Track Plan Scale: HO Era : mid 1950's Minimum radius : 24" Track: ME Code 70 flex Turnouts: ME Code 70 Ruling Grade: 2.5% (helix)
About the Georgetown Branch
Located on the Metropolitan Subdivision of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad the Georgetown Branch line was started 1892. By 1910 the line was completed to Georgetown with regular service starting in July of that year.
The Georgetown Branch parts from the Baltimore & Ohio main line in Silver Spring, Maryland. The branch runs 13 miles to Georgetown located in Washington D.C.
The branch served as a minor freight spur carrying coal, building materials, flour and other goods to local outlets in Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Georgetown.
The ruling grade was 1.51 percent for a short distance near the Dalcarlia Tunnel. The tunnel passed under the Great Falls conduit that carries water from Great Falls on the upper Potomac River to the water treatment plants just inside the Washington D.C. line.
The branch was home to several unique features such as the Rock Creek Trestle that was 1400 feet long when it was first built in 1892. A site dedicated to the restoration of the Rock Creek Trestle can be found here Rock Creek Trestle Restoration.
The line also passed under a large office building creating a second tunnel on the branch. The Air Rights Building was built in the early 60's.
The branch was in operation until 1985. It has since been been converted to a hiking and biking trail. A complete history of the branch and trail can be found at the Capitol Crescent Trail Web Site.
Ben Sullivan has done extensive research on the branch and has some great information and pictures on his site. Ben is also building a model railroad based on the Georgetown Branch and we have been sharing our information along the way.
Operating the Branch
The B&O had two crews working the branch most week days in the 40's and 50's. One crew worked the Georgetown Branch local out of Eckington Yard in Washington D.C. Another crew worked the the switcher engine that was house at Georgetown Yard.
Prior to 1963 the local train working out of Eckington Yard would push it's train caboose first up the EAST bound track of the double main line until it reached Georgetown Junction in Silver Spring. It would switch the junction tracks and a few other industries there and then continue pushing its train down the branch working each industry along the way until it reached Georgetown.
Once in Georgetown it simply dropped any in-bound cars pick up the out-bound cars and headed back to Eckington Yard, engine first. Trailing point sidings on the branch where switched on the fly!
A switcher engine based in Georgetown would work all the sidings in Georgetown.
Switching cars on the fly poses a problem on a model railroad. It is almost impossible to recreate the rolling characteristics of a real rail car in HO scale and un-coupling on the fly is just as hard to model.
With that in mind I have decided to operate the model railroad with 2 daily runs to Georgetown. Local train #1 will operate as the prototype did pushing its cars toward Georgetown. Local #2 will pull its cars toward Georgetown and switch the trailing point sidings at the Water Treatment Plant and Army Map sidings. Train #2 will then push its cars back toward Ekington yard (staging).
Local trains will consist of 1 locomotive and a maximum of 8 cars and 1 caboose.
Operations on the model will be conducted using the Protrak operations software.
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