Patapsco station is a Baltimore Light Rail station in Halethorpe, Maryland . The stop is located along Patapsco Avenue from which its name is derived. The station serves as a hub for several MTA bus routes. Patapsco was the final stop along the line for a period from September 1992 until April 1993, when the line was extended to Linthicum .
122-577: The station has 216 spaces for commuters, some of that allow for overnight parking. Patapasco station was the original northern terminus of the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad , which connected to the Curtis Bay Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . Bus routes 14 , 75 , 51 , 77 and the Patapsco branch of CityLink Yellow lay over at the station. Route 16 also passes through
244-582: A lake , an ocean , or another river. A stream refers to water that flows in a natural channel , a geographic feature that can contain flowing water. A stream may also be referred to as a watercourse. The study of the movement of water as it occurs on Earth is called hydrology , and their effect on the landscape is covered by geomorphology . Rivers are part of the water cycle , the continuous processes by which water moves about Earth. This means that all water that flows in rivers must ultimately come from precipitation . The sides of rivers have land that
366-547: A trip hammer , and grind grains with a millstone . In the Middle Ages , water mills began to automate many aspects of manual labor , and spread rapidly. By 1300, there were at least 10,000 mills in England alone. A medieval watermill could do the work of 30–60 human workers. Water mills were often used in conjunction with dams to focus and increase the speed of the water. Water wheels continued to be used up to and through
488-642: A 1952 1200-horsepower diesel. In the same year, WIA sold the western part of their right-of-way in Annapolis to Wardour Bluff Apartments at the end of Shiley Street and to property owners at the end of Tolson Street. In 1986 WIA donated the Severn River Railroad Trestle to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources so that they could demolish it and 1989, it was declared a navigational hazard and what remained of it
610-740: A boat along certain stretches. In these religions, such as that of the Altai in Russia , the river is considered a living being that must be afforded respect. Rivers are some of the most sacred places in Hinduism. There is archeological evidence that mass ritual bathing in rivers at least 5,000 years ago in the Indus river valley . While most rivers in India are revered, the Ganges is most sacred. The river has
732-515: A central role in various Hindu myths, and its water is said to have properties of healing as well as absolution from sins. Hindus believe that when the cremated remains of a person is released into the Ganges, their soul is released from the mortal world. Freshwater fish make up 40% of the world's fish species, but 20% of these species are known to have gone extinct in recent years. Human uses of rivers make these species especially vulnerable. Dams and other engineered changes to rivers can block
854-408: A continuous flow of water throughout the year. This may be because an arid climate is too dry depending on the season to support a stream, or because a river is seasonally frozen in the winter (such as in an area with substantial permafrost ), or in the headwaters of rivers in mountains, where snowmelt is required to fuel the river. These rivers can appear in a variety of climates, and still provide
976-564: A habitat for aquatic life and perform other ecological functions. Subterranean rivers may flow underground through flooded caves. This can happen in karst systems, where rock dissolves to form caves. These rivers provide a habitat for diverse microorganisms and have become an important target of study by microbiologists . Other rivers and streams have been covered over or converted to run in tunnels due to human development. These rivers do not typically host any life, and are often used only for stormwater or flood control. One such example
1098-495: A large scale. This has been attributed to unusually large floods destroying infrastructure; however, there is evidence that permanent changes to climate causing higher aridity and lower river flow may have been the determining factor in what river civilizations succeeded or dissolved. Water wheels began to be used at least 2,000 years ago to harness the energy of rivers. Water wheels turn an axle that can supply rotational energy to move water into aqueducts , work metal using
1220-518: A lower elevation , such as an ocean , lake , or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it runs out of water, or only flow during certain seasons. Rivers are regulated by the water cycle , the processes by which water moves around the Earth. Water first enters rivers through precipitation , whether from rainfall, the runoff of water down a slope, the melting of glaciers or snow , or seepage from aquifers beneath
1342-556: A peak in the 1970s, when between two or three dams were completed every day, and has since begun to decline. New dam projects are primarily focused in China , India , and other areas in Asia . The first civilizations of Earth were born on floodplains between 5,500 and 3,500 years ago. The freshwater, fertile soil, and transportation provided by rivers helped create the conditions for complex societies to emerge. Three such civilizations were
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#17327929506271464-891: A ritualistic sense has been compared to the Christian ritual of baptism , famously the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River . Floods also appear in Norse mythology , where the world is said to emerge from a void that eleven rivers flowed into. Aboriginal Australian religion and Mesoamerican mythology also have stories of floods, some of which contain no survivors, unlike the Abrahamic flood. Along with mythological rivers, religions have also cared for specific rivers as sacred rivers. The Ancient Celtic religion saw rivers as goddesses. The Nile had many gods attached to it. The tears of
1586-425: A river can take several forms. Tidal rivers (often part of an estuary ) have their levels rise and fall with the tide . Since the levels of these rivers are often already at or near sea level, the flow of alluvium and the brackish water that flows in these rivers may be either upriver or downriver depending on the time of day. Rivers that are not tidal may form deltas that continuously deposit alluvium into
1708-756: A river such as fish , aquatic plants , and insects have different roles, including processing organic matter and predation . Rivers have produced abundant resources for humans, including food , transportation , drinking water , and recreation. Humans have engineered rivers to prevent flooding, irrigate crops, perform work with water wheels , and produce hydroelectricity from dams. People associate rivers with life and fertility and have strong religious, political, social, and mythological attachments to them. Rivers and river ecosystems are threatened by water pollution , climate change , and human activity. The construction of dams, canals , levees , and other engineered structures has eliminated habitats, has caused
1830-460: A section of the river behind them into a lake or reservoir. This can provide nearby cities with a predictable supply of drinking water. Hydroelectricity is desirable as a form of renewable energy that does not require any inputs beyond the river itself. Dams are very common worldwide, with at least 75,000 higher than 6 feet (1.8 m) in the U.S. Globally, reservoirs created by dams cover 193,500 square miles (501,000 km ). Dam-building reached
1952-638: A small connecting line was built between the A&;B and the AW&;B at the Bay Ridge Junction wye where the AW&B met the Annapolis and Bay Ridge Railroad . Business was slim in the early years, and in 1893 the railroad was sold to George Burnham Jr. and reorganized as the Baltimore & Annapolis Shortline the next year. Universally it was called simply “The Annapolis Shortline.” In 1906
2074-601: A terminal on Russell Street via the Camden Cutoff. It had periods of bust and boom that resulted in different owners, changed names and abandonment and sale. It started operation in 1897 as the Annapolis and Baltimore Shortline, but changed its name in 1893 to the Baltimore and Annapolis Shortline, or often just the Annapolis Shortline. In 1914 it changed to electric power and in 1921 it was purchased by
2196-438: A water body is that body's riparian zone . Plants in the riparian zone of a river help stabilize its banks to prevent erosion and filter alluvium deposited by the river on the shore, including processing the nitrogen and other nutrients it contains. Forests in a riparian zone also provide important animal habitats . River ecosystems have also been categorized based on the variety of aquatic life they can sustain, also known as
2318-445: Is a tributary , and the place they meet is a confluence . Rivers must flow to lower altitudes due to gravity . The bed of a river is typically within a river valley between hills or mountains . Rivers flowing through an impermeable section of land such as rocks will erode the slopes on the sides of the river. When a river carves a plateau or a similar high-elevation area, a canyon can form, with cliffs on either side of
2440-504: Is also important for the lumber industry , as logs can be shipped via river. Countries with dense forests and networks of rivers like Sweden have historically benefited the most from this method of trade. The rise of highways and the automobile has made this practice less common. One of the first large canals was the Canal du Midi , connecting rivers within France to create a path from
2562-564: Is an ancient dam built on the Nile 4,500 years ago. The Ancient Roman civilization used aqueducts to transport water to urban areas . Spanish Muslims used mills and water wheels beginning in the seventh century. Between 130 and 1492, larger dams were built in Japan, Afghanistan, and India, including 20 dams higher than 15 metres (49 ft). Canals began to be cut in Egypt as early as 3000 BC, and
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#17327929506272684-448: Is at a higher elevation than the river itself, and in these areas, water flows downhill into the river. The headwaters of a river are the smaller streams that feed a river, and make up the river's source. These streams may be small and flow rapidly down the sides of mountains . All of the land uphill of a river that feeds it with water in this way is in that river's drainage basin or watershed. A ridge of higher elevation land
2806-405: Is because any natural impediment to the flow of the river may cause the current to deflect in a different direction. When this happens, the alluvium carried by the river can build up against this impediment, redirecting the course of the river. The flow is then directed against the opposite bank of the river, which will erode into a more concave shape to accommodate the flow. The bank will still block
2928-453: Is correlated with and thus can be used to predict certain data points related to rivers, such as the size of the drainage basin (drainage area), and the length of the channel. The ecosystem of a river includes the life that lives in its water, on its banks, and in the surrounding land. The width of the channel of a river, its velocity, and how shaded it is by nearby trees. Creatures in a river ecosystem may be divided into many roles based on
3050-497: Is in part because of a projected loss of snowpack in mountains, meaning that melting snow can't replenish rivers during warm summer months, leading to lower water levels. Lower-level rivers also have warmer temperatures, threatening species like salmon that prefer colder upstream temperatures. Attempts have been made to regulate the exploitation of rivers to preserve their ecological functions. Many wetland areas have become protected from development. Water restrictions can prevent
3172-402: Is part of permafrost ice caps, or trace amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere. However, there is evidence that rivers flowed on Mars for at least 100,000 years. The Hellas Planitia is a crater left behind by an impact from an asteroid. It has sedimentary rock that was formed 3.7 billion years ago, and lava fields that are 3.3 billion years old. High resolution images of the surface of
3294-633: Is rarely static, the exact location of a river border may be called into question by countries. The Rio Grande between the United States and Mexico is regulated by the International Boundary and Water Commission to manage the right to fresh water from the river, as well as mark the exact location of the border. Up to 60% of fresh water used by countries comes from rivers that cross international borders. This can cause disputes between countries that live upstream and downstream of
3416-701: Is that of the Mississippi River , whose drainage basin covers 40% of the contiguous United States . The river was then used for shipping crops from the American Midwest and cotton from the American South to other states as well as the Atlantic Ocean. The role of urban rivers has evolved from when they were a center of trade, food, and transportation to modern times when these uses are less necessary. Rivers remain central to
3538-553: Is the Sunswick Creek in New York City, which was covered in the 1800s and now exists only as a sewer-like pipe. While rivers may flow into lakes or man-made features such as reservoirs , the water they contain will always tend to flow down toward the ocean . However, if human activity siphons too much water away from a river for other uses, the riverbed may run dry before reaching the sea. The outlets mouth of
