2024-12-08 Virtual Meetup - Ben Sullivan's B&O Georgetown Branch

[@johnm8342]

Very good, just greatly detailed presentation. It was interesting to follow along with google maps to see what still existed along the right-away, like the Safeway at 38:11 seems to be in same area (although looks different now). BTW, I used to park in the new yard when visiting Georgetown Library in the 80s. The tracks were still there then. Who knew? And… Thanks for the Dremel tip. Happy holidays.

[@tommymartin4827]

Im very familiar with capital crescent. It looked like they saved the facade of the Georgetown heating plant. I was just down there farting around. Awesome presentation Ben . My grandfather worked for capital transit. He told me in 1964 when they went to busses. Some of the fellas did switch over because they didn't have a drivers license. Lol

[@johnbanicki7232]

Very good video. Love the amount of detail he went into with his research. And to see his layout was a bonus! Thanks for sharing.

[@williamwaithe5359]

Impressive historical research. enjoy the building!

[@cbcona001]

Ben, great presentation. I worked in Bethesda/Chevy Chase area in the mid 80's so it brought back memories. Thanks

[@douglasengle2704]

Thank you for all the in-depth research into the B&O Georgetown Branch. As a board member with Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail 1989-2001 I took on Volunteer Rail-Trail Preparation. I came up with the term Rail-Trail in 1990 to promote precisely preserving the main rail alignment as a bicycle parkway. Surprisingly there was no clear concept of that before the term Rail-Trail. The Rails-to-Trails conservancy who our chair Karen-Lee Ryan worked for as their publicity director took my term Rail-Trail and push it out all over the world. I put so much effort into the CCT because it was inside the Capitol Beltway and had not been compromised still with the rails down where an exact preservation of the rail alignment as a bicycle path would be seen by tourists from all over the world. The CCCT extensively cleared the tracks to show case that idea and encouraged the purchase of the railroad. The mile markers were surveyed and designed by me being installed by volunteers. They are typically within the width of the RR tie post to the precise valuation map calculated milages. Valuation maps are laid out in feet. Mile marker 8.5 is off about 2-1/2 feet. The mile marker posts are actual Georgetown Branch RR ties. Just having a wood timber with no tie plate marks doesn't look like a RR tie. The mile marker placement began in Georgetown winter 1994 with mile maker 10.3 and finished with mile marker 0.0 in 2001. Mile maker 1.0 was the last of the mile markers to be placed. Mile maker posts 8.5 and 1.0 had to be extra long switch tie posts. Survey points were taken from the centerline of culverts passing under the centerline of the main alignment. The Georgetown Branch Metropolitan Southern RR section was purchased under rail banking by Montgomery Co. and is not abandon. I have a copy of the sales documents which are similar to a dead. The Montgomery Co DOT sent me the valuation maps stating they were the plats. Common carrier railroad corridors are federal imminent domain real estate and don't appear in county real estate records because they don't have imminent domain over them. Some make a note about it being a RR. It can normally be determined from the other property boundaries around them. Along the GB branch there are additional federal imminent domain real estates such as the Dalecarlia water treatment plant. Thank you for sharing all your research! I started Z-scale because that 1:220 scale allowed me to place that scale track and railroad cars on the 1" to 20' scale drawing 1:240 of the real estate of the Georgetown Branch between Wisconsin Avenue and Bethesda Avenue along the railroad curve 32-foot wide 23-foot high railroad easement. Doing that at meeting to promote the integrity of the GB really gives attention. I had thought about creating the entire GB branch in Z-scale, but run ability and lack of a good communication and control system such as with MTS keeps me from pursuing it farther. The street running in Georgetown back when it was separate and horse drawn between 1892 - 1908 I think could be an interesting scene. CSX could have a lot more than just a switcher down on the streets of Georgetown. I got an ear full when I called up CSX in 1992 about something and they were still infuriated that Montgomery Co. had removed their tracks in Bethesda trapping six locomotives in Georgetown with CSX having to put the tracks back.