Point of Rocks Station - Point of Rocks, Maryland
N 39° 16.415 W 077° 32.002
18S E 281464 N 4350196
The Point of Rocks Station, one of the most photographed stations in the United States, was completed in 1876 as part of the construction of the Metropolitan Branch from Washington, DC.
Waymark Code: WM5PVD
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 01/31/2009
Views: 19
As an employee in the Chessie System engineering department, I was headquartered from 1976 to 1977 in Grafton, West Virginia on the Monongah Division. I was able to secure a pass from the Superintendent on several occasions to ride the head end of the Cardinal. I still remember vividly coming out of the tunnel and seeing this magnificent station. Since that time, I have always felt a spiritual connection to the place. I’ve listed the building as being not open to the public and not in railroad use. When I was there the building appeared to be closed and it seemed that passengers were using shelters instead of the station building.
Excerpted from the web site American Rails, produced by Adam Burns - (
visit link)
Point of Rocks, Maryland, home to the Point of Rocks station, is a small community of only a little over 1,000 residents. Situated in the west-central region of the state along the Potomac River, it is about 28 miles east of the historic small town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The town itself gets its name from the stunning rock formation it sits atop which is visible from the Potomac River. However, aside from the town’s natural features it is best known for one of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s celebrated locations (even today), and the subject of countless photographs over the years: the Point of Rocks railroad station which splits two former Baltimore & Ohio Railroad lines (the Old Main Line and the Metropolitan Branch).
The Point of Rocks station was completed in 1876 and was designed by renowned architect E. Francis Baldwin who would construct a number of stations and depots for the B&O, particularly along the eastern areas of the railroad. The Point of Rocks station itself is my personal favorite and in terms of exposure it is very likely the most popular B&O station; it is heralded as one of, if not the, most photographed railroad station or depot in the country.
The station’s popularity lies as much with its splendor as its location. Situated at the point where two railroad lines converge, coupled with a beautiful steeple which faces directly towards where the railroad tracks meet makes for a truly magnificent setting, unrivaled anywhere else.
While the Point of Rocks station today is placed on the National Register of Historic Places its future is not necessarily secure. The building is currently still owned by CSX Transportation, successor to the B&O, and is used as an office by the railroad. The uncertainty here lies in the fact that CSX has not been known for its historic preservation and has destroyed or let go a number of significant railroad property/locations over the years. To counter any disastrous plans CSX may have for the building (there has been recent talk of the railroad even considering razing the station) the Point of Rocks Community Historical Society has been discussing ideas on how to permanently preserve the property, which is made all the more difficult by the fact that two active railroad lines continue to flank the station on either side.