The , now defunct, was an
American Railroad of southern
Maryland and
Washington, DC built in the
19th Century . The troubled WB&PL, originally the Southern Maryland Railroad operated in and out of
Bankruptcy and changed its name numerous times. It consisted of two pieces, one serving Washington, D.C. and
Seat Pleasant, MD and the other, a single track line connecting
Patuxent River, MD to the
Pennsylvania Railroad . Despite numerous problems, the railroad was able to survive for 73 years before shutting down in
1954 . The Washington, DC section was absorbed by the
Chesapeake Beach Railroad and later became the '''East Washington Railroad''', which stayed in business until
1978 . Parts of the
Right-of-way are now used for homes, a rail spur and a
Rail Trail .
The Southern Maryland Railroad (SMR) was incorporated on March 20,
1868 “for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, and working a railroad from some point in [[Prince
The line went into its next bankruptcy in 1886 and emerged on April 1,
1886 as the . The line wouldn't run farther
South than Mechanicsville until the U.S. Navy took over during World War II. The East Washington line went into
Receivership and was taken over, illegally, by the Chesapeake Beach Railroad.
In 1894, the W&P
Merged with the WC&PL, which was by then in receivership.
In the 1930's, revenues were dropping due to increased competition from the
Automobile and the line probably would have been gone for good, except for the intervention of
World War II .
In June of 1942, the
US Navy took over the line and extended it to the
Patuxent River Naval Air Station . The name was changed again, this time to the more accurate . As late as the mid-1950's the Navy was still operating the line. The Navy operated an "accommodation" train that connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad in Brandywine until the PRR stopped passenger trains on the Pope's Creek Line in
1949 .
In
1953 the railroad fell into disrepair. The extensive maintenance costs were too much to keep it in business and the Brandywine and Cedar Point was closed in
1954 . The last regular run was made in July of 1954 from the Naval Air Station to
Hollywood, MD . Through the late 1950s/early 1960s, PRR trains used the line to deliver
Aviation Fuel to the base. However, when fuel started coming in by
Barge , the importance of the line dwindled.
The tracks were removed in the mid-1970's.
Original line pre-1942
- Brandywine
- Cederville
- Woodville
- Gallant Green
- Hughesville
- Oaks
- Charlotte Hall
- New Market
- Mechanicsville (original end-of-the-line)
In 1942, the
US Government took over operations of the railroad and continued to make deliveries to stops on the original route. In addition the line was extended and these stops added.
- Oakville
- Laurel Grove
- Forrest Hall
- Hillville
- Hollywood
- California
- USN Pax River
After 1954-Pennsylvania Railroad operation
When the USN excessed the line in 1954 and the PRR took over operations, they delivered and took away
Freight shipments and occasionally carried a
Passenger car (USN) or
Caboose (also USN) for special movements to/from the Brandywine Junction which became a
Department Of Defense Warehouse and shipping point until it was destroyed by fire. The Brandywine terminal was US Government property and was maintained by Public Works personnel from Patuxent River. The terminal was turned over to the
Air Force just before it burned.
- Trackage that runs from Brandywine to Hughesville, MD where it connects to a spur to the Chalk Point Generating Station .
- From Hughesville to the Patuxent River Naval Station, the railroad's right-of-way is being used to create the 28 mile long Three Notch Trail . The first mile of which opened on June 3, 2006.
- Mile Posts, MP13 & W