3660-842: Is what typically separates drainage basins; water on one side of a ridge will flow into one set of rivers, and water on the other side will flow into another. One example of this is the Continental Divide of the Americas in the Rocky Mountains . Water on the western side of the divide flows into the Pacific Ocean , whereas water on the other side flows into the Atlantic Ocean . Not all precipitation flows directly into rivers; some water seeps into underground aquifers . These, in turn, can still feed rivers via
3782-599: The 2024 Summer Olympics . Another example is the restoration of the Isar in Munich from being a fully canalized channel with hard embankments to being wider with naturally sloped banks and vegetation. This has improved wildlife habitat in the Isar, and provided more opportunities for recreation in the river. As a natural barrier , rivers are often used as a border between countries , cities, and other territories . For example,
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3904-487: The Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea . The nineteenth century saw canal-building become more common, with the U.S. building 4,400 miles (7,100 km) of canals by 1830. Rivers began to be used by cargo ships at a larger scale, and these canals were used in conjunction with river engineering projects like dredging and straightening to ensure the efficient flow of goods. One of the largest such projects
4026-501: The Industrial Revolution as a source of power for textile mills and other factories, but were eventually supplanted by steam power . Rivers became more industrialized with the growth of technology and the human population . As fish and water could be brought from elsewhere, and goods and people could be transported via railways , pre-industrial river uses diminished in favor of more complex uses. This meant that
4148-791: The Lamari River in New Guinea separates the Angu and the Fore people in New Guinea. The two cultures speak different languages and rarely mix. 23% of international borders are large rivers (defined as those over 30 meters wide). The traditional northern border of the Roman Empire was the Danube , a river that today forms the border of Hungary and Slovakia . Since the flow of a river
4270-525: The Nile and the Ganges . The Quran describes these four rivers as flowing with water, milk, wine, and honey, respectively. The book of Genesis also contains a story of a great flood . Similar myths are present in the Epic of Gilgamesh , Sumerian mythology, and in other cultures. In Genesis, the flood's role was to cleanse Earth of the wrongdoing of humanity. The act of water working to cleanse humans in
4392-568: The River Continuum Concept . "Shredders" are organisms that consume this organic material. The role of a "grazer" or "scraper" organism is to feed on the algae that collects on rocks and plants. "Collectors" consume the detritus of dead organisms. Lastly, predators feed on living things to survive. The river can then be modeled by the availability of resources for each creature's role. A shady area with deciduous trees might experience frequent deposits of organic matter in
4514-627: The River Lethe to forget their previous life. Rivers also appear in descriptions of paradise in Abrahamic religions , beginning with the story of Genesis . A river beginning in the Garden of Eden waters the garden and then splits into four rivers that flow to provide water to the world. These rivers include the Tigris and Euphrates , and two rivers that are possibly apocryphal but may refer to
4636-787: The Sumerians in the Tigris–Euphrates river system , the Ancient Egyptian civilization in the Nile, and the Indus Valley Civilization on the Indus River . The desert climates of the surrounding areas made these societies especially reliant on rivers for survival, leading to people clustering in these areas to form the first cities . It is also thought that these civilizations were the first to organize
4758-608: The United States Naval Academy , and the B&;O ran steam trains to pick up teams and supporters to transport them to Philadelphia for the Army-Navy games . The B&A typically ran 5- and 6-car trains between Baltimore and Glen Burnie, with 3-cars continuing on the additional 20 miles (32 km) to Annapolis. The rail had 990,000 passengers in 1939, but that had increased to 2,000,000 by 1943. In 1938
4880-485: The climate . The alluvium carried by rivers, laden with minerals, is deposited into the floodplain when the banks spill over, providing new nutrients to the soil, allowing them to support human activity like farming as well as a host of plant and animal life. Deposited sediment from rivers can form temporary or long-lasting fluvial islands . These islands exist in almost every river. About half of all waterways on Earth are intermittent rivers , which do not always have
5002-685: The cultural identity of cities and nations. Famous examples include the River Thames 's relationship to London , the Seine to Paris , and the Hudson River to New York City . The restoration of water quality and recreation to urban rivers has been a goal of modern administrations. For example, swimming was banned in the Seine for over 100 years due to concerns about pollution and the spread of E. coli , until cleanup efforts to allow its use in
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5124-484: The discharge of a river, the amount of water passing through it at a particular time. The flow of a river can act as a means of transportation for plant and animal species, as well as a barrier. For example, the Amazon River is so wide in parts that the variety of species on either side of its basin are distinct. Some fish may swim upstream to spawn as part of a seasonal migration . Species that travel from
5246-465: The extinction of some species, and lowered the amount of alluvium flowing through rivers. Decreased snowfall from climate change has resulted in less water available for rivers during the summer. Regulation of pollution, dam removal , and sewage treatment have helped to improve water quality and restore river habitats. A river is a natural flow of freshwater that flows on or through land towards another body of water downhill. This flow can be into
5368-436: The sea . The sediment yield of a river is the quantity of sand per unit area within a watershed that is removed over a period of time. The monitoring of the sediment yield of a river is important for ecologists to understand the health of its ecosystems, the rate of erosion of the river's environment, and the effects of human activity. Rivers rarely run in a straight direction, instead preferring to bend or meander . This
5490-521: The water table , the groundwater beneath the surface of the land stored in the soil . Water flows into rivers in places where the river's elevation is lower than that of the water table. This phenomenon is why rivers can still flow even during times of drought . Rivers are also fed by the melting of snow glaciers present in higher elevation regions. In summer months, higher temperatures melt snow and ice, causing additional water to flow into rivers. Glacier melt can supplement snow melt in times like
5612-477: The 1980s. The B&A (by then nicknamed "The Bumble and Amble") purchased a diesel that it used to remain in freight service, serving as many as 40 different customers in 1963. It ran coal and building supplies to Annapolis until June 1968 when the Severn River Trestle was declared unsafe. It ceased operations across the trestle, but it never requested permission to abandon service there, and
5734-480: The 1980s. In 1979, the line south of Glen Burnie was sold to various entities with the bulk of it turned into a rail trail. In 1991 the railroad was sold to MTA for a light rail line, service was stopped and the railroad was replaced. After the light rail was completed, freight rail continued for a short time before being shut down in the 1990s. The B&A briefly continued operations in the Carolinas but stopped in
5856-548: The 19th century to connect the cities of Baltimore and Annapolis. From 1897 to 1968 the railroad ran between Annapolis and Clifford along the north shore of the Severn River . From Clifford, just north of the present day Patapsco Light Rail Stop , it connected with the B&;O's Curtis Bay branch so that trains could travel to Baltimore , though from 1914 to 1950 it bypassed this to travel instead to Carrol Junction and then to
5978-592: The B&A began the process of electrifying its line which had been steam-powered since it opened. That process was completed in 1908 and it changed its name to the Maryland Electric Railways Company , providing clean, comfortable, faster, and more frequent service. That same year, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway built an electric rail line between Baltimore and Washington that ran adjacent to, and just to
6100-515: The B&A switched to diesel and became solely a freight carrier while operating buses for passenger service. Freight service to Annapolis ceased in June 1968 and service south of Glen Burnie stopped in 1969. Tropical Storm Agnes damaged the Patapsco River bridge in 1972 stopping all service and the railroad unsuccessfully tried to abandon the whole line, but it was forced to resume service in
6222-518: The B&A to restore service when negotiations failed. In response, the B&A filed to abandon operations over its entire 21.1 miles (34.0 km) of track in January 1973, a move that was supported by Anne Arundel County (which did not wish to support the industrial uses in that area that a freight rail line needed to be profitable) and the Maryland MTA. Further damage came around 1973 when
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#17327929506276344-543: The B&A which are still stored in Chadbourn, North Carolina, as of May 2019. The Hunt Valley-Glen Burnie MTA Light Rail system utilizes several portions of the former B&A railway: The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail uses the right-of-way from Glen Burnie to Arnold , just outside Annapolis. The following stations are still standing: The following former stations are currently private residences: The Baltimore Annapolis Railroad Powerhouse at Jones Station Road
6466-482: The B&O to use Camden Station as its Baltimore terminal, as the WB&;A Terminal was eventually sold to one of its tenants Harry G. Pappas. The new company took over on August 21, 1935, for continuous operation. With the start of World War II and gas rationing, the B&A often ran with all available equipment in service. At semester breaks, holidays and graduation times the trains were packed with midshipmen from
6588-482: The Naval Academy converted their power and heating systems from coal to oil. Following that, the freight terminated at Jones Station where Annapolis Lumber and Supply Company sent trucks to collect freight. In 1969 the B&A's Marley Creek Bridge was washed out and the B&A ceased service south of Glen Burnie, again without requesting permission to abandon the line. After that, all that remained in service
6710-695: The bodies of humans and animals worldwide, as well as in the soil, with potentially negative health effects. Research into how to remove it from the environment, and how harmful exposure is, is ongoing. Fertilizer from farms can lead to a proliferation of algae on the surface of rivers and oceans, which prevents oxygen and light from dissolving into water, making it impossible for underwater life to survive in these so-called dead zones . Urban rivers are typically surrounded by impermeable surfaces like stone, asphalt , and concrete. Cities often have storm drains that direct this water to rivers. This can cause flooding risk as large amounts of water are directed into
6832-498: The bridge over Dorsey Road was damaged by a tractor-trailer. In 1975, following an adverse decision by an ICC administrative law judge, the courts found that B&A had illegally abandoned operations and the ICC eventually forced them to repair the bridge and resume operations to Glen Burnie, which happened sometime after 1979. In 1973, after trains stopped running due to the damaged bridge, State Senator Alfred J. Lipin proposed turning
6954-413: The company began running motor-coaches between Baltimore and Annapolis, and expanded in 1941 with a line serving Fort Meade from both cities. They expanded again in 1943 with service to Brooklyn-Curtis Bay. By 1943 the motor-coaches were carrying 1,000,000 passenger. Following World War II, gasoline and cars came back, highway expansion followed and passenger rail service became unprofitable. By 1939
7076-405: The complete draining of rivers. Limits on the construction of dams, as well as dam removal , can restore the natural habitats of river species. Regulators can also ensure regular releases of water from dams to keep animal habitats supplied with water. Limits on pollutants like pesticides can help improve water quality. Today, the surface of Mars does not have liquid water. All water on Mars
7198-528: The county line in Anne Arundel that used about 1000 feet of the B&A ROW, opened on August 20, 1992. That was followed by a 4-station extension to Linthicum on April 2, 1993, and an additional 2-station extension to Glen Burnie on June 20, 1993. Starting in early 1992, the state provided freight service to Quebecor Printing Inc. (formerly Alco-Gravure) in Glen Burnie via
7320-524: The early 21st Century. The bulk of the right-of-way now serves as part of Baltimore's light rail system and as the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail . The Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad was chartered in 1880, by a group of New England promoters as the Annapolis and Baltimore Shortline and began running on March 3, 1887. This freight and passenger line was an integral link between Annapolis and Baltimore, transporting almost two million passengers per year until competition from nearby highways forced
