to Rowlandsville was called the Octoraro Branch.

Passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

service from Octoraro to Perryville over the C&PD line ended in 1935, and during or shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, passenger service was cut back to Oxford before being ended entirely in April 1948.

Decline

Looking down former Octoraro Branch from Wawa station platform in 2017

In 1961, the PRR abandoned the Octoraro Branch south of Colora, Maryland. Tourist operator Wawa & Concordville Railroad leased the line between Concordville and Wawa in 1967 and 1968. The PRR merged with the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

in 1968 to form the

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

(PC), which was bankrupt by 1970.

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

caused several washouts in 1972 and rendered the line unusable north of Brandywine Creek. Following the PC bankruptcy, ownership of the line went to

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

, and then to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which leased the operable section to short-line freight railroad companies. The

Octoraro Railway The Octoraro Railway was an American shortline railroad that operated in Pennsylvania from 1977 to 1994. History This company was formed in 1976. It obtained a lease from SEPTA to operate freight trains on the Octoraro Branch, a former Pennsylvani ...

provided service between Oxford and Chadds Ford Junction from 1977 to 1994, while also operating the ex-

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Wilmington & Northern branch through a connection at the latter place. In succession, the

Delaware Valley Railway The Delaware Valley Railway was a short-line railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States. The railroad was owned by RailAmerica. The Delaware Valley Railway operated two lines: one running from Elsmere, Delaw ...

, the

Brandywine Valley Railroad The Brandywine Valley Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Pennsylvania. It was established in 1981 by the Lukens Steel Company to operate trackage at Coatesville, Pennsylvania and the neighboring town of Modena. It was acquired, with th ...

, and the Morristown & Erie Railway operated the line between 1994 and 2004. The

East Penn Railroad The East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching railroad, switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Re ...

bought the line from SEPTA in 2004, and currently operates between

Nottingham, Pennsylvania Nottingham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place that is located in West Nottingham Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. History and notable features It is home to the 651-acre Nottingham County Park, ...

and Chadds Ford Junction.U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Washington, D.C. (2004-12-21
"East Penn Railway, Inc.—Modified Rail Certificate."
''Federal Register'', SEPTA has retained ownership of the derelict Chadds Ford-Wawa section.

References

{{Reflist Companies affiliated with the Pennsylvania Railroad Defunct Maryland railroads Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad Railway companies established in 1854 Railway companies disestablished in 1916 American companies established in 1854

History

Decline

See also

References