The Georgetown Branch » News

Purple Changes

bsullivan — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:56:09 +0000

Anyone who follows the Metro Purple Line news knows the Georgetown Branch between Bethesda and Silver Spring (the Metropolitan Branch) is about to undergo a major transformation. The most significant since the line was removed in the 1980s and 1990s and perhaps since it was laid down in the early 1890s. The Metro is planning to build a new line connecting Silver Spring and Bethesda, built on the old Georgetown Branch road bed. The Capital Crescent Trail will remain as a dual line trail, with half being for trail users and the other half being for the light rail. It will be an impressive feat and on one hand I’m sad to see more of the Georgetown Branch right-of-way go away, but on the other hand this will be the closest I’ll get to being able to ride the rails of the GB itself! Very excited about that. How wonderful will it be to swing down away from the Met and cruise through the woods, across Rock Creek and into Bethesda?

The Purple line transformation will be enormous. I just saw this PDF map posted on another blog and realized just how massive the changes will be. If I want to get photos of existing right of way, now is the time.

http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_documents/work_groups/lyttonsville/Design_Option_Roll_Map.pdf

Sharing some newly added photos and maps

bsullivan — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:06:37 +0000

I’ve found quite a lot of GB photos, maps and documents over the years and I share most of what I find in my Gallery. (only if I have permission, of course) These files are exciting to anyone like me who treasures the hard-to-find imagery of the GB and even harder to find documentation. Here are a couple links to some Galleries that have some of my newer finds:

Georgetown Branch maps, photos – including track charts, building plans and photos.
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65772

R. Pearlman collection – a few color slides from one of the railfan excursions!
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65865

My layout (basement) construction photos
http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=69029

A progress update – the new layout is under construction

bsullivan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:40:29 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve made an update here, so I figured I’d check in and let everyone know how things have been moving forward. I’m still collecting information on the Georgetown Branch, via friends, acquaintances and online sources like eBay. I’ve found a handful of great images, some of which I’ve shared in the Gallery and others which I’m trying to find ways to scan (odd-shaped negatives). My real focus over the last several months has been working on the model railroad. Well, the room that will house the model RR and the workshop next to it, actually. Between being laid off in November, saving money, planning, buying materials and having friends and family assist in the actual construction, I’ve made some real progress. The layout room and the workshop are nearly complete. Right now I’m in the process of moving back into the rooms and fitting all my tools, model kids and other junk back into them. My layout room is functioning as staging while I outfit the workshop first. One step at a time.

I’m also working out a whole new track plan. The initial track plan I drew up for this new house incorporated nearly all of the GB elements I wanted to include; Georgetown Jct., Rock Creek trestle, Bethesda, Dalecarlia tunnel and the reservoir facilities, C&O Canal bridges and Georgetown. I’d like to include Chevy Chase, but I have to work hard to fit that in. The current space is slightly larger and allows for me to put the helix outside of the room, giving me a whole new approach to the design. As such, I’m attempting to modify the original plan to fit the new space, and hopefully fit Chevy Chase into the design. We shall see.

I hope you all will stay tuned to my progress. I hope to share some stories here as I move forward. I’ve been inspired by similar blogs and sites that outline layout construction and design and if I can find/make the time, I will. I’ve learned so much through this process. From gutting the room right down to the studs, removing and re-routing all of the electrical lines and designing and building the new room from scratch. Learning to frame, install insulation, drywall and electrical, it’s all been awesome. But now the real fun begins. The layout is about to be started. Thanks!

The R. Mumford Collection

bsullivan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:18:44 +0000

Finally! The legendary R. Mumford collection of photos is finally up and online! I contacted Mr. Mumford via the B&O Yahoo! Group and he was kind enough to allow me to share the photos I had scanned years earlier with the rest of the world. They turned out great and provide a unique look into the operations and workings of the railroad during the 1950s. Mr. Mumford was a native of Bethesda and had easy access to the area. He spent much of his youth in and around the railroad and, lucky for us, photographing it. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I have!

http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=65928

Another One Bites the Dust

bsullivan — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:27:26 +0000

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.

Georgetown Waterfront Update

bsullivan — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:24:11 +0000

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.

The Passing of a Legend

bsullivan — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:22:43 +0000

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.

A few more posts on the other blog

bsullivan — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:37:20 +0000

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 … Continue reading →

Welcome!

bsullivan — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:35:15 +0000

Greetings and salutations. Thanks for visiting the new Georgetown Branch blog. I’ve set this up as part of a massive redesign of my GB online efforts so that I might translate my progress to the online community more effectively. Programming in HTML can be tedious and when I’ve got little tidbits of news and info to share, I often will divert my attention elsewhere instead of posting updates to the site. So, I’m implementing this new blog, an updated Gallery and a revamped website. All of which will go live very soon. So stay tuned and keep sending me your stories and photos!

ps. Don’t be creeped out if you see old entries here on this new blog! I’m migrating all my old journal entries to the blog so they will be viewable and searchable.

Layout progress & a couple photos

bsullivan — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:09:34 +0000

Well, it’s been a long, long time (once again) since my last update here. If you’re regularly checking the Gallery page then you know that I’ve been posting some progress photos of the layout construction. I’m about half way done with the helix but it’s slow going. Mainly due to the addition to my family- a new baby girl! Born on 7/5/06.

In the meantime, I’ve done a couple other things GB related. I was lucky enough to gain access to a wonderful collection of old GB photos and documents which has helped greatly in my research. I also took a tour of the Georgetown Waterfront to document all the changes that are occuring there. And, I’ve posted a couple photos from a site visitor in the Gallery.