7442-436: The effect of normalizing the effects of rivers; the greatest floods are smaller and more predictable, and larger sections are open for navigation by boats and other watercraft. A major effect of river engineering has been a reduced sediment output of large rivers. For example, the Mississippi River produced 400 million tons of sediment per year. Due to the construction of reservoirs , sediment buildup in man-made levees , and
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#17327929506277564-451: The fish zonation concept. Smaller rivers can only sustain smaller fish that can comfortably fit in its waters, whereas larger rivers can contain both small fish and large fish. This means that larger rivers can host a larger variety of species. This is analogous to the species-area relationship , the concept of larger habitats being host to more species. In this case, it is known as the species-discharge relationship, referring specifically to
7686-673: The floating of wood on rivers to transport it, was especially important. Rivers also were an important source of drinking water . For civilizations built around rivers, fish were an important part of the diet of humans. Some rivers supported fishing activities, but were ill-suited to farming, such as those in the Pacific Northwest . Other animals that live in or near rivers like frogs , mussels , and beavers could provide food and valuable goods such as fur . Humans have been building infrastructure to use rivers for thousands of years. The Sadd el-Kafara dam near Cairo , Egypt,
7808-412: The flow of the river beneath its surface. These help rivers flow straighter by increasing the speed of the water at the middle of the channel, helping to control floods. Levees are also used for this purpose. They can be thought of as dams constructed on the sides of rivers, meant to hold back water from flooding the surrounding area during periods of high rainfall. They are often constructed by building up
7930-399: The flow, causing it to reflect in the other direction. Thus, a bend in the river is created. Rivers may run through low, flat regions on their way to the sea. These places may have floodplains that are periodically flooded when there is a high level of water running through the river. These events may be referred to as "wet seasons' and "dry seasons" when the flooding is predictable due to
8052-615: The following months. Work pulling up the rails started in September 1991 and was completed on February 18, 1992. In 1985, the Anne Arundel County Parks department started work on a rail-trail south of Dorsey Avenue. In 1990, work was completed on the Baltimore & Annapolis Rail Trail and it opened on October 7. The light rail line along the old B&A right-of-way opened in three parts in 1992 and 1993. A three-station extension to Patapsco , just across
8174-650: The form of leaves. In this type of ecosystem, collectors and shredders will be most active. As the river becomes deeper and wider, it may move slower and receive more sunlight . This supports invertebrates and a variety of fish , as well as scrapers feeding on algae. Further downstream, the river may get most of its energy from organic matter that was already processed upstream by collectors and shredders. Predators may be more active here, including fish that feed on plants, plankton , and other fish. The flood pulse concept focuses on habitats that flood seasonally, including lakes and marshes . The land that interfaces with
8296-508: The goddess Isis were said to be the cause of the river's yearly flooding, itself personified by the goddess Hapi . Many African religions regard certain rivers as the originator of life. In Yoruba religion , Yemọja rules over the Ogun River in modern-day Nigeria and is responsible for creating all children and fish. Some sacred rivers have religious prohibitions attached to them, such as not being allowed to drink from them or ride in
8418-428: The irrigation of desert environments for growing food. Growing food at scale allowed people to specialize in other roles, form hierarchies, and organize themselves in new ways, leading to the birth of civilization. In pre-industrial society , rivers were a source of transportation and abundant resources. Many civilizations depended on what resources were local to them to survive. Shipping of commodities, especially
8540-469: The land for $ 450,000 on the condition that they could end passenger rail service because they were running an annual operating deficit of $ 100,000. At the time, the B&A was running 49 passenger trains and 3 freight trains between Baltimore and Annapolis. In September 1949, the B&A formally requested permission to abandon passenger car service. In December 1949, the Public Services Commission granted their request to end passenger rail service but, as
8662-440: The landscape around it, forming deltas and islands where the flow slows down. Rivers rarely run in a straight line, instead, they bend or meander ; the locations of a river's banks can change frequently. Rivers get their alluvium from erosion , which carves rock into canyons and valleys . Rivers have sustained human and animal life for millennia, including the first human civilizations . The organisms that live around or in
8784-500: The larger Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway (WB&A). The WB&A went bankrupt in 1935 and the railroad emerged from the bankruptcy as the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad. B&A electric passenger operation between the two cities continued until 1950 when the section of rail between Carrol Junction and Clifford Junction was purchased for the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. At that time
8906-434: The late summer, when there may be less snow left to melt, helping to ensure that the rivers downstream of the glaciers have a continuous supply of water. Rivers flow downhill, with their direction determined by gravity . A common misconception holds that all or most rivers flow from North to South, but this is not true. As rivers flow downstream, they eventually merge to form larger rivers. A river that feeds into another
9028-474: The level of river branching in a drainage basin. Several systems of stream order exist, one of which is the Strahler number . In this system, the first tributaries of a river are 1st order rivers. When two 1st order rivers merge, the resulting river is 2nd order. If a river of a higher order and a lower order merge, the order is incremented from whichever of the previous rivers had the higher order. Stream order
9150-407: The line ended. The WCLR had operated under the direct ownership of the county prior to its ownership by the B&A. The right of way continued to be owned by the county and was initially leased to the B&A for a period of 30 years. Operations by the B&A started shortly after filing. The B&A's operation and major ownership of railroad lines in the Carolinas ended on December 18, 2015, with
