The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a railroad that ran between Love Point, Maryland, and Lewes, Delaware, with connections to Baltimore via ferry across the Chesapeake Bay. The Queen Anne's Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894, and received legislative authorization from Delaware in February 1895.[1] The railroad's original western terminus was in Queenstown, Maryland, and was moved via a 13-mile (21 km) extension to Love Point in 1902,[2] which shortened the ferry trip to Baltimore.
Map
Historic railway station in Georgetown, Delaware, located South of the track formerly used by the Queen Anne's RailroadThe former path of the railroad is marked in blue on the 1906 map above
The Queen Anne's Railroad Company began operating a summer-only Cape May Express between Queenstown and Lewes in 1901 with a connecting steamer across the Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. The company owned and operated the Queen Anne's Ferry & Equipment Company which consisted of the steamers Endeavor, Queen Anne and Queen Caroline.[3]
An article appearing in the April 9, 1897 issue of The Morning News announcing the opening of the new railway lists the stations, in order, as Queenstown, Bloomingdale, Wye Mills, Willoughby, Queen Anne, Hillsboro, Downes, Tuckahoe, Denton, Hobbs, Hickman, Adamsville, Blanchard, and Greenwood where the line terminated while construction continued to Ellendale.[4]
BeginningsEdit
Once the railroad tracks were completed to Lewes and Pilottown, they crossed the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal at the present day location of Queen Anne Avenue, to a ferry terminal that allowed passengers to transfer to a ferry to Cape May, New Jersey. In 1899, the Queen Anne's Railroad converted a building in Rehoboth Beach at the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and Surf Avenue (now the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk) "into an elaborate welcome center for the resort visitors who used the Queen Anne's trains."[5] This welcome center included 100 bathhouses, a 40 foot by 40 foot dance floor, bowling alley, shuffleboard, electric lights, and accommodations for 1,000 excursionists and was located one block from the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia railroad station in Rehoboth Beach that was utilized by the Queen Anne railroad after the rail lines linked in Lewes.[6] The Queen Anne Railroad planned to construct their own rail line from Lewes to Rehoboth Beach that would have followed the beach, giving a view of the ocean and passing just beside the Great Dune at the Cape Henlopen Light, at the present day Cape Henlopen State Park.[7]
Through a complex series of acquisitions in 1905, Queen Anne's Railroad ceased to exist and its assets became the property of the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Company (MD&V), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.[1][8] Into the 1920s the railroad operated trains from Love Point on the eastern Chesapeake shore town of Love Point, east to Queenstown, Maryland, to Greenwood, Delaware and then to Lewes, Delaware.[9]
Both the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Company and the nearby Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway were merged into the Baltimore & Eastern Railroad in 1928.[8] Already by 1932 the company substituted with bus service replacing train service along the original route of the railway from Queenstown on the Chesapeake shore of eastern Maryland to Greenwood, and then to Lewes.[10] This bus was gone from the schedule by 1941, as the company dropped its passenger operations.[11]
A Delaware state historical marker in Milton and another in Ellendale's historic Railroad Square district commemorate the railroad. The original railroad stations in Stevensville and Sudlersville are both still in existence and serve as museums.[2]
Heritage railroadEdit
In the 1990s, a dinner train operated on the original trackage of Queen Anne's Railroad. The heritage railroad branded both its locomotives and passenger cars as "Queen Anne's Railroad," but it had no direct links to the original 1894-1905 railroad. The dinner train's center of operations was at the former Lewes, Delaware station and traveled to Nassau, Delaware. Passenger cars were pulled by USATC S100 Class 0-6-0 tank locomotives, produced for the US Army in World War II.[12][13]
ReferencesEdit
^ ab. State of Delaware, Delaware Public Archives. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010.
