Silver Spring Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station
Encyclopedia
The Silver Spring Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station is a historic building located at Silver Spring
, Montgomery County, Maryland
. It was built in 1945 on the foundation of the original station, a Victorian-style
brick structure built in 1878. It was designed in the Colonial Revival
style and built from standardized plans developed for B&O
stations in the mid-1940s. Amtrak
's Blue Ridge
previously served the station, and have since dropped the stop from its timetables.
Passenger train service at the station ended in 2000, and trains now stop at the nearby MARC
station. (See Silver Spring (Washington Metro)
.) The 1945 station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2000 and restored in 2002.
The original 1940s waiting room furniture remains in the station, as are the original recessed fluorescent lighting
fixtures. The Eastbound Waiting Room, a small rectangular building of similar design, stood on the south side of the tracks until it was lost to redevelopment in 2008. Originally built along with the station in 1945, it was razed and rebuilt in 1976, to make way for tracks
laid for the Washington Metro
. An underground pedestrian tunnel connecting the two buildings beneath the track bed
still exists, but is closed to the public. The station is owned by Montgomery Preservation, Inc., a non-profit organization, which opens the building for tours.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. It was built in 1945 on the foundation of the original station, a Victorian-style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
brick structure built in 1878. It was designed in the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
style and built from standardized plans developed for B&O
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
stations in the mid-1940s. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge (Amtrak)
The Blue Ridge was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Washington, D.C. and Martinsburg, West Virginia. The Blue Ridge began on May 6, 1973 as a truncated Potomac Special, which had run all the way to Parkersburg, West Virginia...
previously served the station, and have since dropped the stop from its timetables.
Passenger train service at the station ended in 2000, and trains now stop at the nearby MARC
MARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
station. (See Silver Spring (Washington Metro)
Silver Spring (Washington Metro)
Silver Spring is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. It is the first station in Maryland on the eastern end of the line, and is the most-used Metro station in Maryland. It is co-located with a MARC commuter rail station....
.) The 1945 station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2000 and restored in 2002.
The original 1940s waiting room furniture remains in the station, as are the original recessed fluorescent lighting
Fluorescent lamp
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
fixtures. The Eastbound Waiting Room, a small rectangular building of similar design, stood on the south side of the tracks until it was lost to redevelopment in 2008. Originally built along with the station in 1945, it was razed and rebuilt in 1976, to make way for tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
laid for the Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
. An underground pedestrian tunnel connecting the two buildings beneath the track bed
Track bed
A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....
still exists, but is closed to the public. The station is owned by Montgomery Preservation, Inc., a non-profit organization, which opens the building for tours.
See also
- Brunswick LineBrunswick LineThe Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line consisting of a main line running from Washington D.C. to Martinsburg, West Virginia and a branch line from just south of Point-of-Rocks station to Frederick, Maryland. The service is operated under contract by CSX Transportation, but is administered...
(MARC Commuter Rail) - Metropolitan Subdivision (CSX railroad line)
External links
- Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station, Montgomery County, Inventory No.: M: 36-15, including photo in 2004, at Maryland Historical Trust website
- Silver Spring Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station - Information from the Town of Silver Spring