9272-703: The line ran immediately west/south of the Curtis Bay branch, passed under the Curtis Bay branch and then ran parallel to the South Baltimore branch, over the Western Maryland Railway and Gwynns Falls through Westport to Carrol Junction and the Camden Cutoff. During its heyday, the years between 1918 and the late 1920s, the B&A transported as many as 1,750,000 passengers per year between Baltimore and Annapolis. Trains left every hour from 6 am through 11 pm (during rush hours ,
9394-473: The line would shrink through a series of abandonments and sell its property to various entities. In 1979, Anne Arundel County purchased the no longer used section of the 66-foot (20 m) wide right of way from Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie to the north shore of the Severn River for the purpose of creating the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail and park. In 1983, the B&A sold the right-of-way from
9516-432: The line, which the company could not afford to perform. Horry County had placed the railroad in default over lack of lease payments during this time period. The B&A has not operated publicly under the name Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad Company during its time owning and operating rail lines in the Carolinas, but does roster one former C&O EMD SW9 in B&A paint (#87), and a former N&W boxcar lettered for
9638-561: The local ecosystems of rivers needed less protection as humans became less reliant on them for their continued flourishing. River engineering began to develop projects that enabled industrial hydropower , canals for the more efficient movement of goods, as well as projects for flood prevention . River transportation has historically been significantly cheaper and faster than transportation by land. Rivers helped fuel urbanization as goods such as grain and fuel could be floated downriver to supply cities with resources. River transportation
9760-407: The mechanical shadoof began to be used to raise the elevation of water. Drought years harmed crop yields, and leaders of society were incentivized to ensure regular water and food availability to remain in power. Engineering projects like the shadoof and canals could help prevent these crises. Despite this, there is evidence that floodplain-based civilizations may have been abandoned occasionally at
9882-400: The migration routes of fish and destroy habitats. Rivers that flow freely from headwaters to the sea have better water quality, and also retain their ability to transport nutrient-rich alluvium and other organic material downstream, keeping the ecosystem healthy. The creation of a lake changes the habitat of that portion of water, and blocks the transportation of sediment, as well as preventing
10004-615: The name Carolina Southern Railroad (reporting marks CALA). All public business outside of federal railroad filings were performed under the auspices of the CALA. In June 2001, the Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad (WCLR), a new division of the B&A, filed to operate 14.1 miles (22.7 km) of railroad owned by Horry County, SC between the current terminus of the CALA in Conway, SC and the city of Myrtle Beach, SC where
10126-399: The natural meandering of the river. Dams block the migration of fish such as salmon for which fish ladder and other bypass systems have been attempted, but these are not always effective. Pollution from factories and urban areas can also damage water quality. " Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a widely used chemical that breaks down at a slow rate. It has been found in
10248-429: The natural terrain with soil or clay. Some levees are supplemented with floodways, channels used to redirect floodwater away from farms and populated areas. Dams restrict the flow of water through a river. They can be built for navigational purposes, providing a higher level of water upstream for boats to travel in. They may also be used for hydroelectricity , or power generation from rivers. Dams typically transform
10370-425: The plain show evidence of a river network, and even river deltas. These images reveal channels formed in the rock, recognized by geologists who study rivers on Earth as being formed by rivers, as well as "bench and slope" landforms, outcroppings of rock that show evidence of river erosion. Not only do these formations suggest that rivers once existed, but that they flowed for extensive time periods, and were part of
10492-454: The purpose of a trail and together with other Jaycees they cleared the ROW for hiking and advocated to make it a county-owned trail and park. In 1976, after losing their case to abandon the whole railroad; the B&A, Anne Arundel County and Annapolis requested permission to abandon the 15 miles between Glen Burnie, MD, and Annapolis. Permission was granted in 1978 and the rail south of Glen Burnie
10614-495: The rail line into a trail. The MTA was already planning to use the right-of-way for transit if the abandonment was allowed and Lipin's constituents didn't want it turned into a busway; but Lipin noted that even if had transit, it could still have a trail too. The next year, while service was down and the abandonment cases were litigated, the Severna Park Jaycees leased the unused portion of the track through town for
10736-533: The railroad was seeking permission to replace passenger rail with buses. In 1947, the city began to negotiate the purchase of about 4000 feet of the railroad to Baltimore for use as part of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (BW Parkway). The land ran from Russell Street to just north of the B&O's Curtis Bay Branch and consisted of the line that the B&A had used to access its Baltimore terminal. The B&A agreed to sell and clear
10858-541: The railroads' closure. It was the second railroad to serve Annapolis and provided a faster connection to Baltimore, taking a more direct path along the north shore of the Severn River and then crossing the river into Annapolis. The railroad transformed the once-secluded banks of the Severn to a series of suburban communities. The railroad started as a steam powered line running from a station in Annapolis, on Bladen Street just south of St. John's College, crossing
10980-448: The removal of natural banks replaced with revetments , this sediment output has been reduced by 60%. The most basic river projects involve the clearing of obstructions like fallen trees. This can scale up to dredging , the excavation of sediment buildup in a channel, to provide a deeper area for navigation. These activities require regular maintenance as the location of the river banks changes over time, floods bring foreign objects into
11102-536: The reverse, death and destruction, especially through floods . This power has caused rivers to have a central role in religion , ritual , and mythology . In Greek mythology , the underworld is bordered by several rivers. Ancient Greeks believed that the souls of those who perished had to be borne across the River Styx on a boat by Charon in exchange for money. Souls that were judged to be good were admitted to Elysium and permitted to drink water from
