MARC Brunswick Line | Washington Union Station - Harpers Ferry Station

The full ride of MARC Brunswick Line Train 881.

Maryland Area Rail Commuter
Maryland Transit Administration

Date: Thursday, August 15, 2023
Origin: Washington Union Station (WAS) - Washington, DC, USA
Destination: Harpers Ferry Station (FHY) - Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, USA

Locomotive: MPI MPXpress MP36PH-3C No. 18 (diesel-electric)
Coach: Bombardier MultiLevel MARC IV No. 8010 (bi-level)

Distance: 54 miles / 88 kilometers
Average Speed: 34 mph / 54 km/h
Top Speed: 72 mph / 115 km/h
Track Gauge: 4 ft 8.5 in / 1,435 mm
Total Ride Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

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I chose to visit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in August 2023 after learning about the town during a work assignment. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, the historic Civil War town—population: 285—looks like a snow globe, with century-old architecture overlooking the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and some of the most beautiful landscape and scenery in the nation. I end with a mini-tour of the station, which includes an underground tunnel. Special thanks to Stonehouse Bed & Breakfast for the overnight stay.

**Some footage was captured on return to DC the next morning, car 7717, engine 19.

Using tracks now owned by CSX, the MARC Brunswick Line descends from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, linking Union Station in Washington, DC with Martinsburg, WV. Some trains divert eastward along the Frederick Branch to Frederick, Maryland, though the primary terminus for the entire line is the town of Brunswick in the western part of the state. Rural and highly scenic, the route essentially spans 74 miles, and has been in operation since 1873. Speeds average around 34 miles an hour due to various restrictions, topping out just over 70. The MARC Brunswick Line is a weekday-only route, as is the Camden Line, with trains inbound to DC during the morning hours and outbound in the afternoon, totaling 19 stations.

Special thanks to the entire crew.

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0:00:00 - Boarding
0:00:22 - Leaving Washington Union Station
0:04:36 - WMATA Brentwood Rail Yard
0:04:57 - Union Station - Silver Spring
0:14:42 - Silver Spring - Kensington
0:21:38 - Kensington - Garrett Park flag stop
0:24:01 - Garrett Park - Rockville
0:29:44 - Rockville - Washington Grove
0:34:35 - Washington Grove - Gaithersburg
0:36:43 - Gaithersburg - Metropolitan Grove
0:40:04 - Metropolitan Grove - Germantown
0:44:28 - Germantown - Boyds
0:47:26 - Boyds - Barnesville
0:52:02 - Barnesville - Dickerson
0:54:40 - Dickerson - Point of Rocks
1:01:13 - Point of Rocks Station/Frederick Branch split
1:02:30 - Point of Rocks - Brunswick
1:11:02 - Brunswick Rail Yard & Station
1:13:06 - Brunswick - Harpers Ferry
1:19:34 - Arrival and Disembarking
1:20:23 - Mini-Tour, Underground Tunnel

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The Travel Series™ is a collection of ambient videos focusing on commercial aviation and passenger rail. “Birdwatching” explores aircraft types, similarly with “Trainspotting.” Footage may be extracted into hours-long ambiences called “Vibes."

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2023 by Javan Hamilton

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