Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad

The rail lines of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad flatcars outside Gray's Ferry Tavern in southwest Philadelphia, c. 1870s
Overview
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Locale	Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland
Dates of operation	1836–1902 (purchased 1880 by Pennsylvania Railroad)
Predecessor	Baltimore and Port Deposit Rail Road Company Delaware and Maryland Rail Road Company Philadelphia and Delaware County Rail-Road Company Wilmington and Susquehanna Rail Road Company
Successor	Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (PB&W) - (1902-1976)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	669 mi (1,077 km)[1]
Route map Legend P.R.R. Main Line, Connecting Railway and Philadelphia & Trenton Railroad Philadelphia–30th Street West Philadelphia Elevated West Chester Line Chester Secondary Philadelphia Subdivision Airport Line Darby Curtis Park Sharon Hill Folcroft Glenolden Norwood Prospect Park Ridley Park Crum Lynne Baldwin Eddystone Chester T.C. Lamokin Street Highland Avenue Chester Secondary Marcus Hook PA DE Naaman Claymont Shellpot Branch Edge Moor Wilmington Wilmington to Baltimore Wilmington Water Street (B&O) Wilmington and Northern Branch Shellpot Branch Newport Stanton Churchmans Crossing Ruthby Delmarva Secondary Newark, DE DE MD Iron Hill Elkton North East Principio Perryville Siding Port Road Branch Perryville Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge Havre-de-Grace Swan Creek Aberdeen to Aberdeen Proving Ground Short Lane Bush River Otter Point Edgewood Magnolia Gunpowder River Martin State Airport Philadelphia Subdivision Bayview Yards Port of Baltimore Biddle Street Union Tunnel Calvert Street Baltimore Baltimore Belt Line Baltimore & Potomac Railroad This diagram: view talk edit

The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad that operated independently from 1836 to 1881. Headquartered in Philadelphia, it was greatly enlarged in 1838 by the merger of four state-chartered railroads in three Mid-Atlantic states to create a single line between Philadelphia and Baltimore.

In 1881, the PW&B was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which was at the time the nation's largest railroad. In 1902, the PRR merged it into its Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad.

The right-of-way laid down by the PW&B line is still in use today as part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the Maryland Department of Transportation's MARC commuter passenger system from Baltimore to Maryland's northeast corner. Freight is hauled on the route; formerly by the Conrail system and currently by Norfolk Southern.