Baltimore & Annapolis Trail

The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is a convert|13.3|mi|adj=on rail trail in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The trail starts at Boulter's Way in Arnold.cite web
url = http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/b&a_trail.html
title = Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park
date =
accessdate=2006-11-07
] and ends near Baltimore Light Rail's Cromwell Station in Glen Burnie. Starting near Annapolis, the trail passes through Arnold, Severna Park, Millersville, Pasadena, and Glen Burnie. The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail follows the route of the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad from which it derives its name. The trail opened in 1990 as the second "rail trail" in the state. [cite web
url = http://www.sha.state.md.us/exploremd/bicyclists/oppe/Trails/Bicyclists5.asp
title = Maryland State Highway Administration Bicycle Trails Guide
date =
accessdate=2006-11-07
]

In June 1996, the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail became part of the East Coast Greenway - from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.cite web
url = http://www.friendsofaatrails.org/maps.htm
title = Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park
year = 2001
accessdate=2006-11-07
] The trail is part of the American Discovery Trail - a trail from the Atlantic coast of Delaware to San Francisco, California.

Trail Description

This rail line through the suburban region between Annapolis and Baltimore is now a paved linear park that encompasses 112 acres.cite journal | title= The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, Maryland|url = http://www.railtrails.org/newsandpubs/trailofthemonth/archives/0605.html| journal=Rails to Trails | month= May | year= 2006| publisher=The Rails to Trails Conservancy| author=| accessdate=2006-11-06| ] The asphalt trail winds through parks, neighborhoods and natural wooded areas providing scenic views of trees, streams and many historical points. Two of the major stops on the trail are Severna Park, at mile 4.8 and Glen Burnie, at mile 12.7. The trail also goes by the Marley Station Mall and the Ranger Station.

Along the trail are historical markers labeled from A to Z. The A marker is near the Annapolis end of the trail at the Winchester Station House, mile 0.1. Marker Z at mile 13.3, is for the Sawmill Branch which was a source of water and power for residents in the early eighteenth century. The historic markers illustrate the many communities the railroad was able to help develop between Baltimore and Annapolis and the individual achievements of people within these communities. The trail also has switch boxes, and sections of track lining parts of the trail.

The trail is lined with flowerbeds and kiosks and includes a Planet Walk sponsored by NASA. The Planet Walk is a linear museum with educational displays for each planet and the sun.

The trail ends in the north at Glen Burnie where it connects to the BWI Trail Loop, a convert|12.5|mi|adj=on loop around the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

History of the Railroad

The trail derives its name from the last name the railroad line used before ceasing operations. The railroad started as the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line on March 9, 1887, though it was more commonly known as the Annapolis Short Line. In 1921 it became the North Shore line of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and in 1935 it began its finally incarnation as the B&A. [cite web| author=Herbert H. Harwood Jr. |url=http://www.mdoe.org/wash_balt_annap_rr.html| title=Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railroad| date=2004-2005| accessdate=2006-10-13| ] The railroad ended passenger service in 1952 and freight service in 1968. The property deteriorated and became an eyesore. Public interest in a linear park began in the mid-1970s and in 1979 Anne Arundel County purchased the 66 foot wide corridor for the purpose of creating a rail trail and park. The WB&A's main line right of way also serves as a rail trail, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail.

References

External links

* [http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/b&a_trail.html Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park]
* [http://bikewashington.org/trails/ba/ba.htm Baltimore & Annapolis Trail]
* [http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/Parks/aacotrails_park/bandamap.cfm Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park Map]
* [http://www.friendsofaatrails.org/maps.htm Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails]
* [http://www.annapolisstriders.org/B&AInfo.htm B&A Marathon Information]
* [http://railstotrails.us/md_baltimore_annapolis_trail.htm B&A Trail page at RailsToTrails.us]