The C&PD, originally called the Washington and Maryland Line Railroad and then the Columbia and Maryland Line Railroad, was chartered in 1858.[1][2] The C&PD began construction in 1866, as another rail line, a branch built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), approached Port Deposit from the southeast. The PRR, which controlled the PW&B, also purchased a controlling interest in the C&PD in 1866. The first completed section of the C&PD opened in 1868 and connected the newly built Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad at Rowlandsville (4 mi (6.4 km) north of Port Deposit) to the PW&B branch line. The remainder of the line to Columbia was completed in 1877, and all facilities were leased by the PW&B.
The company was reorganized as the Columbia and Port Deposit Railway in 1890.[2] In 1893 the C&PD purchased the Perryville branch line from PW&B,[2] and then PW&B purchased the C&PD.
The PW&B was merged into the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (PB&W) in 1902, and the C&PD was merged into the PB&W in 1916.[3] The PRR, which controlled all of these companies, labeled the line as the Port Road Branch and electrified the branch in 1938.[4] (The Port Road branch designation continues on the line north of Columbia, to Marysville, along the Enola Branch.)
The PRR merged into Penn Central in 1968, and after the Penn Central bankruptcy in 1970, ownership of the line went to Conrail. Conrail removed electrification equipment on the branch in 1981.[5] There are many remnants of the electrification along much of the line; including catenary poles and return wires. As part of the Conrail break-up in 1999, the Port Road Branch was sold to Norfolk Southern.[6]
Scheduled passenger service over the Port Road ended on October 29, 1978, when Amtrak re-routed the National Limited's Washington section via Philadelphia.[7]: 62
^Trower, Josh (1999). Pennsy Under the Wires. 1999-08-12.
^ abcWilson, William B. (1895). History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates & Co. p. 193. wilson history pennsylvania railroad.
^Poor's Intermediate Manual of Railroads. New York: Poor's Manual Co. 1917. p. 226.
^Smith, Bruce. "Guide: Columbia and Port Deposit Branch". Keystone Crossings. Jerry Britton. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Road Branch.
C & PD Today - Photos and info on Port Road Branch operations
- Photos from the Conrail era
Port Road photos (2008)
October 28, 2023
columbia, port, deposit, railroad, railroad, that, operated, pennsylvania, maryland, 19th, early, 20th, centuries, operated, mile, long, main, line, between, columbia, pennsylvania, port, deposit, maryland, generally, along, eastern, shore, susquehanna, river,. The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad C amp PD was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries It operated a 34 mile long 55 km main line between Columbia Pennsylvania and Port Deposit Maryland generally along the eastern shore of the Susquehanna River It later acquired a branch line to Perryville Maryland The C amp PD was subsequently purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad PRR and since the 1999 breakup of Conrail is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway Columbia and Port Deposit RailroadOverviewHeadquartersPhiladelphiaLocalePennsylvania and MarylandDates of operation1868 1916SuccessorPhiladelphia Wilmington and Baltimore RailroadTechnicalTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeElectrification11 kV AC 25 Hz operational 1938 1981Length44 miles 71 km Contents 1 History 2 Successor lines Late 20th century to present 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp The Port Road Branch in 1999 crossing the Safe Harbor Trestle at center On the left is the Safe Harbor Dam and Susquehanna River At right is the abandoned Atglen and Susquehanna Branch The C amp PD originally called the Washington and Maryland Line Railroad and then the Columbia and Maryland Line Railroad was chartered in 1858 1 2 The C amp PD began construction in 1866 as another rail line a branch built by the Philadelphia Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad PW amp B approached Port Deposit from the southeast The PRR which controlled the PW amp B also purchased a controlling interest in the C amp PD in 1866 The first completed section of the C amp PD opened in 1868 and connected the newly built Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad at Rowlandsville 4 mi 6 4 km north of Port Deposit to the PW amp B branch line The remainder of the line to Columbia was completed in 1877 and all facilities were leased by the PW amp B The company was reorganized as the Columbia and Port Deposit Railway in 1890 2 In 1893 the C amp PD purchased the Perryville branch line from PW amp B 2 and then PW amp B purchased the C amp PD Successor lines Late 20th century to present edit nbsp A Norfolk Southern coal train on the Port Road Branch in Perryville MarylandThe PW amp B was merged into the Philadelphia Baltimore and Washington Railroad PB amp W in 1902 and the C amp PD was merged into the PB amp W in 1916 3 The PRR which controlled all of these companies labeled the line as the Port Road Branch and electrified the branch in 1938 4 The Port Road branch designation continues on the line north of Columbia to Marysville along the Enola Branch The PRR merged into Penn Central in 1968 and after the Penn Central bankruptcy in 1970 ownership of the line went to Conrail Conrail removed electrification equipment on the branch in 1981 5 There are many remnants of the electrification along much of the line including catenary poles and return wires As part of the Conrail break up in 1999 the Port Road Branch was sold to Norfolk Southern 6 Scheduled passenger service over the Port Road ended on October 29 1978 when Amtrak re routed the National Limited s Washington section via Philadelphia 7 62 See also editAtglen and Susquehanna Branch List of crossings of the Conestoga River List of defunct Maryland railroads List of defunct Pennsylvania railroads List of Pennsylvania Railroad predecessor railroadsReferences edit Trower Josh 1999 History of the Columbia amp Port Deposit Railroad Pennsy Under the Wires 1999 08 12 a b c Wilson William B 1895 History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company Philadelphia Henry T Coates amp Co p 193 wilson history pennsylvania railroad Poor s Intermediate Manual of Railroads New York Poor s Manual Co 1917 p 226 Smith Bruce Guide Columbia and Port Deposit Branch Keystone Crossings Jerry Britton Retrieved 2016 11 28 Electrics Conrail Historical Society Marysville PA Retrieved 2016 11 28 Brief History of Consolidated Rail Corporation Conrail Philadelphia PA Consolidated Rail Corporation Retrieved 2016 11 28 Sanders Craig 2006 Amtrak in the Heartland Bloomington Indiana Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 34705 3 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Road Branch C amp PD Today Photos and info on Port Road Branch operations Conrail s Port Road Photos from the Conrail era Port Road photos 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad amp oldid 1130808745, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
