Mount Airy in Carroll County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Mount Airy Rail Yard

Historic Downtown Mount Airy

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 12, 2016

1. The Mount Airy Rail Yard Marker

Inscription.
This site was once the Mount Airy rail yard. Passenger trains stopped here to pick up and drop off passengers at the Mount Airy Station. Children from Watersville and other nearby communities would ride the train to attend school in Mount Airy. Freight trains stopped here to pick up milk from local farmers, canned vegetables packed at the Mount Airy Canning Company and milled grain from Runkles Mill, and later, the Mount Airy Milling Company.

Passenger service through Mount Airy ended December 31, 1949. The entire line through Mount Airy was abandoned by the B&O in 1959. Since then, the tracks have been removed and the area around the station paved for a parking lot.

Erected 2014.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 31, 1949.

Location. 39° 22.626′ N, 77° 9.26′ W. Marker is in Mount Airy, Maryland, in Carroll County. Marker is on Main Street (Maryland Route 808) south of Prospect Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 South Main Street, Mount Airy MD 21771, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker. Runkles Mill and The Mt. Airy Milling Company (here, next to this marker); The Mount Airy Station (a few steps from this marker); Sledding in Mount Airy in the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Railway Express Agency Baggage Wagon (within shouting distance of this marker); William Hood Building (within shouting distance of this marker); The Gillis Building (within shouting distance of this marker); First National Bank Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Bobsled (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Airy.

Also see . . .
1. History of Mount Airy, Maryland. Town webpage (Submitted on October 7, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

2. Mount Airy Main Street Association. Association homepage (Submitted on October 7, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Additional commentary.
1. Passenger Service Through Mount Airy
The rail line through Mount Airy was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s “Old Main Line,” the original railroad line dating from 1831 built to connect Baltimore with the Midwest and one of the first railroad lines in the country. By

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 12, 2016

2. The Mount Airy Rail Yard Marker

Left marker

1883 B&O's lines from Baltimore through Washington were completed and soon their long distance passenger service bypassed the Old Main Line.

A 1925 timetable shows four passenger trains in each direction stopping at Mount Airy every day. They all ran between Baltimore and Frederick, with two continuing on to Point of Rocks and one returning. However, there was plenty of service from Point of Rocks to Frederick: 7 trains in each direction.

Trains to and from Mount Airy did not hurry. In 1925 the 39½ mile trip from Baltimore’s Camden Station took almost two hours. Trains stopped at 18 other stations along the way. Frederick was only three stations away and that trip took 55 minutes. Trains from Baltimore stopped here at 9:10 and 10:20 a.m. and 3:10 and 7:18 p.m. The one train originating at Point of Rocks stopped at Mount Airy at 3:33 p.m. and the three originating in Frederick got to Mt. Airy at 5:35 a.m., 6:53 a.m. and 5:50 p.m.

— Submitted December 26, 2020, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

B&O Wooden Caboose Displayed Next to Mount Airy Rail Yard and Mills Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., September 12, 2016

3. B&O Wooden Caboose Displayed Next to Mount Airy Rail Yard and Mills Markers

Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 808 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 7, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.