Maryland Central Railroad
| Locale | Baltimore, northern Maryland and York County, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1882–1891 |
| Successor | Baltimore and Lehigh Railroad |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Length | 45 miles (72 km) |
| Headquarters | Baltimore |
The Maryland Central Railroad (MCRR) was a 19th-century 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad in Maryland, with a small track section in Pennsylvania. It operated freight and passenger trains between Baltimore and Delta, Pennsylvania.
The Maryland Central was chartered by the Maryland General Assembly in 1867 to build a railroad from Baltimore to Philadelphia. It was not successful at raising sufficient funds for construction through the 1870s. (A competing railroad, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore, had the same objective and had completed a bridge over the Susquehanna River in 1866.) Another company, the Baltimore and Delta Railway began building a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line in 1878 to reach slate quarries in Delta, and to interchange with the Peach Bottom Railway. The southern portions of the Baltimore & Delta opened in 1882, but the company needed additional funds for completion. It merged with the Maryland Central in August 1882.
MCRR continued the construction northward and reached Bel Air, Maryland in 1883. Passenger train service between Baltimore and Bel Air began on June 21, 1883. The railroad commenced U.S. mail service in July 1883. The remaining un-built route of 17 miles, from Bel Air to Delta, involved some difficult construction work, but the line was completed by December of that year. The track in Pennsylvania was owned by a subsidiary, the Slate Ridge and Delta Railway. Passenger trains began running from Baltimore to Delta in January 1884.
The company experienced financial difficulties and entered receivership in October 1884. MCRR was sold at auction in 1888 and a new company, the Maryland Central Railway, was formed.
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