Thanks to the B&O, Baltimore has earned the moniker of "America's Birthplace of Railroading."  Though the rail industry has suffered a decline since World War II (and even before), rails still ply much of the city, while fragments remain to tell the fascinating story of what has been lost.
	The ambitious railroad that thrust new standards of modernization on the entire industry, the Pennsylvania Railroad's Northeast Corridor offered sift transportation through the Baltimore area.
	The local sentimental favorite among railroads, the Maryland and Pennsylvania, more commonly called the Ma & Pa, ran a twisty route from Baltimore to York, that always seemed decades removed.
	The Ma & Pa's main competition came from the Northern Central, later a part of the Pennsy.  Later, the NC would languish itself before being reborn into today's light rail line, which still carries many relics.
	The original route into Western Maryland via the NC, the Greenspring Branch soon became a stepchild when the WM opened a new alignment,  Still, lots of clues remain to this old rail route.
	Much of the old Western Maryland survives today in a CSX freight line that offers some revealing artifacts of the WM of old.  Here's a look at the line, as well as some portions that have since closed.
	A rather odd little branch of railroad that persisted long after its passenger traffic had quickly dried up, the Catonsville branch remains largely intact, with a little intervention from Mother Nature.
	It has been rumored that the Claremont Branch may be in store for a renewal under a commuter rail plan.  In the meantime, the sleepy branch lies largely under brush, mostly forgotten.
	The abundant use of railroads as a means for small companies to ship products is readily evident by the broad network of disconnected street trackage that exists in numerous locations in Baltimore.