Baltimore Chesapeake & Atlantic

Company History: The BC&A was established in 1894 to takeover the assets of the Baltimore & Eastern Shore Railroad. It ran from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic coast 87 miles to Clairborne on Chesapeake Bay. The company also operated a steamship line linking Baltimore to ports along the Chesapeake and its tributaries. The Pennsylvania Railroad had a sizeable stake in the company from the beginning and bought the remaining stock in 1905. In 1923, the Baltimore Chesapeake & Atlantic was merged with another PRR holding, the Maryland Delaware & Virginia Railway to form the Baltimore & Eastern Railroad.

Successor/Parent History: In 1890, the Baltimore & Eastern Railroad completed a track from Claiborne, just west of St. Michaels, to Easton so that passengers coming into Claiborne on a ferry from the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay could continue through to Ocean City and enjoy the beach for the day. During the winter, passenger traffic to Ocean City was non-existent, so the railroad hauled crabs and oysters from St. Michaels to the eastern markets when they were freshly harvested. Later operated by the Baltimore, Chesapeake, & Atlantic Railway (a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad) the railroad service continued until 1927. In 1927 the Baltimore, Chesapeake, & Atlantic Railway filed for bankruptcy and was sold at foreclosure on March 28, 1928.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.