Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Predecessor | Delaware Western Railroad |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
| Fate | Merged into Baltimore and Ohio Railroad operations |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware |
| Products | Rail transport services (passenger until 1958, freight) |
| Parent | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
The Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad was a railroad line developed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Maryland-Delaware border. This line linked with B&O's Philadelphia Branch, which extended to Baltimore. Constructed during the 1880s after B&O lost its route access via the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), the expensive undertaking—most notably the Howard Street Tunnel on the Baltimore Belt Line—was a significant factor leading to B&O's initial bankruptcy. Today, the line is utilized by CSX Transportation for freight services.
19th century
B&O initiated its Philadelphia operations in 1838 through the PW&B route. Within Baltimore, tracks connected B&O’s Mount Clare terminal eastward to PW&B’s President Street Station, continuing along PW&B’s right-of-way.
By 1881, B&O was unsuccessful in securing control over PW&B and consequently lost access to its Philadelphia route by 1884. To preserve its service, B&O acquired the Delaware Western Railroad charter, merged it into the Baltimore & Philadelphia Railroad in 1883, and completed construction by 1886. Operations in Delaware and Pennsylvania were handled by the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad, while Maryland segments were directly operated by B&O as part of its Philadelphia Branch.
The newly established line ran northwest of the PW&B except at terminal points. In Baltimore, it terminated at Canton with a car ferry crossing over the Patapsco River to Locust Point. In Philadelphia, it crossed PW&B tracks and former alignments near Grays Ferry Bridge onto the Schuylkill River’s east side using the B&O Railroad Bridge. A branch extended toward the Delaware River, while the main line continued north with a downtown station at 24th Street. From there, it passed through the Art Museum Tunnel—opened December 15, 1886—to Park Junction, where it connected with the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.
The Reading Railroad obtained trackage rights over the Baltimore and Philadelphia line west of the Schuylkill River to reach its Chester branch; reciprocally, B&O gained rights on Reading lines from Philadelphia to Jersey City, New Jersey. This corridor later evolved through several railroads including North Pennsylvania Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey, eventually shortened via Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad and New York Short Line Railroad. Freight terminals at St. George on Staten Island were served by connections through the Baltimore and New York Railway and Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway.
Although initially authorized for street-level alignment through downtown Baltimore, B&O secured a charter for constructing a grade-separated Baltimore Belt Line. This project featured the Howard Street Tunnel beneath downtown Camden Station linking to the Philadelphia Branch at Bay View Yard. Completed in 1895, the high construction expenses contributed directly to B&O's bankruptcy filing in 1896.
20th century
Passenger service through both the tunnel and along the Baltimore and Philadelphia line ceased in 1958; since then, operations have been exclusively freight-related. The route is currently managed by CSX as part of its Philadelphia Subdivision.
Branches
- Delaware Branch
- Snyder Avenue Branch
- Point Breeze Branch
- Stock Yard Branch
- Oregon Avenue Extension
from East Side Junction to wharves and yards located along Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront on the east side of the city.
- Crum Creek Branch
running north and south from a main line junction at Eddystone, Pennsylvania along Crum Creek. It served Leiper's quarry to the north and Baldwin Locomotive Works to the south.
- Market Street Branch
extending from Wilsmere yard (later Elsmere Junction) into Wilmington, Delaware terminating at Market Street station. This branch provided both passenger and freight access to downtown Wilmington.
- South Side Extension or South Wilmington Branch
branching off from Market Street Branch junction across the Christina River to Third Street Dock, serving industrial facilities along the southern riverfront.
- Landenberg
stretching from Landenberg Junction (west end of Wilsmere yard) to Landenberg, Pennsylvania, later operated as part of the Wilmington and Western Railroad.
- Providence
constructed by the Lancaster, Cecil and Southern Railroad from Childs, Maryland to Providence, Maryland, primarily serving a paper mill; limited grading work extended northward toward Oxford, Pennsylvania.
- In Baltimore