Short Line Railroad Trail

Trail in Maryland, United States

Short Line Railroad Trail

Length| 3.5 mi (5.6 km)
Location| Catonsville, Maryland
Ellicott City, Maryland
Established| 1999
Trailheads| Frederick Road
Charlestown Retirement Community
Use| Walking, jogging, biking
Difficulty| Easy, slight slope
Season| Year-round
Months| Year-round
Sights| Baltimore National Cemetery
Our Lady of the Angels Church
Catonsville Business District
Spring Grove Hospital Center
Surface| Asphalt, Street, Unpaved
Right of way| Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
Website| https://crtt.org
Catonsville Short Line Railroad Trail entrance at Beechfield Avenue

The Short Line Railroad Trail is a 3.5-mile-long (5.6 km) trail in Western Baltimore County, Maryland. The trail segment begins approximately at the Charlestown Retirement Community off Maiden Choice Lane, south of the Baltimore National Cemetery, and ends at Frederick Road after traveling on several local streets in Downtown Catonsville.[1] The trail connects the neighborhood of Paradise to Catonsville's Central Business District by using the abandoned right-of-way of the Baltimore and Potomac Railway. This portion of the B&P Railway was known as the "Short Line", spurring off the main line at Saint Agnes Station.

## Baltimore & Potomac Railroad

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Construction on the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad (B&P) began on December 6, 1883, at an estimated price of $37,000. As Catonsville expanded, the City and Suburban Electric Company began constructing an electric line from Baltimore along Frederick Road to Catonsville. When Streetcar #9 was completed in 1897, passenger ridership on the Short Line diminished significantly. This resulted in a deficit in operating revenue for the B&P causing them to discontinue passenger service in 1898.

## Caton & Loudon Railway

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The B&P had not released their claims as related to freight traffic, and continued to offer freight service on a flexible schedule that allowed them to earn a profit. The Great Depression would eventually lead to the end of the Short Line Railroad due to decreasing revenues. In October 1945, Hudson Realty Company bought the Short Line, forming the new Caton & Loudon (C&L) Railway. As freight demand diminished, Penn Central Transportation Company officially canceled the C&L Railroad on July 28, 1973.

## Future expansion

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In 2014, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County announced plans to connect to the Short Line RR Trail, byway of Spring Grove Hospital Center on Hilltop Road.[2]

## See also

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* Trolley Line Number 9 Trail

## References

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1. ^ "Catonsville Short Line Railroad Trail map". Retrieved April 24, 2016.
2. ^ Lauren Loricchio (May 21, 2014). "UMBC hopes to build connections with Catonsville using Short Line Trail". The Baltimore Sun.

* v
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Hiking trails in Maryland

* Allegheny Highlands
* American Discovery
* Anacostia Tributaries
* Appalachian
* B&A
* Bethesda Trolley Trail
* Billy Goat
* Borden Tunnel
* BWI
* Capital Crescent
* Catoctin
* C&O Canal
* Cross Island
* Dalecarlia Tunnel
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* GAP
* Great Eastern
* Grist Mill
* Gwynns Falls
* Jones Falls
* Ma and Pa
* Mason-Dixon
* MBT
* Muddy Branch
* Patuxent Branch
* Potomac Heritage
* Rachel Carson
* Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail
* Savage Mill
* Seneca Creek
* Short Line
* Sligo Creek
* Torrey C. Brown (Northern Central)
* Trolley Line #9
* Tuscarora
* WB&A
* WMRT

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