Queen Anne's Railroad

Historic railway station in Georgetown, Delaware, located South of the track formerly used by the Queen Anne's Railroad

The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a railroad that ran from Love Point, Maryland to Lewes, Delaware and was connected to Baltimore via ferry. The Queen Anne's Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894, and received legislative authorization from Delaware in February 1895.[1] The railroad's original western terminus was in Queenstown, Maryland, and was moved via a 13-mile (21 km) extension to Love Point in 1902,[2] which shortened the ferry trip to Baltimore.

The Queen Anne's Railroad Company began operating a summer-only Cape May Express between Queenstown, Maryland and Lewes, Delaware in 1901 with a connecting steamer to Cape May, New Jersey. The company owned and operated the Queen Anne's Ferry & Equipment Company which consisted of the steamers Endeavor, Queen Anne and Queen Caroline.[3]

Towns served

The following towns were served by the Queen Anne's Railroad:

An article appearing in the April 9, 1897 issue of The Morning News announcing the opening of the new railway lists the stations, in order, as Queenstown, Bloomingdale, Wye Mills, Willoughby, Queen Anne, Hillsboro, Downes, Tuckahoe, Denton, Hobbs, Hickman, Adamsville, Blanchard, and Greenwood where the line terminated while construction continued to Ellendale.[4]

Current status

The Stevensville Train Depot as it exists today

Through a complex series of acquisitions in 1905, Queen Anne's Railroad ceased to exist and its assets became the property of the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Company (MD&V), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.[1][5]

Much of the railroad's original track has been abandoned, but segments are still used for freight rail service by the Delaware Coast Line Railroad. In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a project has converted much of the railroad right-of-way into part of the Cross Island Trail, a rail trail which is in turn part of the American Discovery Trail. The path of the railroad is approximated today by the following roads:

A Delaware state historical marker in Milton and another in Ellendale's historic Railroad Square district commemorate the railroad. The original railroad stations in Stevensville and Sudlersville are both still in existence and serve as museums.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Queen Anne's Railroad". State of Delaware, Delaware Public Archives. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Stevensville Train Depot". Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne's County.
  3. ↑ Queen Anne's Railroad Company - Maryland 1902. Scripophily.com advertisement for 1902 stock certificate. Retrieved 2010-06-08
  4. ↑ "New Railroad Opened". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. April 9, 1897.
  5. ↑ Richard Parks (August 15, 2009). "History of the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad". Retrieved July 15, 2011.
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