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Gaithersburg station

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Coordinates: 39°08′29.5″N 77°11′35″W / 39.141528°N 77.19306°W / 39.141528; -77.19306
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Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg MARC (formerly B&O) Railroad station, January 2007
General information
Location5 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland[1]
Coordinates39°08′29.5″N 77°11′35″W / 39.141528°N 77.19306°W / 39.141528; -77.19306
Line(s)CSX Metropolitan Subdivision
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MTA Maryland: 201 and 202
Construction
ParkingGarage
AccessibleYes[2]
History
OpenedMay 1, 1873 (ceremonial opening)[3]
May 25, 1873 (regular passenger service)[3][4][5]
Rebuilt1884
Passengers
November 2022121 (daily)[6] (MARC)
Services
Preceding station MARC Following station
Metropolitan Grove
towards Martinsburg or Frederick
 Brunswick Line Washington Grove
towards Union Station
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Brunswick
toward Martinsburg
 Blue Ridge
Discontinued 1986
 Rockville
toward Washington, D.C.
Brunswick
toward Cincinnati (River Road)
 Shenandoah
Discontinued 1981
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Germantown
toward Chicago
 Main Line Washington Grove
toward Jersey City
Ward
toward Chicago
Gaithersburg B & O Railroad Station and Freight Shed
Passenger station and freight house, November 2010
Map
Built1884
ArchitectEphraim Francis Baldwin
Architectural styleQueen Anne attributed
NRHP reference No.78001473
Added to NRHPOctober 5, 1978[7]

Gaithersburg station is a commuter rail station located on the Metropolitan Subdivision in downtown Gaithersburg, Maryland. It is served by the MARC Brunswick Line service; it was also served by Amtrak from 1971 to 1986. The former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station building and freight shed, designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin and built in 1884, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Gaithersburg B & O Railroad Station and Freight Shed. They are used as the Gaithersburg Community Museum.

History

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The station was originally built in 1884 for the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). The station was designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin,[8] and consists of two historic buildings. The passenger station is a one-story common-bond brick structure with a gable roof. It is nearly identical in plan and dimensions to the Laurel, Maryland station Baldwin designed, also built in 1884, although the rooflines and settings are quite different.[9] About 90 feet to the east of the station is the freight shed or loading dock, a brick structure about 45 ft × 20 ft. Its north and south facades are divided into six panels with a door in the second and fifth bays on both sides. The station was extended to the east in 1905.

When Amtrak was established in 1971, B&O Passenger service was replaced by the Potomac Special, which itself was replaced by the Blue Ridge in 1973.[10] From 1976 to 1981 it also served another Amtrak train called the Shenandoah.[11] During that time, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as Gaithersburg B & O Railroad Station and Freight Shed,[7] and continued to serve Amtrak until 1986, when it was converted into a MARC station with the establishment of the Brunswick Line. Now, instead of using the platform to unload passengers, they let off passengers on the road right next to the station, although sometimes when the train is long the conductor puts an additional exit next to the platform. A modern parking garage and pedestrian overpass can be found on the opposite side of South Summit Avenue. The garage was completed in 2000, with the pedestrian bridge finished the next year.[12]

Gaithersburg Community Museum

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A former B&O Budd RDC car on display near the station

The Gaithersburg Community Museum is located in the restored 1884 B&O Railroad Station complex, and includes the freight house, a history park and a caboose. The museum features exhibits about the city's history, as well as historic railroad artifacts and equipment.

The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad steam locomotive Consolidation #14,[13] along with a caboose and a Budd RDC are on display in front of the freight shed.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "MARC Station Information". MTA Maryland. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "MARC Station Information". Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. ^ a b "Metropolitan Branch Railroad". The Baltimore Sun. May 1, 1873. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Metropolitan Branch Railroad". The Baltimore Sun. November 18, 1873. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Tamburrino, Tim (January 2000). Maryland Historical Trust NR-Eligiblity Review Form - Metropolitan Branch, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (PDF). KCI Technologies, Inc. (Report). Maryland Historical Trust. p. 7. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "MARC Brunswick Line Technical Report" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  7. ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#78001473)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Jennifer Russel and Pamela James (August 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Gaithersburg B & O Railroad Station and Freight Shed" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  9. ^ Avery, Carlos P. (2003). E. Francis Baldwin, Architect: The B&O, Baltimore, and Beyond. Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Architecture Foundation. pp. 33, 128. ISBN 0-9729743-0-X.
  10. ^ Amtrak Timetables; October 25, 1981; Capitol Limited (Museum of Railway Timetables)
  11. ^ 1979 Shenandoah & Blue Ridge Timetables
  12. ^ "City of Gaithersburg Community Facilities: A Master Plan Element" (PDF). City of Gaithersburg. April 1, 2008. p. 14.
  13. ^ jpmueller99 (February 25, 2012). Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-0 at Gaithersburg (photograph). Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  14. ^ jpmueller99 (January 31, 2013). File:Budd RDC's - Gaithersburg, MD 1991.jpg (photograph). Retrieved September 2, 2013.
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