Queen Anne's Railroad

Historic railway station in Georgetown, Delaware, located South of the track formerly used by the Queen Anne's Railroad

The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a railroad that ran from Love Point, Maryland to Lewes, Delaware and was connected to Baltimore via ferry. The Queen Anne's Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894, and received legislative authorization from Delaware in February 1895.^[1] The railroad's original western terminus was in Queenstown, Maryland, and was moved via a 13-mile (21 km) extension to Love Point in 1902,^[2] which shortened the ferry trip to Baltimore.

The Queen Anne's Railroad Company began operating a summer-only Cape May Express between Queenstown, Maryland and Lewes, Delaware in 1901 with a connecting steamer to Cape May, New Jersey. The company owned and operated the Queen Anne's Ferry & Equipment Company which consisted of the steamers Endeavor, Queen Anne and Queen Caroline.^[3]

Towns served

The following towns were served by the Queen Anne's Railroad:

Love Point, Maryland Stevensville, Maryland Chester, Maryland Queenstown, Maryland Centreville, Maryland (via the Centreville Branch)

Queen Anne, Maryland Denton, Maryland Hickman, Delaware Adamsville, Delaware Blanchard, Delaware Greenwood, Delaware

Owens, Delaware Ellendale, Delaware Milton, Delaware Whitesboro, Delaware Lewes, Delaware Georgetown, Delaware

Current status

The Stevensville Train Depot as it exists today

Through a complex series of acquisitions in 1905, Queen Anne's Railroad ceased to exist and its assets became the property of the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Company (MD&V), a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.^[1][4]

Much of the railroad's original track has been abandoned, but segments are still used for freight rail service by the Delaware Coast Line Railroad. In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a project has converted much of the railroad right-of-way into part of the Cross Island Trail, a rail trail which is in turn part of the American Discovery Trail. The path of the railroad is approximated today by the following roads:

• Maryland Route 18
• U.S. Route 50
• Maryland Route 404
• Maryland Route 16
• Delaware Route 16
• Delaware Route 1
• U.S. Route 9.

A Delaware state historical marker in Milton and another in Ellendale's historic Railroad Square district commemorate the railroad. The original railroad stations in Stevensville and Sudlersville are both still in existence and serve as museums.^[2]

References

1. "Queen Anne's Railroad". State of Delaware, Delaware Public Archives. October 31, 2007.
2. "Stevensville Train Depot". Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne's County.
3. Queen Anne's Railroad Company - Maryland 1902. Scripophily.com advertisement for 1902 stock certificate. Retrieved 2010-06-08
4. Richard Parks (August 15, 2009). "History of the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad". Retrieved July 15, 2011.