Point of Rocks Railroad Tunnel - 1902 - Point of Rocks, MD
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 39° 16.432 W 077° 32.581
18S E 280632 N 4350251
The Point of Rocks tunnel carries one of the two tracks for CSX through Catoctin Mountain alongside the Potomac River.
Waymark Code: WMMVT3
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2014
Views: 10
At Point of Rocks on the Maryland side of the Potomac River and through Catoctin Mountain, is this tunnel that has a dated stone at the top of the eastern entrance with the year 1902.
The Point of Rocks Tunnel is on a VERY busy section of the CSX Railroad. DO NOT go on the tracks or the railroad right of way. The pictures were taken off the tracks, by the trail within the C&O Canal Corridor. To get to this trail, from US 15, take a turn onto MD Route 28, then take a right a short distance down and follow the signs for the C&O Canal and boat ramp. From there, walk along the trail under the US 15 bridge over the Potomac River to the tunnel on the right. You likely can also see the tunnel from the US 15 bridge - I'm not sure about pedestrian access from that side.
The tunnel has a brick facade with the bricks forming the words, "Point of Rocks" above the hole, and '1902' on a light colored stone at the very top of the hole. The railroad line was built by the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1873 and remains as a busy mainline now under CSX control. The tunnel was needed when the line was double-tracked and currently is the westbound lane.
There is a page on Bridgehunter.com for this tunnel.
Year built or dedicated as indicated on the structure or plaque: 1902
Full Inscription (unless noted above):
Point of Rocks
1902
Website (if available): [Web Link]
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