Point of Rocks station
Point of Rocks is a historic passenger rail station on the MARC Brunswick Line between Washington, D.C., and Martinsburg, WV, located at Point of Rocks, Frederick County, Maryland, United States.[4] The station was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1873, and designed by E. Francis Baldwin. It is situated at the junction of the B&O Old Main Line (running to Baltimore) and the Metropolitan Branch (running to Washington, D.C.). The Met Branch also opened in 1873 and became the principal route for passenger trains between Baltimore, Washington and points west.
Point of Rocks | ||||||||||||||||||||
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MARC Commuter rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||
Amtrak's Capitol Limited passing through the Point of Rocks station. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 4000 Clay Street, Point of Rocks, Maryland[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°16′24.7″N 77°32′00″W | |||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Metropolitan Subdivision | |||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1873 | |||||||||||||||||||
Traffic | ||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers (2018) | 319 daily[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Point of Rocks Railroad Station | ||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Off of U.S. 15 Point of Rocks, Maryland | |||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°16′24.7″N 77°32′00″W | |||||||||||||||||||
Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) | |||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1875 | |||||||||||||||||||
Architect | Baldwin, E. Francis | |||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Gothic | |||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 73000918[3] | |||||||||||||||||||
Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
The main station building is a 2 1⁄2-story, triangular Gothic Revival with a four-story tower and a 1 1⁄2-story wing at the base. The tower has a pyramidal roof containing a dormer on each side. On top is a square cupola supporting a pyramidal peaked roof.[5]
The station building itself is not open to the public and is used by CSX as storage and offices for maintenance of way crews. In 2008, new platforms and platform shelters were built for MARC commuters traveling east towards Washington DC, replacing older bus shelter–style structures which were erected in the mid-1990s.
During the blizzard of 2010, the south side awning on the main building collapsed under the weight of record snow fall, and was later removed leaving half the building missing cover. In January 2011, work to rebuild the destroyed part of the structure began.
The Point of Rocks Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973,[3] and reopened for the Maryland Rail Commuter Service, now called MARC, which established the Brunswick Line.
Station layout
P Platform level |
Street level | Exit/entrance, station house, parking |
Side platform | ||
Outbound | ← Brunswick Line toward Martinsburg (Brunswick) ← Capitol Limited does not stop here | |
Inbound | Capitol Limited does not stop here → Brunswick Line toward Union Station (Dickerson) → | |
Side platform |
References
- "MARC Station Information". MTA Maryland. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- "December 2018 MARC performance (for Nov 18) - Ridership" (PDF). Maryland Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- MARC station list (includes Point of Rocks) Archived 2010-01-31 at the Wayback Machine MARC official website
- Arthur Townsend (June 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Point of Rocks Railroad Station" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
External links
- Point of Rocks station official website
- Point of Rocks station image (Dynamic Depot Maps)
- Point of Rocks Railroad Station, Frederick County, including photo from 2006, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MD-14, "Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Point of Rocks Station, Near State Route 28, Point of Rocks, Frederick County, MD", 14 photos, 8 measured drawings, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- B & O Railroad Station at Point of Rocks - Ghosts of DC blog post on historic first train arrival