It planned to continue westward along the north bank of the Potomac River to Cumberland, Maryland, which conflicted with the competing Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

A 1833 decision by the Maryland state legislature prevented the B&O from using its planned north bank route west of Harpers Ferry.

[4]: 6  The B&O intended to follow the W&P to Charles Town, West Virginia, before turning westward but the W&P refused to grant trackage rights.

Instead, the B&O line followed a narrow right-of-way along the edge of the Harpers Ferry Armory, which required a second tight curve at the south end of the bridge.

Despite a growing recognition that the outdated bridge and sharp curves were an impediment to operations, the B&O did not begin work on a replacement until 1892.

[4]: 12  A tunnel was bored through Maryland Heights, allowing a new double-track bridge to be built with gentler curves.

[4]: 32–33  It was part of a larger set of saefty improvements to the line between Harpers Ferry and Brunswick, Maryland.

[4]: 52, 54  Valley Branch service dwindled to a single daily round trip, which was discontinued on August 13, 1949.

[6][7] By then, Harpers Ferry was served by seven eastbound and five westbound of the twelve daily round trips that passed through on the mainline.

The eastbound Diplomat, Shenandoah, and West Virginian and the westbound Cleveland Night Express also stopped, but their opposite-direction counterparts did not.

[9] By late 1970, daily intercity service consisted of the Capitol Limited, Shenandoah, and Metropolitan, the latter two of which were combined westbound.