Bay Coast Railroad
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| Reporting mark | BCR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Norfolk, Virginia to Pocomoke City, Maryland |
| Dates of operation | 2006– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 70 miles (110 km) |
| Headquarters | Cape Charles, Virginia |
| Website | http://baycoastrailroad.com |
The Bay Coast Railroad (reporting mark BCR) operates the former Eastern Shore Railroad line from Pocomoke City, Maryland, to Norfolk, Virginia. The Bay Coast Railroad interchanges with the Norfolk Southern Railway at Norfolk, Virginia and the Delmarva Central Railroad at Pocomoke City, Maryland.
Construction of a rail line from Pocomoke City to Cape Charles was completed on October 25, 1884, and operated as the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad (NYP&N). Its founder, Alexander Johnston Cassatt (1906-1939), designed a barge large enough to carry 18 railcars. His barges provided the new railroad with its connection across the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk by April 1885. The railroad's co-founder, coal magnate William Lawrence Scott, financed construction of the new town of Cape Charles in 1884 at the point where the railroad's northern section met the Chesapeake Bay. From its inception, the NYP&R operated profitably and contributed to an economic boom on the Delmarva peninsula that continued until the Great Depression.
After World War II, railroad passenger use declined in favor of the automobile. Passenger service on the NYP&N ended on January 12, 1958.
In an effort to preserve freight rail service on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Northampton and Accomack counties formed the Accomack-Northampton Transportation District Commission. The commission purchased the rail line in 1976 and selected Virginia and Maryland Railroad Company as its operator. Eastern Shore Railroad, Inc. replaced Virginia and Maryland as the operator in 1981. In 2005, Cassatt Management, LLC was selected as operator and the railroad acquired its current name.
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