The Baltimore and Ohio's Washington Branch ( now CSX/MARC Camden Line ) ran about a mile or so from where I grew up. The B&O's Patuxent Branch came off the Washington Branch ( at a place called Savage Switch which is a name the local residents came up with ) and the Patuxent Branch terminated in my hometown of Savage, Md. At one time ( I think 1902 - around the late 1920's ) the branch ran all the way to what is now Columbia, Md. where it serviced some granite quarries. When I was a kid the Patuxent Branch hosted 3 to five B&O freight trains per week. The trains serviced a Westinghouse appliance distribution center, a concrete plant, a propane fuel dealer, a team track, and sometimes the old cotton mill. The branch is also home to a historic iron truss bridge designed by Wendall Bollman, who was a bridge designer for the B&O back in the 19th century.
As a kid I saw countless B&O trains on the Washington Branch ... name trains such as the Capital Limited, RDC commuter trains, race track excursion trains, freights both long and short and MOW trains. These trains were powered by Geeps, E and F units. The Patuxent Branch local was always powered by a single GP7 or GP9.
As I heard the train coming into town one morning, I rode my bike to meet it. As I dismounted and walked over to the standing locomotive, the conductor invited to come up into the cab. The crew were all great fellows and they let me ride with them as they did their switching assignment. I even got to blow the horn as we crossed US Route 1! That was a great day!
This was actually my second B&O cab ride. My first was at B&O's Camden Station in Baltimore ( now home to the Baltimore Orioles ) when I was 3. As my parents and I were waiting for a train to New Jersey, the crew of the station switcher ( an SW 1 ) invited my dad and me aboard. I sat in the engineers lap as he guided my hand onto the throttle ( he was actually operating the engine ) as the crew made a few switch moves that morning. Another great day!!
So yes, the B&O is my favorite railroad and for good reason.
