Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station
Built: 1884
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
1. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station Marker
The Gaithersburg Railroad Station and freight house were built in 1884 as handsome replacements for the adjacent small frame structure which served as a freight depot when the Metropolitan Branch of the B & O Railroad was extended to Gaithersburg in 1873. The picturesque Victorian brick station house, with separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s waiting rooms on either side of the ticket office, was proof of Gaithersburg’s success as a major shipping center and commercial crossroads. The railroad and impressive station soon attracted businesses and suburban commuter residents to Gaithersburg, spurring the incorporation and growth of “Olde Towne” and ushering in a new era of progress.
Architect: Ephraim Francis Baldwin. National Register Site. Gaithersburg Historic Site HD-3.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.
Location. 39° 8.506′ N, 77° 11.601′ W. Marker is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is on South Summit Avenue south of East Diamond
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. John A. Belt Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Building The Future (within shouting distance of this marker); The Schwartz House / Gaithersburg City Hall / Schwartz Peony Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Supplying an Agricultural Community (within shouting distance of this marker); The Gaithersburg School (within shouting distance of this marker); The Summit Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); The Early Years (within shouting distance of this marker); The Business of Agriculture: (within shouting distance of this marker); Gaithersburg Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department (within shouting distance of this marker); Serving the Community's Health Care Needs (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gaithersburg.
Regarding Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station. In the heyday of passenger trains, all of Baltimore and Ohio’s east-west express luxury trains passed by this station—trains
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
2. Westbound CSX Freight Passes the Station
Marker is at the left edge of the photo.
Today Amtrak’s “Capitol Limited” passes—but does not stop at—Gaithersburg station. MARC commuter trains between Washington and Martinsburg, West Virginia do stop, and the station houses the Java Junction Coffee Shop and News Stand, so it serves plenty of customers every day.
Also see . . .
1. Gaithersburg B&O Station and Freight Shed. National Register Nomination Form. (Submitted on March 7, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
2. Gaithersburg Community Museum. The Community Museum comprises the historic Freight House, the History Park and the rolling stock of the Gaithersburg Railway Museum. (Submitted on March 8, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
3. Impossible Challenge: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland. (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
4. Impossible Challenge II: Baltimore to Washington and Harpers Ferry from 1828 to 1994. (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
5. The Met: A History of The Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, Its Stations and Towns. (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
6. The Baltimore and Ohio in the Civil War. (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
7. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the Potomac Valley (Golden Years of Railroading). (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
8. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (Railroad Color History). (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
9. Baltimore and Ohio's Capitol Limited and National Limited (Great Passenger Trains)
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
3. Former B&O Railroad Station
MARC commuter trains continue to stop here. This station is on the Brunswick Line. Amtrak's Capitol Limited (train 29 to Chicago and train 30 to Washington) passes through here but does not stop.
10. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (MBI Color History). (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
11. Route of the Capitol Limited (Baltimore and Ohio Passenger Service Volume 2). (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
12. The Great Road: The Building of the Baltimore and Ohio, The Nation's First Railroad 1828 - 1853. (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
13. Route of the National Limited (Baltimore and Ohio Passenger Service Volume 1). (Submitted on May 2, 2008, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.)
Additional commentary.
1.
Books about this section of railroad include:
Harwood, Herbert H (1979). Impossible Challenge: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland (Barnard Roberts and Company, Baltimore)
Harwood, Herbert H (1994). Impossible Challenge II: Baltimore to Washington and Harpers Ferry from 1828 to 1994 (Barnard Roberts and Company, Baltimore)
Soderberg, Susan (1998). The Met (Germantown Historical Society, Germantown)
— Submitted September 19, 2007, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.
2.
This station
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
4. Buffalo Creek & Gauley No. 14 On Permanent Display Behind the Freight House Museum
— Submitted December 19, 2007, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland.
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
5. Western Maryland Railway Office Car K-3008
Photographed By Michael Stroud, June 7, 2007
6. Defense Transportation Corps. Troop Kitchen Car /
Western Maryland Railway Maintenance-of-Way Car K-3008. “This car was built in the early 1940s by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) in the Chicago, Illinois area, for food preparation service in World War II Troop Train operations. It was essentially a modified 55-foot boxcar, equipped with two wood-burning stoves, a hot-water heater, and all sorts of equipment for food storage and refrigeration, and for the preparation of meals. Later models even had a shower stall for the cooks! It was equipped with Allied Full Cushion Trucks (wheel and axle support assemblies) which are a cast metal, high-speed passenger truck design. It is unusual in that it has two sets of air brake equipment, one for each truck. ¶ After the war, the car was sold to the Western Maryland Railway where it served for many years in Maintenance-of-way Service as Car K-3008. Unfortunately, the stoves and most of the other original food preparation equipment were removed.”
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
7. Eastbound Freight Passes the Station
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
8. Former B&O Freight House, Now a Museum
Photographed By Tom Fuchs, May 5, 2007
9. Rear View of Station
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 2007
10. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad "Wagontop" Bay Window Caboose 2490
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 2007
11. Caboose 2490
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
"Wagontop" Bay Window
Caboose 2490
This Class I-12 steel caboose was built by the B&O Railroad in January of 1942 on an outdoor assembly line at the railroad's shops in Keyser, West Virginia. After many years in regular freight train service, it was last used by the railroad in work train service in the New Martinsville, West Virginia area in December of 1985. The "Wagontop" design is unique to the B&O Railroad, and was also used on some of their box cars and covered hopper cars. The "bay windows" enabled the train crew to observe the train, watching for signs of dragging equipment or overheated journal bearings on the freight cars. The caboose is also equipped with an air pressure gauge and a brake valve so that the crew could monitor the brake pipe pressure and stop the train in an emergency. This type of caboose has an unusual "Duryea Underframe", which is a sliding center sill that is attached to the caboose body with horizontal "springs", and was an early attempt to soften the shocks inherent in freight train operation.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, March 6, 2017
12. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, March 6, 2017
13. Gaithersburg Station c. 1900
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, March 6, 2017
14. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station
Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2007, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. This page has been viewed 4,198 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 22, 2007, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. 6. submitted on December 20, 2007, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 7, 8, 9. submitted on May 22, 2007, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. 10, 11. submitted on January 31, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 12, 13, 14. submitted on March 7, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
