Catonsville Rails to Trails
Catonsville Rails to Trails
Catonsville Rails To Trails paved bike/hike trail on November 3 Anniversary
November 2, 2008 – Catonsville, MD In the early morning hours of November 3, 1963, the #8 streetcar completed its final Catonsville route and pulled into the old Irvington car barn, ending the era of streetcars in Baltimore. Forty five years later, to the day, Catonsville Rails To Trails paved a portion of the old rail line and bringing it back to life as a recreational bike and hike trail.
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#8 Paving Press Release [doc 59KB]
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Photos of #8 Streetcar Path Paving on 11/6/08
The #8 is a short trail between Frederick Road (next to Matthews 1600) and Edmondson Avenue (behind 7-11 and Opies).
Your donation can
help pay for the paving!
Help landscape the path on the Clean Up and Beautification day on 11/15/08.
Details below!
Catonsville has old rail lines with the potential to become superb recreation paths. Principal among these are the old #8 Trolley line (that links Edmonson to Frederick near Opie’s and Matthew’s 1600) and the old Short Line route which once linked Catonsville by commuter train to downtown Baltimore (one finds lovely wooded thoroughfares with a dramatic “backdoor” view of Baltimore National Cemetery). Presently some of these paths are passable, but for the most part, they are overgrown and in considerable disrepair. We hope to transform these old rail links into safe, functional, non-motorized recreational trails. We need your help to do that.
We have received grants from the State, County, and private sources to improve small sections of trail. We have also approached County officials to improve and maintain these trails as part of their parks and recreational network. They are interested, but they need encouragement and support from invested citizenry. There are at least three ways you can help:
Make your donation out to “Catonsville Rails to Trails, Inc” and send it into Catonsville Rails to Trails, Inc., P.O. Box 3282, Catonsville, MD 21228. Your donations are fully tax deductible as we are a 501c3 not-for-profit and we will gladly issue you a formal letter of thanks and receipt for your tax records. Contributors will also be acknowledged by the community during trail opening celebrations.
Download:
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Appeal Letter [doc 149KB]
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Schematic Map of Catonsville Trails and Linkages [ppt 267KB]
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Major Donors to the Catonsville Rails to Trails [ppt 267KB]
NEW: CRTT Trail Guide 2008 [ppt 267KB]
NEW: Schematic Map of Catonsville Trails and Linkages [ppt 267KB]
Detail Map of Catonsville Trails and Linkages [pdf 372KB]
Short Line Trail Description and Photos
Map of Short Line Trail [pdf 576KB]
#8 Streetcar Trail Description and Photos
#9 Trolley Trail Description and Photos
Saturday November 15, 2008
9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Meet in the 1600 block of Edmondson Ave.
(Behind Opie’s and Junction 7-Eleven).
Clean Up Day Poster [MSWord 127KB]
Rain date: Sunday, November 16
For more information, contact Maureen Sweeney Smith at sweeneysmith@comcast.net or by phone at 410-744-0166.
CRTT had a booth in the Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival on Sunday September 7, 2008. Many folks stopped by to chat including Joe Biggin shown with Board Member Lindsay Thompson.
Eagle Scout Candidate Brian Sommer of of Boy Scout Troop 307 organized
trail clean-ups in January, February, March & April, 2008. His work crews
cleaned up the downed brush and logs along the Short Line Trail between Shady Nook and Paradise Avenues. Brian was awarded his Eagle at a ceremony on August 24, 2008.
Well done Brian, and thanks!
CRTT Board members presented the CRTT mission and future goals
to Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith on July 9, 2008. We look
forward to receiving his response on the best path for moving forward
in our partnership for a better, walkable Catonsville.
Download the presentation
Download the presentation [pdf 6.3MB]
Eagle Scout Candidate Brian Sommer of of Boy Scout Troop 307 organized
trail clean-ups in January, February, March & April, 2008. His work crews
cleaned up the downed brush and logs along the Short Line Trail between Shady Nook and Paradise Avenues. Brian was awarded his Eagle at a ceremony on August 24, 2008.
Well done Brian, and thanks!
Catonsville Rails-to-Trails, Inc. published a Feasibility Study and Resource Guide for converting the abandoned Catonsville Short Line Rail Road into a multi-purpose recreational trail. The Study describes the trail corridor and history of the area, provides in-depth look at natural resources and cultural resources, identifies issues that need to be addressed, and proposes linkages to existing recreational resources. The Study also includes letters of community support, a usage survey and crime analysis of a similar trail, and a history of the local trolley system. This study was released in March 2001.
Feasibility Study Files in Acrobat PDF format:
Due to the size of the Study, the document has been broken down into parts to facilitate downloading. The narrative portion of the document is the "master" file. The figures are 11X17 maps that are inserted into the study.
Last Updated: November 6, 2008
Please send additions and corrections to:
Curator: Thomas C. Bagg, III,