The , now defunct, was an
American Railroad of central
Maryland built in the 19th and 20th centuries.
''Early Development''
The Hagerstown & Frederick Railway, a suburban (later
Interurban )
Trolley system was developed by George William Smith and initially called the Frederick & Middletown Railway. Construction began early in 1896, almost simultaneously with the development of
Braddock Heights Park, the mountaintop resort that was intended to provide patronage for the line. Service between
Frederick and Braddock Heights commenced on August 22, 1896. The line was complete to
Middletown by October.
Two years later an extension was built to
Myersville , nominally called the Myersville & Catoctin Railway, but leased to the F&M and operated as an integral part of the F&M. In 1904 the Hagerstown Railway built a connecting link from
Boonsboro to Myersville, and through service between Frederick and
Hagerstown became possible, making the still separate lines an interurban.
The
Jefferson branch was added in 1906, running down the east side of Jefferson Boulevard. This extension served the H&F investors, who were largely the same as the Braddock Heights investors, by opening up more mountaintop resort land for development.
''The Hagerstown Railway''
Like the H&F, the Hagerstown Railway was begun in 1896. The leading investors were Christian W. Lynch and William Jennings, who took a different approach to development by creating an urban loop within Hagerstown, with crossing lines on Washington Street and South Potomac Street, and a branch to nearby
Williamsport . By 1897 line Potomac Street line extended to
Funkstown .
