Hagerstown and Frederick Railway

The Hagerstown and Frederick Railway, now defunct, was an American railroad of central Maryland built in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Construction began early in 1896, almost simultaneously with the development of Braddock Heights Park, the mountaintop resort that was intended to provide patronage for the line.

An extension of this branch planned in 1907 which would have taken the line to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad yard facilities in Brunswick was never completed.

The Hagerstown & Frederick had always run what originally amounted to a side business, selling electricity to customers in the vicinity of its operations.

With an eye to expanding his utility market, Coblentz purchased the Martinsburg Electric Light Company in 1916.

He also acquired the Northern Virginia Power Company, and in 1917 the Chambersburg, Greencastle & Waynesboro Street Railway, which came with its own utility service.

In 1922 the entire system, including the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway, became the Potomac Public Service Company.

A gradual decline set in starting with the closure of the Washington Street line in Hagerstown and the end of Electric Park, both in 1927.

In 1929 the loop line on Mulberry Street closed, and in the same year the Braddock Hotel burned and was not replaced.

Emory Coblentz was caught in the financial collapse of his bank, and was indicted (and later acquitted) on fraud charges.

Passenger decline during the 1930s left the H&F's business dependent on freight service, primarily between Frederick and Thurmont.

Many utilities, including Potomac Edison, were ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission to leave non-utility-related businesses, such as transportation.

[2] A short portion of the line in Thurmont Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine has been developed by the community, ending across Main Street from the site where the H&F Station once stood.

A Historical Society was formed in 1999 to preserve artifacts and documents from and educate the public about the history of the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway.