The Georgetown Branch

RIP Ray Mumford

bsullivan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:50:31 +0000

Mr. Mumford passed away last Tuesday unexpectedly on Dec 13, 2011. His enthusiasm and pride for each and every photograph and story he shared with me was wonderful. I always considered his photo collection depicting the Georgetown Branch as the “missing link” of my research. I have never found any other sets of photos that document the railroad in the 40s and 50s as well as his. He was always friendly and helpful to me and I will never forget that. God Speed, Mr. Mumford.

To view photographs from the collection, click here.

Purple Changes

bsullivan — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:56:09 +0000

Anyone who follows the Metro Purple Line news knows the Georgetown Branch between Bethesda and Silver Spring (the Metropolitan Branch) is about to undergo a major transformation. The most significant since the line was removed in the 1980s and 1990s and perhaps since it was laid down in the early 1890s. The Metro is planning to build a new line connecting Silver Spring and Bethesda, built on the old Georgetown Branch road bed. The Capital Crescent Trail will remain as a dual line trail, with half being for trail users and the other half being for the light rail. It will be an impressive feat and on one hand I’m sad to see more of the Georgetown Branch right-of-way go away, but on the other hand this will be the closest I’ll get to being able to ride the rails of the GB itself! Very excited about that. How wonderful will it be to swing down away from the Met and cruise through the woods, across Rock Creek and into Bethesda?

The Purple line transformation will be enormous. I just saw this PDF map posted on another blog and realized just how massive the changes will be. If I want to get photos of existing right of way, now is the time.

http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_documents/work_groups/lyttonsville/Design_Option_Roll_Map.pdf

Another great shot, B&O S1 226 in Georgetown

bsullivan — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:33:54 +0000

Found this neat shot on eBay and scooped it up right away. It’s an original 35mm negative showing B&O S1 226 parked in Georgetown in the “new yard”. Very excited about this one, as I have this model in HO scale and it will have a home on my layout. This image is similar to one found on G. Elwood’s Fallen Flags site, found here. Enjoy!

http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=71169

Sharing some newly added photos and maps

bsullivan — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:06:37 +0000

I’ve found quite a lot of GB photos, maps and documents over the years and I share most of what I find in my Gallery. (only if I have permission, of course) These files are exciting to anyone like me who treasures the hard-to-find imagery of the GB and even harder to find documentation. Here are a couple links to some Galleries that have some of my newer finds:

Georgetown Branch maps, photos – including track charts, building plans and photos.
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65772

R. Pearlman collection – a few color slides from one of the railfan excursions!
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65865

My layout (basement) construction photos
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=69029

A progress update – the new layout is under construction

bsullivan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:40:29 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve made an update here, so I figured I’d check in and let everyone know how things have been moving forward. I’m still collecting information on the Georgetown Branch, via friends, acquaintances and online sources like eBay. I’ve found a handful of great images, some of which I’ve shared in the Gallery and others which I’m trying to find ways to scan (odd-shaped negatives). My real focus over the last several months has been working on the model railroad. Well, the room that will house the model RR and the workshop next to it, actually. Between being laid off in November, saving money, planning, buying materials and having friends and family assist in the actual construction, I’ve made some real progress. The layout room and the workshop are nearly complete. Right now I’m in the process of moving back into the rooms and fitting all my tools, model kids and other junk back into them. My layout room is functioning as staging while I outfit the workshop first. One step at a time.

I’m also working out a whole new track plan. The initial track plan I drew up for this new house incorporated nearly all of the GB elements I wanted to include; Georgetown Jct., Rock Creek trestle, Bethesda, Dalecarlia tunnel and the reservoir facilities, C&O Canal bridges and Georgetown. I’d like to include Chevy Chase, but I have to work hard to fit that in. The current space is slightly larger and allows for me to put the helix outside of the room, giving me a whole new approach to the design. As such, I’m attempting to modify the original plan to fit the new space, and hopefully fit Chevy Chase into the design. We shall see.

I hope you all will stay tuned to my progress. I hope to share some stories here as I move forward. I’ve been inspired by similar blogs and sites that outline layout construction and design and if I can find/make the time, I will. I’ve learned so much through this process. From gutting the room right down to the studs, removing and re-routing all of the electrical lines and designing and building the new room from scratch. Learning to frame, install insulation, drywall and electrical, it’s all been awesome. But now the real fun begins. The layout is about to be started. Thanks!

The R. Mumford Collection

bsullivan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:18:44 +0000

Finally! The legendary R. Mumford collection of photos is finally up and online! I contacted Mr. Mumford via the B&O Yahoo! Group and he was kind enough to allow me to share the photos I had scanned years earlier with the rest of the world. They turned out great and provide a unique look into the operations and workings of the railroad during the 1950s. Mr. Mumford was a native of Bethesda and had easy access to the area. He spent much of his youth in and around the railroad and, lucky for us, photographing it. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I have!

http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65928

Georgetown Local in the Daylight, ca. 1982

bsullivan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:33:48 +0000

Wow! Great shot of the Georgetown local in May 1982 taken during the day. (The local was normally nocturnal so photos are rare) This pic shows B&O GP30 6960 with a Chessie caboose in tow passing under the Aqueduct Bridge remains. The really neat thing about the photo is the small red warning light mounted in the coupler on the head end.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=318379

Georgetown Jct. in 2010

bsullivan — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:19:29 +0000

A really nice article about the Georgetown Junction, focusing on the history of the fatal February 1996 wreck involving Amtrak & MARC trains. Some really nice photos including some showing the remaining tracks on the Branch!

http://fullertography.blogspot.com/2010/03/return-to-georgetown-junction-march-19.html

Kelly’s at it again!

bsullivan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:30:35 +0000

One of the other GB nuts, Kelly, has been doing some track planning of his own after having to clear out his old Georgetown Branch layout. (RIP) The plans for the new one are under development and look great as of their first iteration! You can see all his progress on his blog, here:

http://georgetownbranch.blogspot.com/2010/03/georgetown-branch-2010.html

Bethesda, from above

bsullivan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:34:37 +0000

The recent addition of the Bethesda got me thinking that having some aerial views would be nice. Well, luckily there are some online resources for this. Here’s a link to Microsoft Terraserver showing an aerial photo ca. 1988. I know that much of the RR was wiped out by then, but it’s a start to gain some perspective on the city since online resources are so scarse.

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=18&X=1592&Y=21583&W=3&qs=|bethesda|md|