11224-468: The river, and natural sediment buildup continues. Artificial channels are often constructed to "cut off" winding sections of a river with a shorter path, or to direct the flow of a river in a straighter direction. This effect, known as channelization, has made the distance required to traverse the Missouri River in 116 kilometres (72 mi) shorter. Dikes are channels built perpendicular to
11346-552: The river. Areas of a river with softer rock weather faster than areas with harder rock, causing a difference in elevation between two points of a river. This can cause the formation of a waterfall as the river's flow falls down a vertical drop. A river in a permeable area does not exhibit this behavior and may even have raised banks due to sediment. Rivers also change their landscape through their transportation of sediment , often known as alluvium when applied specifically to rivers. This debris comes from erosion performed by
11468-625: The river. A country that is downstream of another may object to the upstream country diverting too much water for agricultural uses, pollution, as well as the creation of dams that change the river's flow characteristics. For example, Egypt has an agreement with Sudan requiring a specific minimum volume of water to pass into the Nile yearly over the Aswan Dam , to maintain both countries access to water. The importance of rivers throughout human history has given them an association with life and fertility . They have also become associated with
11590-457: The rivers themselves, debris swept into rivers by rainfall, as well as erosion caused by the slow movement of glaciers. The sand in deserts and the sediment that forms bar islands is from rivers. The particle size of the debris is gradually sorted by the river, with heavier particles like rocks sinking to the bottom, and finer particles like sand or silt carried further downriver . This sediment may be deposited in river valleys or carried to
11712-412: The rivers. Due to these impermeable surfaces, these rivers often have very little alluvium carried in them, causing more erosion once the river exits the impermeable area. It has historically been common for sewage to be directed directly to rivers via sewer systems without being treated, along with pollution from industry. This has resulted in a loss of animal and plant life in urban rivers, as well as
11834-574: The sale of all but one mile of its CALA rail lines to the R.J. Corman Railroad Group , operating under a new railroad for this line, R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Carolina Lines, LLC (RJCS). The one additional mile that remains under the ownership of the CALA was leased to the RJCS. The company also retained ownership of the Conway, SC depot and other land assets along the right of way. The railroad lines had been out of service since 2011 due to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) orders to repair bridges along
11956-427: The sale of the B&A's right-of-way, one of the sticking points was that the B&A wanted to retain exclusive rights to run freight on the line at night. They relented on this, but when the sale went through they were still hoping to continue to run freight with the rolling stock they retained. They did not get the freight contract and so began looking elsewhere to use their rolling stock and invest their profits from
12078-485: The sale of the right-of-way. On February 9, 1995, the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad Company, by that time merely an entity on paper with a locomotive, filed to acquire and operate approximately 75.9 miles (122.1 km) of rail line from the Mid Atlantic Railroad , which operated track between Mullin's, SC and Whiteville NC, and between Chadbourn, NC and Conway, SC. This line was operated under
12200-409: The sea from their mouths. Depending on the activity of waves, the strength of the river, and the strength of the tidal current, the sediment can accumulate to form new land. When viewed from above, a delta can appear to take the form of several triangular shapes as the river mouth appears to fan out from the original coastline . In hydrology , a stream order is a positive integer used to describe
12322-414: The sea to breed in freshwater rivers are anadromous. Salmon are an anadromous fish that may die in the river after spawning, contributing nutrients back to the river ecosystem. Modern river engineering involves a large-scale collection of independent river engineering structures that have the goal of flood control , improved navigation, recreation, and ecosystem management. Many of these projects have
12444-412: The site of a Holiday Inn . At the same time, most of the old Shortline track between Linthicum and Westport was abandoned, except for a section between Baltimore Highlands and the B&O Clifford interchange which was kept to handle freight to and from the B&O. The "new" (B&O-built) Annapolis Shortline ROW between Clifford and Westport was also retained for freight interchange, though this segment
12566-490: The south shore of the Severn River to Annapolis Street, as well as the trestle across the Severn, to the Wardour Improvement Association (WIA), an Annapolis homeowners association, for $ 1. In the spring of 1984, the railroad — consisting of the 6 mile long, 70-foot wide right-of-way, a 1950 diesel-engine, a flat car, a motorized track-inspection car and some miscellaneous property —
12688-519: The spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera . In modern times, sewage treatment and controls on pollution from factories have improved the water quality of urban rivers. Climate change can change the flooding cycles and water supply available to rivers. Floods can be larger and more destructive than expected, causing damage to the surrounding areas. Floods can also wash unhealthy chemicals and sediment into rivers. Droughts can be deeper and longer, causing rivers to run dangerously low. This
12810-534: The state commissioned a study of options for turning the rail line, perhaps as far as Annapolis, into a light rail line. Negotiations started shortly thereafter. In May 1991, Maryland bought the still active part of the B&A railroad for the southern leg of the light rail system for $ 9 million, but the state had to promise to maintain freight operations to appease the Interstate Commerce Commission. The railroad ceased operation in
12932-403: The state-owned Canton Railroad . Once light rail trains started operations to Linthicum however the freight rail service had to moved to nights. In 1996, MTA commissioned a study to analyze the environmental impact of extending the light rail 0.75 miles (1.21 km) along the B&A right-of-way, by then the B&A Trail, as far south as 1st Avenue in Glen Burnie. During negotiations for
13054-421: The station in both directions along its route. This tram-, streetcar-, or light rail-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Maryland train station-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad The Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad (B&A) was an American railroad of central Maryland built in
13176-410: The surface of the Earth. Rivers flow in channeled watercourses and merge in confluences to form drainage basins , areas where surface water eventually flows to a common outlet. Rivers have a great effect on the landscape around them. They may regularly overflow their banks and flood the surrounding area, spreading nutrients to the surrounding area. Sediment or alluvium carried by rivers shapes
13298-466: The trains left every 30 minutes). Because of its strong performance, the neighboring WB&A bought the Annapolis Shortline in 1921 and it became part of the WB&A system in which it was called the North Shore Line . Afterward, Shortline trains were routed over the WB&A between Linthicum and the WB&A's new Baltimore terminal at the corner of Howard & Lombard Streets, now
13420-535: The west of, the B&A tracks between Linthicum and Clifford. Despite the upgrade, steam-powered trains continued to operate on the line until 1919. Unlike most electric railways of its time, which employed a low voltage Direct Current electrification, the line installed a 6,600 volt, 25 cycle, single phase Alternating Current electrification system newly developed by the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company . The pioneering AC system
13542-557: The wide Severn River estuary on a long timber trestle , and on to Clifford on the B&O line, where it used the B&O tracks to terminate at Camden Station in Baltimore. Because the A&B Shortline created an almost straight line southeast from Baltimore it snatched much of the Baltimore-Annapolis trade away from the Annapolis, Washington & Baltimore Railroad on which passengers had to change trains at Odenton or Annapolis Junction. At some point prior to 1892,
13664-492: Was a six-mile (9.7 km) stub from the B&O Junction near Cherry Hill to Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie with occasional runs farther south to deliver sand or coal. In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes washed out the B&A's Patapsco River Bridge. As a result, the B&A stopped operating south of the Patapsco River. Alco-Gravure, which owned a printing plant in Glen Burnie served by the B&A, quickly sued to force
13786-411: Was abandoned. In 1973, the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad's public bus system was absorbed by Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) as Route 14 . The company continued as a charter bus service but that ceased in 1982. The state began eyeing the B&A for rapid transit passenger service to Baltimore as early as 1963, but it would take decades for that to happen, and over the intervening years
13908-667: Was built in 1904 to provide power to the railroad and renovated in 1989 when the trail was built. As Part of state highway project, a bike lane along route 50 and the Severn River Bridge, connected the trail to Annapolis. It now hosts an antique shop. In between it hosted an ice house, a restaurant and the Anne Arundel County Historic Society's headquarters. River A river is a natural freshwater stream that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at
14030-432: Was demanded by city leaders along the line, required them to continue freight service. The B&A announced the end of passenger service that month. To prepare for the loss of passenger rail service the B&A began offering scheduled commuter bus service between Baltimore, Glen Burnie, and Annapolis, along with its passenger rail service. A proposal for the line to be acquired by the B&O Railroad for freight service
14152-507: Was discarded when the B&O's studies concluded it would require $ 1.35 million in infrastructure improvements to bring it up to Class 1 railroad standards. The B&A ended rail passenger service on February 5, 1950, and used the money from the sale of part of the line to purchase 11 more buses (creating a fleet of 42 for the route) and a new diesel electric locomotive. It reorganized into two companies, one that ran passenger buses and one that ran freight rail. The old bypass
14274-447: Was later abandoned in 1979. Gross receipts for the WB&A began to decline almost as soon as it bought the B&A in 1921. For the next decade, the WB&A only survived because of a law exempting it from taxes. In January 1931, the extension of the law failed to pass by one vote and the line went into receivership. The line remained in operation for four more years until it officially ceased on August 20, 1935. The WB&A
14396-519: Was less than fully successful, however, and in 1914, new owners switched to DC. When it did, the B&O was wary of a high-voltage, as both the WB&A and Shortline then used 3300v AC over its tracks, overhead line between the Clifford interchange and Camden Station ; so the B&O built a new line for the Shortline between Clifford Junction and its mainline at Russell Street. Leaving Clifford,
14518-497: Was removed north of the Curtis Bay Branch and part of it was replaced with the BW Parkway later that year; and the electric wires were removed from the remaining line. In 1961, there was a 25-day experiment with commuter rail to Camden Station from Harundale, but it proved to be too slow. In addition the line continued to provide excursion rides (including bringing Santa to town or providing rides on Ferndale Day every May) into
14640-554: Was sold at public auction with scrap dealers buying most of the rolling stock . Selling the B&A rail for scrap would have cut off the capital from rail travel, so state officials and the Naval Academy convinced the bondholders not to scrap the B&A line. The right-of-way and some equipment were instead bought by the Bondholders Protective Society who then formed the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad Company . This company negotiated an agreement with
14762-505: Was sold to Ken Pippin for less than $ 1 million. At that point it served a lumber company and two paper companies in Anne Arundel County. On September 16, 1987, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the B&A, B&A number 50 made one final run on the line from Linthicum Station to Camden Station. It was then donated to and retired at the B&O Railroad Museum . The freight line continued to operate with
14884-438: Was torn down. The draw and sections of the bridge north and south of it had been removed by 1983. MTA had been talking about turning the B&A into a transit line since at the early 1960s, but it took 20 years to become reality. In 1967 a Maryland Mass transit steering committee was formed and quickly identified the B&A line as a good candidate for a mass transit system to Harundale or perhaps as far as Annapolis. In 1987
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