Tracks of Montgomery County ’ s agricultural History
by susan cooke Soderberg
On May 25 , 1873 the first train ran on a new railroad line that would change the course of agriculture in Montgomery County , create suburban towns , and propel the County into the Industrial Age . Cutting diagonally across the County , the new line connected Washington , D . C . with the old Baltimore and Ohio main line west at Point of Rocks . Because the old main line — completed twenty years earlier from Baltimore to the Ohio River — had treacherous curves , steep grades and ran through two tunnels between Baltimore and the Potomac River , the new line soon became the substitute for moving goods west from Baltimore , touting the slogan “ All Trains Via Washington ,” with the Nation ’ s capitol dome as its logo .
There had been an attempt earlier by local entrepreneurs to build this railroad through Montgomery County , but it had been thwarted by political opposition , lack of support from the B & O Railroad , and shortage of funds .
In 1853 the Metropolitan Railroad Company received a charter from the state of Maryland to construct a railroad line from Georgetown to Hagerstown , crossing the B & O main line west of Frederick . The idea had been conceived by Francis Cassatt Clopper and Francis Dodge of Gaithersburg with financial backing of William Corcoran , local investors and political promotion in the Maryland General Assembly . Plans were drawn up and some property acquired , but the financial panic of 1857 followed by the
Buiilt in 1884 , the original B & O Railroad station in Gaithersburg still serves as a commuter stop for the MARC train system . Photo courtesy of the Gaithersburg Community Museum .
20 plenty I spring sowing 2023