Tracking Change: AACO and railroads

[tom mann]

in the mid-nineteenth century, western anne arundel county in maryland began a transformation spurred by
the establishment of railroads.  e railroads not only connected Baltimore, washington, and annapolis, but also
the county’s farmers by rail to these signi cant metropolitan markets. as technology progressed, the washington, Baltimore & annapolis electric railroad brought electricity to the rural towns sited along the tracks.  e presence of the railroads also encouraged additional development in the area, and in the early twentieth century, western anne arundel county was again transformed by the establishment of fort george g. meade and the u.S. naval academy Dairy farm.
as the importance of the railroads faded with the advent of the automobile, these towns continued to grow as bedroom communities for Baltimore, washington, and annapolis. new development, sparked by the imminent expansion
of fort meade, threatens the character and viewsheds of the rural pockets remaining in this section of the county. Shedding light on the now-forgotten railroads and their lasting impact on the geography and history of the county, this resource study highlights the signi cance of the railroads to two towns — gambrills and millersville — and examines measures to ensure the protection and preservation of anne arundel’s railroad heritage.

http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/9405/Vaughan-Tracking_Change_DRUM.pdf;jsessionid=0219C15615B004EA4E07ECD8488CB844?sequence=1

[RockGp40]

Odenton, the town the railroad built. There is a book out there with that title.

[sirenwerks]

No time to even flip through it, but I am curious where/how the WBA ROW skirted the now gone plant that was @ the corner of 175 & 170.  I can't even remember what company owned the plant or what it made but wish I had gotten photos of it before they leveled it.  It was a rare instance of art deco-ish industry in Maryland.

[RockGp40]

The plant's last official name was Nevamar. I still have a business card. It had been called other things prior, but I don't know what they were. I caught a rare NS daytime tank switch in 2001. They had an SW1500 rounding the curve.

[sirenwerks]

The plant's last official name was Nevamar. I still have a business card. It had been called other things prior, but I don't know what they were. I caught a rare NS daytime tank switch in 2001. They had an SW1500 rounding the curve.

And there'll be at least one more movement at some point.  I noticed the other day that there's a gon sitting in the plant site for the last of the scrap metal which will have to be removed at some point.

[RockGp40]

That gon is already gone. I took a pic of it...

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=38456.msg465500#msg465500

[sizemore]

There are two books, I'm pretty sure this is the right book, I'd have to go home and check my bookshelf to be sure:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Train-Passes-Through-Collective/dp/0557076102

Also I'd reference this book as well, you can get it from the Museum in hardback reprint much cheaper:

http://www.amazon.com/Otto-Mears-Goes-East-Chesapeake/dp/B001ZE48SK

The S.