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{{Short description|Defunct streetcar line in Montgomery County, Maryland}}
⚫ ]]]
{{Infobox rail line
⚫ The '''Glen Echo Railroad''' was chartered in 1888 and incorporated the following year<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1889-12-16 |title=A New Railroad |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-a-new-railroad/162420953/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=8}}</ref> by the ], who founded ], along with Frederick W. Pratt, Jason C. Pratt, Joseph Reading, Edward Crockett, and Lawrence A. Lodge<ref name=":0" /> as a means to connect their real estate projects to the regional trolley system. Initially, its 2.5-mile line ran from the Tennallytown and Rockville Railroad terminal at Wisconsin Avenue and Willard Avenue near ] to a masonry car barn and powerhouse at Conduit Road (today's ]) near the intersection of Walhonding Road.<ref name="Conduit">{{cite web |title=Trolleys and Conduit Road |url=https://glenecho-cabinjohn.com/CR-02.html |access-date=4 January 2025}}</ref>{{Cn|date=January 2025}} To draw passengers and buyers, the Baltzleys built a cafe of cedar logs at the western terminus.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=1890-04-27 |title=A Great Cafe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-washington-post-a-great-cafe/162423241/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The Washington Post |pages=5}}</ref> ] was used to acquire at least some of the right-of-way<ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-05-09 |title=Over the Maryland Line |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-over-the-maryland-line/162423856/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-05-16 |title=Our Maryland Neighbors |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-our-maryland-neighbors/162424096/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=S.A.M. |date=1890-05-23 |title=Real Estate Deals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-real-estate-deals/162424316/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=8}}</ref>. This caused several disputes, including one that temporarily halted construction in June 1891.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-07-25 |title=Notes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-notes/162425203/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-06-08 |title=The Glen Echo Railroad |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-the-glen-echo-railroad/162424962/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=5}}</ref> Operation began on June 17, 1891<ref name="Conduit" />{{Cn|date=January 2025}}, nearly a year later than planned<ref name=":3" />. Via connections to other streetcar lines, a passenger could ride from the Glen Echo area to the U.S. Treasury Department in downtown Washington in "about 30 minutes".<ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-07-12 |title=Real Estate Markey Gossip |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-washington-post-real-estate-markey-g/162427746/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The Washington Post |pages=10}}</ref>
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⚫ | caption = 1939 photo of streetcar at ]
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| start = Friendship Heights, Maryland
| end = Cabin John, Maryland
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| close = <!--{{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}}-->1902
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The '''Glen Echo Railroad''' (after 1896, the '''Washington and Glen Echo Railroad)''' was a ] line that operated independently in southern ], from 1891 to 1902. It ultimately connected the communities of ] and ] to a terminal near present-day ], where passengers could transfer to the greater ].

Its Glen Echo-to-Cabin John tracks remained in service under different ownership until 1960.

== History ==

=== Founding: 1888-1895 ===
The company was chartered in 1888 and incorporated the following year<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1889-12-16 |title=A New Railroad |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-a-new-railroad/162420953/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=8}}</ref> by the ], who founded ], along with Frederick W. Pratt, Jason C. Pratt, Joseph Reading, Edward Crockett, and Lawrence A. Lodge<ref name=":0" /> as a means to connect their real estate projects to the ]. Initially, its 2.5-mile line ran from the ] terminal at ] and Willard Avenue near ] to a masonry car barn and powerhouse at Conduit Road (today's ]) near the intersection of Walhonding Road.<ref name="Conduit">{{cite web |title=Trolleys and Conduit Road |url=https://glenecho-cabinjohn.com/CR-02.html |access-date=4 January 2025}}</ref>{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

⚫ To draw passengers and buyers, the Baltzleys built a cafe of cedar logs, dubbed "The Arcade", at the western terminus.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=1890-04-27 |title=A Great Cafe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-washington-post-a-great-cafe/162423241/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The Washington Post |pages=5}}</ref> ] was used to acquire at least some of the right-of-way<ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-05-09 |title=Over the Maryland Line |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-over-the-maryland-line/162423856/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-05-16 |title=Our Maryland Neighbors |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-our-maryland-neighbors/162424096/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=S.A.M. |date=1890-05-23 |title=Real Estate Deals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-real-estate-deals/162424316/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=8}}</ref>, which caused several disputes, including one that temporarily halted construction in June 1891.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-07-25 |title=Notes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-notes/162425203/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-06-08 |title=The Glen Echo Railroad |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-the-glen-echo-railroad/162424962/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=] |pages=5}}</ref> Operation began on June 17, 1891<ref name="Conduit" />{{Cn|date=January 2025}}, nearly a year later than planned<ref name=":3" />. Via connections to other streetcar lines, a passenger could ride from the Glen Echo area to the ] in downtown Washington in "about 30 minutes".<ref>{{Cite news |date=1891-07-12 |title=Real Estate Markey Gossip |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-washington-post-real-estate-markey-g/162427746/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |work=The Washington Post |pages=10}}</ref>

=== New owners: 1896-1902 ===
In 1896, the Baltzley brothers lost control of the streetcar company to new owners, who renamed it the '''Washington and Glen Echo Railroad.''' Securing permission to cross the ] at Conduit Road, they extended the line northwest from its western terminus, reaching ] proper and continuing onward to ]. In 1896, the Baltzley brothers lost control of the streetcar company to new owners, who renamed it the '''Washington and Glen Echo Railroad.''' Securing permission to cross the ] at Conduit Road, they extended the line northwest from its western terminus, reaching ] proper and continuing onward to ].


The owners also planned to extend the line eastward about two-thirds of a mile to ], where their streetcars could connect with the ]'s ] line. This project would include the construction of a more direct route from the Circle to the Conduit-Walhonding car barn, including a new crossing of the Tennallytown and Rockville line about a quarter-mile north of the Wisconsin-Willard terminal. This new line would run through the town of ], where the owners, said to be "Philadelphia capitalists", owned "considerable real estate at Somerset Heights".<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Sep 1898 |title=Railroad Stock Changes Hands |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/365269931/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901004001/https://www.newspapers.com/image/365269931/ |archive-date=2023-09-01 |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en}}</ref> The company secured permission to run through land owned by the ]<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=1896-05-09 |title=Chevy Chase Circle tracks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-chevy-chase-circle-tracks/130958857/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831034540/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-chevy-chase-circle-tracks/130958857/ |archive-date=2023-08-31 |access-date=2023-08-31 |work=Evening star |pages=13}}</ref>, but the project was never completed. The owners also planned to extend the line eastward about two-thirds of a mile to ], where their streetcars could connect with the ]'s ] line. This project would include the construction of a more direct route from the Circle to the Conduit-Walhonding car barn, including a new crossing of the Tennallytown and Rockville line about a quarter-mile north of the Wisconsin-Willard terminal. This new line would run through the town of ], where the owners, said to be "Philadelphia capitalists", owned "considerable real estate at Somerset Heights".<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 Sep 1898 |title=Railroad Stock Changes Hands |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/365269931/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901004001/https://www.newspapers.com/image/365269931/ |archive-date=2023-09-01 |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en}}</ref> The company secured permission to run through land east of Wisconsin owned by the ]<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=1896-05-09 |title=Chevy Chase Circle tracks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-chevy-chase-circle-tracks/130958857/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831034540/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-chevy-chase-circle-tracks/130958857/ |archive-date=2023-08-31 |access-date=2023-08-31 |work=Evening star |pages=13}}</ref>, but the project was never completed.


Ridership on the Washington and Glen Echo declined after the 1897 opening of the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway (W&GFER) from Georgetown to Glen Echo. By 1900 it was practically closed; it ceased operations entirely in 1902. The section from Walhonding Road to Cabin John was incorporated into the W&GFER.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=E.H.T. Traceries, Inc |date=June 2005 |title=Streetcar and Bus Resources of Washington, D.C., 1862-1962 / National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form |url=https://dcpreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Streetcar-and-Bus-MPD-FINAL-5.2.06.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821230710/https://dcpreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Streetcar-and-Bus-MPD-FINAL-5.2.06.pdf |archive-date=2023-08-21 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=United States Department of the Interior / National Park Service}}</ref> The power system was removed and reused elsewhere in DC.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trolleys and Conduit Road |url=https://glenecho-cabinjohn.com/CR-02.html |access-date=6 January 2025}}</ref> The tracks from Tenallytown to Conduit were removed, likely for scrap. The carbarn was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair and by the late 1930s, it was in ruins with few walls over eight feet tall remaining. By the 1950s, nearly all trace of the structure was gone.<ref name=":13" /> Ridership on the Washington and Glen Echo declined after the 1897 opening of the ] (W&GFER) from ] to Glen Echo. By 1900 it was practically closed; it ceased operations entirely in 1902.
=== Aftermath ===
The section from Walhonding Road to Cabin John was incorporated into the W&GFER.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=E.H.T. Traceries, Inc |date=June 2005 |title=Streetcar and Bus Resources of Washington, D.C., 1862-1962 / National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form |url=https://dcpreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Streetcar-and-Bus-MPD-FINAL-5.2.06.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821230710/https://dcpreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Streetcar-and-Bus-MPD-FINAL-5.2.06.pdf |archive-date=2023-08-21 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=United States Department of the Interior / National Park Service}}</ref> The power system was removed and reused elsewhere in DC.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trolleys and Conduit Road |url=https://glenecho-cabinjohn.com/CR-02.html |access-date=6 January 2025}}</ref> The tracks from Tenallytown to Conduit were removed, likely for scrap. The carbarn was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair and by the late 1930s, it was in ruins with few walls over eight feet tall remaining. By the 1950s, nearly all trace of the structure was gone.<ref name=":13" />


A few remnants of the original line remain. Railroad tracks, a "frog" (part of a switchback) and the trestle abutments remain visible in Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park in ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park |url=http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/willardavenuenp.shtm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220044714/http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/willardavenuenp.shtm |archivedate=2014-02-20 |accessdate=2014-02-02 |work= |publisher=Montgomery County Department of Parks |location=Silver Spring, Maryland}}</ref> A few squared blocks from the carbarn can be found in the yard of a nearby home. A few remnants of the original line remain. Railroad tracks, a "frog" (part of a switchback) and the trestle abutments remain visible in Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park in ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park |url=http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/willardavenuenp.shtm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220044714/http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/willardavenuenp.shtm |archivedate=2014-02-20 |accessdate=2014-02-02 |work= |publisher=Montgomery County Department of Parks |location=Silver Spring, Maryland}}</ref> A few squared blocks from the carbarn can be found in the yard of a nearby home.

== See also ==

* ]

==Notes== ==Notes==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 15:23, 8 January 2025

Defunct streetcar line in Montgomery County, Maryland
Glen Echo Railroad
1939 photo of streetcar at Glen Echo Park
Overview
Other name(s)Washington and Glen Echo Railroad
Statusdefunct
Termini
  • Friendship Heights, Maryland
  • Cabin John, Maryland
Service
TypeStreetcar
History
Opened1891
Closed1902

The Glen Echo Railroad (after 1896, the Washington and Glen Echo Railroad) was a streetcar line that operated independently in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1891 to 1902. It ultimately connected the communities of Cabin John and Glen Echo to a terminal near present-day Friendship Heights, where passengers could transfer to the greater regional Washington, D.C., streetcar network.

Its Glen Echo-to-Cabin John tracks remained in service under different ownership until 1960.

History

Founding: 1888-1895

The company was chartered in 1888 and incorporated the following year by the Baltzley brothers, who founded Glen Echo, along with Frederick W. Pratt, Jason C. Pratt, Joseph Reading, Edward Crockett, and Lawrence A. Lodge as a means to connect their real estate projects to the regional trolley network. Initially, its 2.5-mile line ran from the Tennallytown and Rockville Railroad terminal at Wisconsin Avenue and Willard Avenue near Friendship Heights to a masonry car barn and powerhouse at Conduit Road (today's Macarthur Boulevard) near the intersection of Walhonding Road.

To draw passengers and buyers, the Baltzleys built a cafe of cedar logs, dubbed "The Arcade", at the western terminus. Eminent domain was used to acquire at least some of the right-of-way, which caused several disputes, including one that temporarily halted construction in June 1891. Operation began on June 17, 1891, nearly a year later than planned. Via connections to other streetcar lines, a passenger could ride from the Glen Echo area to the U.S. Treasury Department in downtown Washington in "about 30 minutes".

New owners: 1896-1902

In 1896, the Baltzley brothers lost control of the streetcar company to new owners, who renamed it the Washington and Glen Echo Railroad. Securing permission to cross the Washington Aqueduct at Conduit Road, they extended the line northwest from its western terminus, reaching Glen Echo proper and continuing onward to Cabin John.

The owners also planned to extend the line eastward about two-thirds of a mile to Chevy Chase Circle, where their streetcars could connect with the Capital Traction Company's Rock Creek Railway line. This project would include the construction of a more direct route from the Circle to the Conduit-Walhonding car barn, including a new crossing of the Tennallytown and Rockville line about a quarter-mile north of the Wisconsin-Willard terminal. This new line would run through the town of Somerset, where the owners, said to be "Philadelphia capitalists", owned "considerable real estate at Somerset Heights". The company secured permission to run through land east of Wisconsin owned by the Chevy Chase Land Company, but the project was never completed.

Ridership on the Washington and Glen Echo declined after the 1897 opening of the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway (W&GFER) from Georgetown to Glen Echo. By 1900 it was practically closed; it ceased operations entirely in 1902.

Aftermath

The section from Walhonding Road to Cabin John was incorporated into the W&GFER. The power system was removed and reused elsewhere in DC. The tracks from Tenallytown to Conduit were removed, likely for scrap. The carbarn was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair and by the late 1930s, it was in ruins with few walls over eight feet tall remaining. By the 1950s, nearly all trace of the structure was gone.

A few remnants of the original line remain. Railroad tracks, a "frog" (part of a switchback) and the trestle abutments remain visible in Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park in Bethesda, Maryland. A few squared blocks from the carbarn can be found in the yard of a nearby home.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "A New Railroad". Washington Evening Star. 1889-12-16. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  2. ^ "Trolleys and Conduit Road". Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  3. ^ "A Great Cafe". The Washington Post. 1890-04-27. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  4. "Over the Maryland Line". Evening Star. 1890-05-09. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  5. "Our Maryland Neighbors". Evening Star. 1890-05-16. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  6. S.A.M. (1890-05-23). "Real Estate Deals". Evening Star. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  7. "Notes". Evening Star. 1891-07-25. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  8. "The Glen Echo Railroad". Evening Star. 1891-06-08. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  9. "Real Estate Markey Gossip". The Washington Post. 1891-07-12. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  10. "Railroad Stock Changes Hands". Baltimore Sun. 17 Sep 1898. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  11. "Chevy Chase Circle tracks". Evening star. 1896-05-09. p. 13. Archived from the original on 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  12. ^ E.H.T. Traceries, Inc (June 2005). "Streetcar and Bus Resources of Washington, D.C., 1862-1962 / National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior / National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  13. "Trolleys and Conduit Road". Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  14. "Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park". MontgomeryParks.org. Silver Spring, Maryland: Montgomery County Department of Parks. Archived from the original on 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2014-02-02. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
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