Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railroad
1906 Map
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| Locale | Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1894–1928 |
| Predecessor |
Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad Wicomico and Pokomoke Railroad Worcester Railroad |
| Successor | Baltimore and Eastern Railroad Company |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | No |
| Length | 87 miles (140 km) |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland |
The Baltimore Chesapeake and Atlantic railroad, nicknamed Black Cinders & Ashes, ran from Baltimore, Maryland to Ocean City, Maryland consisting of 87 miles (140.0 km) of center-line track and 15.6 miles (25.11 km) of sidings. Chartered in 1886, the railroad started construction in 1889 and cost $2.356 million ($2017=62,800,000).
Originally chartered in 1876 as the Baltimore & Eastern Shore Railroad Company and then reauthorized in 1886, incorporated March 2, 1886. The railroad started construction in 1889, completed in December 1, 1890. Also in 1890, the Baltimore & Eastern Shore Railroad Company purchased the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad (incorporated in February 15, 1848), consisting of approximately 30 miles of track from Salisbury to Ocean City, Maryland. The latter was chartered to operate from Salisbury to Ocean City, Md., of which the section from Salisbury to Berlin was opened for operation on May 1, 1868, and the section from Berlin to Ocean City, Md., in 1876. The B&ES also operated a ferry from Claiborne to Annapolis, Maryland where connection was made to Baltimore by rail.
The venture was not successful as in August 29, 1894, the B&ES railroad was liquidated in a judicial sale and sold to the re-organizers. The reorganized company, the Baltimore Chesapeake and Atlantic railroad (BC&A) was incorporated on August 30, 1894 with its principal office in Salisbury, Maryland. That same year, the railroad also acquired several steamboat companies; namely the Maryland, Choptank and Eastern Shore Steamboat Companies, all of Baltimore, Md. for $1.7 million in waterline property, wharves and equipment. In 1902, the Pennsylvania railroad became the majority stockholder but the BC&A still operated under its organization.
As of 1915, the railroad consisted of a single-track, standard-gage railroad, with distance of about 87 miles, with a branch line about 0.5 mile long extending from Salisbury to Fulton, Md., making a total of 87.252 miles. It also owned 15.582 miles of yard and side tracks. The new, combined operations of the BC&A in railroad and waterlines had been profitable with $0.5 million in profit on a total investment of $4.325 million with a total revenue of $17.8 million for the period of 1894 - 1915 and controlled by the Pennsylvania railroad as majority stockholder. Dividends were paid on $1.5 million par value of 5 per cent cumulative preferred stock but none were paid on the common stock of $1.0 million and none paid on the preferred stock after 1912.
By 1921, the railroad had turned unprofitable due in part to private autos and trucks to the point where in March, 1922, it stopped making payments on its first mortgage. In 1921, the Pennsylvania railroad had to provide financial assistance in order for BC&A to make payments due under its first mortgage. This continued intermittently until 1926 when the Pennsylvania announced it was unwilling to continue this assistance. The following year, the trustee for the first mortgage, Chatham National Bank & Trust Co. of NY filed for foreclosure. The railroad was sold on March 29, 1928 to Charles Carter, representing Pennsylvania railroad interests and reorganized as the Baltimore and Eastern railroad, entirely owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Baltimore and Eastern railroad survived up through the Penn central bankruptcy and ConRail merger but Conrail planned to abandon the B&E lines. In 1982, the State of Maryland purchased segments of the original Baltimore and Eastern Shore, Baltimore Chesapeake and Atlantic railways and other former PRR properties in Maryland were sold by Penn Central corporation, successor to the Penn Central Transportation Company.
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