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The Queen Anne s Railroad was a railroad that ran between Love Point Maryland and Lewes Delaware with connections to Baltimore via ferry across the Chesapeake Bay The Queen Anne s Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894 and received legislative authorization from Delaware in February 1895 1 The railroad s original western terminus was in Queenstown Maryland and was moved via a 13 mile 21 km extension to Love Point in 1902 2 which shortened the ferry trip to Baltimore Map Historic railway station in Georgetown Delaware located South of the track formerly used by the Queen Anne s Railroad The former path of the railroad is marked in blue on the 1906 map aboveThe Queen Anne s Railroad Company began operating a summer only Cape May Express between Queenstown and Lewes in 1901 with a connecting steamer across the Delaware Bay to Cape May New Jersey The company owned and operated the Queen Anne s Ferry amp Equipment Company which consisted of the steamers Endeavor Queen Anne and Queen Caroline 3 Contents 1 Towns served 2 Beginnings 3 During first half of the 20th Century 4 Current status 5 Heritage railroad 6 References 7 External linksTowns served EditThe following towns were served by the Queen Anne s Railroad Centreville Maryland via the Centreville Branch Chester Maryland Denton Maryland Hickman Delaware Love Point Maryland Queen Anne Maryland Queenstown Maryland Stevensville Maryland Adamsville Delaware Blanchard Delaware Ellendale Delaware Georgetown Delaware Greenwood Delaware Lewes Delaware Milton Delaware Owens Delaware Rehoboth Beach Delaware An article appearing in the April 9 1897 issue of The Morning News announcing the opening of the new railway lists the stations in order as Queenstown Bloomingdale Wye Mills Willoughby Queen Anne Hillsboro Downes Tuckahoe Denton Hobbs Hickman Adamsville Blanchard and Greenwood where the line terminated while construction continued to Ellendale 4 Beginnings EditOnce the railroad tracks were completed to Lewes and Pilottown they crossed the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal at the present day location of Queen Anne Avenue to a ferry terminal that allowed passengers to transfer to a ferry to Cape May New Jersey In 1899 the Queen Anne s Railroad converted a building in Rehoboth Beach at the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and Surf Avenue now the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk into an elaborate welcome center for the resort visitors who used the Queen Anne s trains 5 This welcome center included 100 bathhouses a 40 foot by 40 foot dance floor bowling alley shuffleboard electric lights and accommodations for 1 000 excursionists and was located one block from the Delaware Maryland and Virginia railroad station in Rehoboth Beach that was utilized by the Queen Anne railroad after the rail lines linked in Lewes 6 The Queen Anne Railroad planned to construct their own rail line from Lewes to Rehoboth Beach that would have followed the beach giving a view of the ocean and passing just beside the Great Dune at the Cape Henlopen Light at the present day Cape Henlopen State Park 7 During first half of the 20th Century Edit nbsp The Stevensville Train Depot as it exists todayFurther information Baltimore Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway Through a complex series of acquisitions in 1905 Queen Anne s Railroad ceased to exist and its assets became the property of the Maryland Delaware and Virginia Railway Company MD amp V a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1 8 Into the 1920s the railroad operated trains from Love Point on the eastern Chesapeake shore town of Love Point east to Queenstown Maryland to Greenwood Delaware and then to Lewes Delaware 9 Both the Maryland Delaware and Virginia Railway Company and the nearby Baltimore Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway were merged into the Baltimore amp Eastern Railroad in 1928 8 Already by 1932 the company substituted with bus service replacing train service along the original route of the railway from Queenstown on the Chesapeake shore of eastern Maryland to Greenwood and then to Lewes 10 This bus was gone from the schedule by 1941 as the company dropped its passenger operations 11 Current status EditMuch of the railroad s original track has been abandoned but segments are still used for freight rail service by the Delmarva Central Railroad In Queen Anne s County Maryland a project has converted much of the railroad right of way into part of the Cross Island Trail a rail trail which is in turn part of the American Discovery Trail The path of the railroad is approximated today by the following roads Maryland Route 18 U S Route 50 Maryland Route 404 Maryland Route 16 Delaware Route 16 Delaware Route 1 U S Route 9A Delaware state historical marker in Milton and another in Ellendale s historic Railroad Square district commemorate the railroad The original railroad stations in Stevensville and Sudlersville are both still in existence and serve as museums 2 Heritage railroad EditIn the 1990s a dinner train operated on the original trackage of Queen Anne s Railroad The heritage railroad branded both its locomotives and passenger cars as Queen Anne s Railroad but it had no direct links to the original 1894 1905 railroad The dinner train s center of operations was at the former Lewes Delaware station and traveled to Nassau Delaware Passenger cars were pulled by USATC S100 Class 0 6 0 tank locomotives produced for the US Army in World War II 12 13 References Edit a b Queen Anne s Railroad State of Delaware Delaware Public Archives October 31 2007 Archived from the original on July 21 2010 a b Stevensville Train Depot Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne s County Queen Anne s Railroad Company Maryland 1902 Scripophily com advertisement for 1902 stock certificate Retrieved 2010 06 08 New Railroad Opened The News Journal Wilmington Delaware April 9 1897 Michael Morgan July 21 2021 A splendid beach train ride that never happened Delaware Wave Bethany Beach Delaware The New Queen Anne s Railroad Delaware Gazette and State Journal Wilmington Delaware June 22 1899 The New Queen Anne s Railroad Delaware Gazette and State Journal Wilmington Delaware June 22 1899 a b Richard Parks August 15 2009 History of the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad Retrieved July 15 2011 Maryland amp Delaware Coast Railway Official Guide of the Railways National Railway Publication Company 1921 Maryland amp Delaware Coast Railway Official Guide of the Railways National Railway Publication Company 64 9 February 1932 Maryland amp Delaware Coast Railway Official Guide of the Railways National Railway Publication Company 74 1 June 1941 Queen Anne s Railroad Society 2020 09 06 At The Salted Rim Millville De Facebook Retrieved 2023 06 10 Queen Anne s Railroad 1993 retrieved 2023 06 10External links EditQueen Anne s Railroad Society QARRS Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Queen Anne 27s Railroad amp oldid 1159495989 Current status, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
