In certain areas of the Eastern Shore, you may happen upon a slow freight train chuff-chuffing across the countryside, along woods, by fields, and through small towns. Well, not “chuffing,” because this railroad uses diesel locomotives, after all, but picturesque nevertheless.

Incorporated in 1977, the Maryland-Delaware Railroad Company is a “Class III short line,” one of 603 short lines in the United States. Privately owned and with 17 employees, the company is headquartered in the restored railroad station in Federalsburg. The M&D provides vital bulk deliveries to a number of local business and manufacturing enterprises and supports several thousand jobs on the Eastern Shore.

The railroad’s operations are based on customers’ needs, with no fixed schedule for any train. Daily work assignments for the M&D’s engineers and conductors vary according to whenever freight, tank, or flat cars arrive at the Delmarva Central Railroad’s three interchanges in Delaware (Townsend, Seaford, and Frankford), awaiting delivery to sites in Maryland.

The M&D’s three largest cargoes by volume are paper supplies, propane, and chemicals, and include various other bulk cargoes, such as grains, fertilizers, wood supplies, foods, metals, construction, and waste materials. Some of the customers receiving deliveries by rail include Dart Container (paper products), Tyson chicken facilities (bulk grains), Southern States Cooperative, Harbor Sales (lumber), Nutrien (chemical fertilizers), Eastman Specialties (chemicals), and Pep-Up (fuels).

In an interview, M&D CEO Cathrin Banks detailed some of the services supported by the railroad. Tomato paste, for example, that’s delivered in bulk to B&G Foods in Hurlock can wind up in salsa. Also, the University of Maryland’s venerable Cole Field House was built with beams manufactured by Crystal Steel in Federalsburg. 

The M&D has seven diesel locomotives, with most of them in regular service. Three are leased from the State of Maryland and the other four belong to the company. The company does not own the various freight cars which it hauls. Some of the tracks on which M&D operates are also owned and maintained by Maryland’s state government.

Because there are no regularly scheduled runs, spotting an M&D train in operation is mostly hit-and-miss. If you’re at a grade crossing when a train comes through, you’re in luck, so break out your camera quickly and start snapping! (But, as Ms. Banks quickly cautions, always remain a safe distance from the tracks and never cross the tracks in front of an oncoming locomotive.)

Eastern Shore railroad buffs have a Facebook group, “Maryland and Delaware Railroad.” Visit their page for a concise history of the railroad as well as many photos and videos of trains in action.

If your kids or your parents want to ride a train, the M&D offers short rides during the Town of Hurlock’s annual Fall Festival every October. The excursions run the 10 miles to Federalsburg. And back. According to Ms. Banks, M&D is exploring the possibility of additional excursion rides out of Berlin or Snow Hill, but that has not yet come to fruition.

The next time you’re delayed for a few minutes at a RR crossing in Kennedyville, Golts, or Lynch, in Basket Switch, Friendship, or Showell, or in Sudlersville, Barclay, or Price, grab your camera and keep in mind that you’re watching this short-line serve local communities in the best tradition of American railroads.

This map locates M&D’s 120 miles of tracks:

• Northern Line: Intersects the Delmarva Central Railroad in Townsend, Del., and runs west to Massey, Md., where it splits into two branches, one through Lynch and Kennedyville to Worton and the other through Sudlersville and Carville to the Tidewater publishing company near Centreville. Motorists encounter these tracks at road crossings in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties.
• Seaford Line: Intersects Delmarva Central in Seaford, Del., and runs west to Cambridge, passing through Federalsburg, Williamsburg, Hurlock, and Linkwood. Road crossings for this line are in Caroline and Dorchester counties.
• Snow Hill Line: Intersects Delmarva Central in Frankford, Del., and runs south through Selbyville, Del., Berlin, and Newark to Snow Hill, with road crossings in Worchester County. (Note: M&D RR owns this line.)

M&D tracks have grade crossings on two major state highways. On Rte. 301, crossings are a mile south of Rte. 313 just west of Massey (Kent County) and between Rtes. 304 and 305 near Centreville (Queen Anne’s). On Rte. 50, there are grade crossings east of Cambridge at Linkwood (Dorchester County)  and just north of Berlin in Worchester County. There is another grade crossing on Rte. 16, just south of Cambridge. There are numerous crossings on local, mostly rural highways.

Cover photo: M&D Locomotive No. 1203 in Federalsburg
All unattributed photos by the author.