Ma & Pa Railroad Overpass
Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Ma & Pa Overpass These abutments supported the York Road plate girder bridge of the defunct Maryland & Pennsylvania railroad. The overpass was rebuilt by the Baltimore & Lehigh railroad in 1900 as an upgrade from a previous narrow gauge track. Reorganized formally on February 12, 1901, the railroad became affectionately known as the "Ma and pa". It covered a circuitous 77 mile route between Baltimore, Maryland and York, Pennsylvania. Railroad service was officially abandoned in June 1958, due to greatly reduced traffic and deteriorating bridges and trackage. The overpass was removed in 1959. Historic Towson, Inc. Photo (Feb. 1948) by John McGrain, Baltimore County historian
Erected by Historic Towson, Inc.
The Story
These stone abutments once carried a plate-girder bridge over York Road for the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad—the beloved 'Ma and Pa.' Rebuilt in 1900 from an earlier narrow-gauge line, the railroad wound a circuitous 77-mile course between Baltimore and York, Pennsylvania, before being abandoned in 1958 as traffic dwindled and its bridges decayed. The overpass came down in 1959, leaving only these abutments.
Why it matters
The Ma & Pa is a fondly remembered short-line railroad, a reminder of the small regional lines that once stitched together the towns of the mid-Atlantic before highways took over.
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