One of the other GB nuts, Kelly, has been doing some track planning of his own after having to clear out his old Georgetown Branch layout. (RIP) The plans for the new one are under development and look great as of their first iteration! You can see all his progress on his blog, here:
http://georgetownbranch.blogspot.com/2010/03/georgetown-branch-2010.html
The recent addition of the Bethesda got me thinking that having some aerial views would be nice. Well, luckily there are some online resources for this. Here’s a link to Microsoft Terraserver showing an aerial photo ca. 1988. I know that much of the RR was wiped out by then, but it’s a start to gain some perspective on the city since online resources are so scarse.
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=18&X=1592&Y=21583&W=3&qs=|bethesda|md|
While browsing for GB related stuff online (I do this occasionally; you never know what you’ll find!) I stumbled upon a few well-tagged photos on Flickr showing a few neat shots down in Georgetown at the North end of the yards. If I had to guess I’d say these are from the 1970s. Photos of Georgetown are so rare these really made my day! Enjoy.
http://tinyurl.com/ybo6jm9
New photos! Recently a member of the B&O Yahoo! Group posted a nice little collection of photos he shot in the late 1970s. He so graciously allowed me to repost them to my Georgetown Branch gallery so all can enjoy! Hope you like them:
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65781
A really great story about an AAR worker who had the chance to ride the GB from Eckington to Georgetown and back.” It remains the only time I took a train to a fast food restaurant.” Love it!
The building seen here which was located in Bethesda just North of the River Road crossing is no more. Nothing remains but the tracks in the pavement and a big hole where it once was. They’ll probably put up a Starbucks or a CVS. According to various maps and references I have, this was once an auto parts warehouse. Tracks served it on the right side.
I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here, but I wanted to give a quick update. The area of the Georgetown Waterfront where the yards once were is now a dirt lot. All of the parking area has been removed and they are currently grading and rebuilding the wharf walls along the water. This is going to be parkland and will be nice when it’s done. I just hope they can remember what it once was.
From the B&ORR Yahoo Group:
It is with regret that I must pass on the news of the passing of William W. “Bill” Duvall of Chevy Chase, MD on June 13, 2007. Mr. Duvall was a member of the NRHS and contributed many photographs to the B&ORRHS 2007 Color Calendar.
Friends will be received at Pumphrey’s Bethesda Chevy-Chase Funeral Home June 16, 2007 from 3pm to 5pm. You can view and sign the family guest book at http://www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com
There are many of Bill’s photos up on my website in the gallery. He was a kind, generous fellow, very welcoming and supportive of what I was doing. He openly lent me access to his original slides so that I might scan them and post them online to share with everyone. He had a real knack for photography and when I visited him he gave me a slideshow or two of some of his best work. The shots I saw were jaw-droppingly awesome from a railfan’s perspective. Thank you Bill, you will be missed.
I have another more personal-centric blog and over the last year or so I’ve posted a couple entries related to my GB construction progress. They won’t be linked directly here, but you can browse the Railroad category on the blog and see the entries there.
A group of guys from my train club (Rockville Model Railroad Society) met at my house last night and helped work on the layout. Accomplishments:
Next up will be installing the siding, installing the box and building out the benchwork, starting the upper deck and working on the helix. Photos from the evening will be posted soon in the Gallery.