Welcome to the little known
Port Brennett Branch
of the Boston and Ohio Railroad.
(Under Construction. Both the layout and this website.)
Port Brennett Branch
of the Boston and Ohio Railroad.
(Under Construction. Both the layout and this website.)
The History of the Port Brennett Branch of the B & O
The Port Brennett Rail Road was started as a short line way back in the early days of railroading. When the B & O built its line to Washington, the city fathers realized that they needed to connect with the line or, over time, the city would disappear. At first, they tried to talk the B & O in to building a line to the port. The company was not interested in it. Port Brennett supported an active fishing fleet but little shipping. It was clear that if the city wanted a railroad connection, they would have to build it themselves.
The short line that the town sponsored Went from the port to meet the B & O at Odenton. Eventually the line was extended to Fort Meade. It was this extension that ended up keeping the railroad alive up to and through the depression.
Here is a map of Port Brennett today. The town is gone and the area is now called Herald Harbor. We won't go into the politics of the name change. It's on the Severn River just upstream of Annapolis. There is no longer any sign that there used to be a railroad there. Not only is the railroad gone but so is the town. A devastating fire tore through the town right after the war. The town was not rebuilt and most of the area is covered by trees and homes. Few people know that under the paved roads there are still the cobblestones from the original streets.
Here is a Google Earth view of the area. Few people know of the role that Port Brennett and especially Little Round Bay played during the Second World War.