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![]() Photos by Adam Paul |
| By all accounts, the Towson
and Cockeysville Railway was something of an oddity. The line really didn't
serve a great number of riders during its eleven year sting from 1912 to
1923, as the area it served was not nearly as developed as it is today.
The line used some rather unconventional equipment in the form of a storage
battery powered car, as opposed to the conventional overhead wire that
most electric streetcars used. Finally, the Towson and Cockeysville
was odd in that it never went to Cockeysville! Instead, it Northern terminus
was at the Timonium Station of the Northern Central.
As nearly 80 years have passed since
the abandonment of the T&C, there is very little to show the course
its lone car (which would later be replaced with a similar car, while the
body of the original was used as its Timonium waiting station) struggled
along on its hilly way between termini. Though one would think that
a graded rail right of way would certainly be considered useful for conversion
to an auto thorofare, this was only performed in a few spots. In
most cases, the grade, including a cut beneath Seminary Avenue, was largely
obliterated or obscured by later residential redevelopment which the line
wanted but never really enjoyed during its operating years. There
are a few cases in where the grade is traceable, but these are the exception
to the rule. ![]() As shown by the map, the T&C left Towson by heading North on Bosley Avenue, then curving Northwest to make an acute cross of today's Kenilworth Drive. From there, it headed more northerly, largely parallelling York Road in most places before pulling along side the Northern Central tracks to terminate. Green "V's" indicate photo locations, with with the center of the v showing the camera position, and the legs indicating field of view. Click on this map for an unenhanced version of the same map. Another portion of grade may be extant near the Lutherville Fire House on Bellona Avenue, but I've not yet had the time to explore this more fully. Hopefully, more artifacts of the old T&C will surface in the future. GOT A GOOD SNIPPET OF THE OLD TOWN AND COUNTRY? EMAIL ME!!!
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