Germantown Railroad Station - Germantown MD
N 39° 10.394 W 077° 16.237
18S E 303853 N 4338456
The 1873 opening of the Metropolitan branch of the B&O Railroad into Washington DC, brought the centers of business in rural areas to the railroad line. Many towns built stations like this to serve the daily passenger & freight service.
Waymark Code: WM7TRX
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 12/03/2009
Views: 7
Germantown, Maryland, has seen a boom in growth since the 1980's that has completely changed the landscape of the area. But the state, county and local interests have made great efforts to preserve the history of the town. One of the preserved historic areas is the railroad station and surrounding buildings.
A station house was first built here in 1878 but later replaced with this one designed by Francis Baldwin, the architect of all the station houses along the B&O Metropolitan branch. Until the 1920's rail service on this line carried as many as 18 trains a day. The station is still in active use as a stop for Washington DC commuters. The station now serves the MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter) Train Service on the Brunswick line.
The station seen today is a reconstruction by Montgomery County to replace the original station lost to a fire in 1978. Until the train station was rebuilt, the nearby historic bank building served rail passengers.
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: formerly B&O RR, now MARC regional line
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.