Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad
The Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad was a short, 4.5-mile line in central Maryland. It ran from a junction with the Annapolis, Washington and Baltimore Railroad to the resort town of Bay Ridge, serving mainly travelers between Annapolis and the beach resort and linking with a car ferry and steamship service to the Eastern Shore. Later, it added a small connection to the Baltimore and Annapolis Short Line.
Soon after it opened, the line came under the control of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The railroad never made money, so it shut down in 1904 and the tracks were removed in 1918. Today there are almost no remains of the line.
The railroad was created by the Bay Ridge Company in March 1886, as the Bay Ridge resort on Chesapeake Bay was being rebuilt. The hotel was expanded, the boardwalk enlarged, and beach cottages were added. The company even opened a zoological exhibit with big cats.
Train service began on July 10, 1886, and for 17 years thousands visited what was called the “Queen Resort of the Chesapeake.” The startup costs were high, and in September 1886 the Bay Ridge Company issued bonds worth $300,000. Robert Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, bought $150,000 of those bonds, giving the B&O a controlling interest in the Bay Ridge Company and the Annapolis and Bay Ridge Railroad.
Before 1890 a connection was made from Chesapeake Junction to the Baltimore and Annapolis Short Line near West Annapolis. From 1890 to 1891, the Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad connected to a car ferry and steamer service run by the Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad for 13 months. That service ended in October 1891 and was replaced by a steamer-only operation out of Baltimore.
The line never earned a profit, closed in 1904, and the tracks were removed in 1918.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:23 (CET).