Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway
1906 Map | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Locale | Maryland, United States |
| Dates of operation | 1894–1928 |
| Predecessor | Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad Wicomico and Pokomoke Railroad Worcester Railroad |
| Successor | Baltimore and Eastern Railroad Company |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | No |
| Length | 87 miles (140 km) |
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The Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway, nicknamed Black Cinders & Ashes, was a railroad that ran 87 miles (140.0 km) from Claiborne, Maryland (with steamship connections to Baltimore), to Ocean City, Maryland from 1894 to 1924. It included 15.6 miles (25.11 km) of sidings. It was chartered as the Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad in 1886, started construction in 1889 and began operation in 1890 after spending $2.356 million on construction.($2025=82,451,000) When it started operation it purchased the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad Company, merging it into its own operations. Over the following 100 years, it struggled to remain profitable, changed names and ownership several times and abandoned most of its rail line. The only portion that remains in service today is the 3.65-mile (5.87 km) long Willards Industrial Track, the 0.65-mile (1.05 km) Mardella Industrial Track and the 0.6-mile (0.97 km) Mill Street Industrial Track - all in Salisbury, Maryland - operated by Delmarva Central Railroad on track owned by Norfolk Southern Railroad. Track, bridges and right-of-way remain across Delmarva and at least one portion has been turned into a rail trail.