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Maryland Interubans and Streetcar Railroads

(Please note that the photos here do not depict Maryland interurbans.)

For the most part the southern states offered little in the way of true interurban systems. However, surprisingly, there were a handful of Maryland interurbans. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the state was close to other states with numerous interurbans such as Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and even Washington, D.C. Additionally, the port of Baltimore was also home to a number of smaller street railways. Whatever the case, Maryland was certainly the exception to the rule for the South's interurban network. It was also home to one of the most prominent lines in the country, the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railway (the WB&A). Interestingly, some of its lines far outlived the company and were purchased by eastern trunk line Baltimore & Ohio to carry on freight service, which remained through the 1960s.

Aside from the WB&A (which is covered in more detail in the Washington, D.C. section), Maryland's interurbans died out with much of the rest of the industry, between 1930 and 1940. They suffered from typical issues most eastern lines experienced; little development of profitable freight traffic and railroads unwilling to engage in interchange rates. However, one line, the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway Company was able to sustain itself on its freight business until the late 1950s until finally going under. In any event, the information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Maryland interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Annapolis Short Line (Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line): The Annapolis Short Line, officially known as the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line was created in March of 1887. It was a shortlived interurban railroad that served the Annapolis area, near Baltimore until 1907 when it was purchased by the Maryland Electric Railway. Later the route was purchased by the Washington, Annapolis & Baltimore Electric Railroad in 1921. Finally the route became part of the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad in 1935. In 1952 passenger service was discontinued followed by freight operations in 1968.

Cumberland & Westernport Electric Railway: The C&W began operations in 1902 operating a 25-mile system connecting Cumberland, Lonaconing, and Westernport. It was to be western Maryland's only interurban but unfortunately was never able to earn much in the way of income. It was finally abandoned in 1926.

Cumberland Electric Railway: The Cumberland Electric Railway began operations on the Fourth of July, 1891 connecting North Centre Street to Narrows Park in Cumberland. The railroad remained in operation until 1932 when it was discontinued. For more information on the Cumberland Electric please click here.

Frederick & Middletown Railway: The Frederick & Middletown Railway was the name initially given to the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway, which connected its namesake towns. Services began in August of 1896 and by October of that year had connected Frederick and Middletown. Passenger services on the railroad ended in 1939 while freight operations remained until 1961.

Hagerstown & Frederick Railway Company: The H&F began operations in 1913 through the formation of several small systems. It was a quite large interurban at 76 miles in length and connecting its namesake cities as well as smaller communities such as Boonesboro, Myersville, Middletown, Jefferson, Braddock Heights, and Thurmont. Additionally, it reached Pennsylvania towns like Williamsport, and Shady Grove. In 1906 it established interchange service with the Chambersburg, Greencastle & Waynesboro. The H&F was one of the few eastern lines to actually build up a profitable freight business, thanks in part to its connections with the Western Maryland Railway which was willing to negotiate into interchange agreements (the nearby Baltimore & Ohio, however, was not). It was the last interurban to provide passenger service east of the Mississippi when service was finally discontinued on February 20, 1954. From there, the line was converted to diesels for freight traffic although this too was abandoned four years later in 1958.

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Maryland interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Interurbans Section

For more reading on Maryland interurban railroads consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurban railroads and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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