The cut opens at Green Spring Junction where once was Hollins Station.
Service, with trains pulled by horses, began between Baltimore and Relay
House, as this spot was then known, on July 4, 1831. The depicted version
of Hollins Station was replaced in 1876 by one that remained in service
until about 1930 (sources vary on the exact year).
The State of Pennsylvania delayed the B&S's request to build north to York,
so the railroad here instead made Westminster, Maryland its goal. It got
as far as Owings Mills in 1832. After the B&S finally received permission
and built to York, Pennsylvania, in 1838 it declared that new route be its
main line. That's the trackage in the photo that passes to the right of the
station. The B&S route to Owings Mills (track curving left at the station)
became its Green Spring Line. However, there was little demand for such a
branch line until during the 1850s the Western Maryland Railway found it
a handy way to access Baltimore.
Link:
area rail history (PDF)
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