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THE THUMBNAIL ABOVE FOR A NICELY DETAILED MAP OF THESE SHUTTLES
For many a streetcar rider,
it was the ultimate pleasure ride, unparralelled anywhere else in the system.
Of all the lines in the Baltimore system, perhaps none can conjure up the
fond recollections of riding on the Bay Shore Shuttle. Although the Amusement
park was the principal destination, the ride on the shuttle was to many
a joy in and of itself, with its jaunts across creeks, through the woodlands
and marshes, before taking a lovely jostle along the shores of the Chesapeake
Bay, where it would reach a waiting shelter in the center of the Amusement
park, just above the wooden roller coaster, and West of the pier.
Sharing some of the Bay Shore's route
was the Fort Howard Shuttle, the less exciting, but nevertheless interesting
sibling of the Bay Shore branch. This branch largely parralleled
North Point Road skirting the farms there, before plunging into the small
shoreline community of Fort Howard and coming to a rest just outside the
gates of Fort Howard itself.
Originally, the lines were all within
the same line, a large loop line that operated Counter-Clockwise.
A hurricane in 1933 destroyed the bridge over the Shallow Creek, and the
UR&E, faced with enough difficulties from the Great Depression, opted
not to rebuild the passage, but instead sever the connection, and operate
two distinct shuttles. This would prove in the end to be advantageous,
as the Bay Shore operation was only needed Seasonally, while the Fort Howard
and the trunk operation justified year round operation, thus cutting down
on dead mileage in the off season.
The seasonal Bay Shore operation lasted
until the close of the Summer Season of 1947, which appears to have occurred
in mid-September (no official date has been preserved), while the established
Fort Howard operation soldiered on until the morning of October 19, 1952,
when it was taken over by Dundalk Bus Lines (in an unusual mid-morning
abandonment where the BTC car made a round trip in the morning, with Dundalk
taking over for the remainder of the day).
The lines were pulled up, and the metal
sold for scrap, while the bridges were dismantled. The rights of way were
left to be slowly reclaimed by nature, aside from those in Edgemere which
became rather an unusual mix of greenery and pathway. Today, the
lines both remain easily traceable, and the Bay Shore line has been converted
into a beautiful trail where nature lovers, birdwatchers, and even trolley
buffs can go to enjoy the sights and feelings given off by this warm ghost
of Baltimore's past.

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After crossing the creek
from Sparrows Point, both the Bay Shore and Fort Howard lines parralelled
this roadway in Edgemere. The line here was double tracked. |

Leaving Edgemere, the line
approached another bridge to make its approach to Bay Shore Junction, which
now lies within the confines of Private Property. |

After diverging at Bay Shore
Junction, the Fort Howard branch followed North Point Road into the North
Point community, following this stretch where the grass is taller.
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As the Bay Shore line crosses
North Point Road, it plunges into woodlands, now officially the "Black
Marsh Trail" of North Point Park.
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Aside from the R-O-W, few relics
of the old line survive through here, aside from a couple discarded crossties.
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Later, the line curves as
it makes its approach towards the bay, including a short section on causeway
through the marshlands.
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A single concrete foundation for a support
mast watches over the scene.
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After passing the Marshlands,
and shortly after resuming the trek through woodlands, the ghost hunter
comes across what is certainly the most eerie and looming of the ghosts
of the line: the Powerhouse that once supplied both the line and the park.
The effect when coming upon this relic is one of massiveness!
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Power Connections long since
abandoned.
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From the East looking back.
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A peek inside - Entry is
prohibited.
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The walls, with a close
proximity of tall trees.
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Among the jewels remaining
in the park is the old Trolley Waiting Station, now restored to a pavillion.
Before 1933, the line continued into the distance to connect with the Fort
Howard end. |

The curved gravel guideway
shows the path taken by the streetcars as they headed through the waiting
shelter.
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MORE ON THE BAY SHORE OR FORT HOWARD LINE? WRITE ME?
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