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The Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad, later the Annapolis, Washington & Baltimore Railroad, once provided rail service to Annapolis, Maryland and was one of the earliest railroads in the U.S. It later merged into the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and was finally abandoned. The only traces of it today are a few small sidings and telephone poles that follow its former right of way.

Early Years
In 1835, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opened its Washington branch, connecting the B&O main line just outside Baltimore to Washington, DC. Not wishing to be left out, a group of Annapolis businessmen in 1837 secured a charter to construct a railroad line serving their city. However, instead of proceeding directly to Washington or Balitmore, the decision was made to build the railroad to a point on the Washington Branch roughly halfway between the two cities, in the western part of modern day Anne Arundel County. At the time, this area was so sparsely populated that the nearest town of any size was Elk Ridge, Maryland; hence the name Annapolis & Elk Ridge. The town of Annapolis Junction would later grow up at the intersection point.

Elk Ridge later shortened its name to Elkridge, and the railroad did likewise, becoming the Annapolis & Elkridge Railroad. Crownsville, Millersville, and later Odenton are other present-day towns that were served by the railroad.

The railroad was single-tracked along most of its length and followed a winding, curving path that was suitable for its day but presented problems in later years. Never very profitable, the railroad bumbled along through the antebellum years.

Middle Years
During the Civil War, the railroad had strategic significance and was the scene of a minor conflict early in the war. The Union's Sixth Massachusetts Regiment was moving south to secure Washington, DC. However, Maryland (a slave state), contained many southern sympathizers and the Baltimore riot of 1861 broke out when the troops attempted to march through the city. Troops were subsequently shipped to Annapolis, where they attempted to use the railroad to reach Washington via Annapolis Junction. Their progress was thwarted by southern sympathizers (including some in the railroad's management) who tore up track and disabled locomotives.

The industrial era saw a major expansion of railroads into the area. The Pennsylvania Railroad-controlled Baltimore & Potomac Railroad was built in the 1870's to compete with the B&O. The town of Odenton (named for B&P president and Maryland governor Oden Bowie) grew up where this road crossed the Annapolis & Elkridge roughly five miles east of Annapolis Junction.

The Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line Railroad, later the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line Railroad, was chartered in 1880 and opened in 1887. It was the second railroad to serve Annapolis and provided a faster connection to Baltimore, taking a more direct path along the north shore of the Severn River. Perhaps due to the increased competition, the Annapolis & Elkridge reorganized in 1886, becoming the Annapolis, Washington & Baltimore Railroad (AW&B).

In 1902, the Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Electric Railway began constructing a third rail line between Baltimore and Washington, DC. This line crossed the AW&B just east of Odenton at a place called Naval Academy Junction. The WB&A was an electric interurban streetcar line, a new and exciting mode of transportation at the turn of the 20th century.

Later Years


The AW&B was acquired by the WB&A Electric Railway in 1908 to serve as its Annapolis line. It was subsequently electrified. In 1921, the WB&A also acquired the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line, after which the AW&B trackage was termed the South Shore division and the Short Line the North Shore division.

In 1917, as the U.S. entered World War I the railroad interests in the area pursuaded the U.S. Army to acquire land and open a training facility in the area roughly bounded by the B&O Washington Branch on the west, the Pennsylvania Railroad on the east, and the WB&A to the south. The installation was named Camp Meade and was supposed to be a temporary facility, used only for the duration of the war (it is still very much in use today). The WB&A saw record traffic during this time as a result of freight and passenger service to the camp. In 1918, the railroad system carried 5,946,697 paying passengers.

The Great Depression and the rise of the automobile marked the end of the WB&A, along with most other electric interurbans. The vast majority of the South Shore division was abandoned and sold for scrap in 1935. The portion between Annapolis Junction and Odenton was purchased and operated by the B&O to serve Fort Meade until it too was torn up in the early 1980's.

Surviving Landmarks
The wye of track where the Annapolis & Elkridge joined the B&O Washington Branch (now CSX) in Annapolis Junction is still intact. It now serves a cement plant. There is another short siding in Odenton that follows the original roadbed just east of the Pennsylvania Railroad (now Amtrak). It serves a defunct factory and is set to be abandoned.

There is a set of telephone poles that follows the original route between Annapolis Junction and Fort Meade. The poles can be seen along the south side of present-day Maryland State Highway 32.