The map on pages 32-33 showing the CSX and NS division of Conrail has a mistake. The Pope’s Creek Secondary which splits off the NEC between Baltimore and DC and runs south through southern Maryland went to CSX rather than to NS as it shows. It is been one of the more profitable branches of CSX as it’s purpose is to run unit coal trains to two power plants as well as provide service to several local customers.
Even though it is an ex Pennsy line, the route went to CSX as most of the coal delivered along it’s route originates at mines located on CSX.
Piedsou:
Sometimes maps do not show the railroad line to the full extent, because the line is either bankrupt or gone passed a certain spot. Although I don’t know much about this line, that might be the case. Sometimes maps show the path in which the route used to travel. I’m not sure of that though.
The Pennsylvania Railroad wanted to build a line from Baltimore to Washington, DC and Maryland would not allow them. This railroad was allowed to build from Baltimore to Pope’s Creek and it was allowed to have a 20 mile branch. The PRR bought the line and a 20 mile branch was built from Bowie to DC.
The current operations here are covered in the June 2003 Railfan magazine.
It’s not a matter of the line being shown or not. It is. It’s just shown as going to Norfolk Southern when in fact it went to CSX.
The following magazines have had articles about the Pope’s Creek :
Railroad Magazine March 1939
Railroad Magazine 'The Popes Creek Peddler" issue date unknown
Railpace Newsmagazine July 1999
Trains and Travel March 1953
Rails Northeast March 1982
Railfan and Railroad June 2003
After reading the above posts I looked at the map on those pages and I realized that the line Piedsou is talking about is actually purple instead of blue. So in other words the line needs to be red instead of purple. lol
In my issue the line is shown as bright RED.
It is the solid red line just to the left of the initials MD. to the south of Washington. The line almost touches the letter M. It comes off of the dotted red line between Washington and Baltimore. That’s the Northeast corridor (NEC).
It SHOULD be blue/purple designating CSX ex-Conrail as the legend shows.
A good site, although not updated recently is Patrick Phelan’s Popes Creek Guide at www.traingod.railfan.net/