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[[Image:Chesapeake_Beach_Railway_Museum.jpg|right|250px]]Build a lavish resort town on the shores of the [[Chesapeake Bay]], with reliable and covenient convenient railroad service from [[Washington]] and [[Baltimore]]. That was the vision of Otto Mears , an independent, short line railroad builder from Colorado.

In the late 1890's, Mears and a group of Denver associates designed [[Chesapeake Beach, Maryland]] as a resort town complete with beachfront hotels, a race track, casino, bathhouses and beaches. A 1600-foot boardwalk was built over the water, supporting various attractions: a band shell, a carousel, a dance pavilion, a roller coaster and many entertainment booths. A mile-long pier was built to receive passengers arriving daily by streamer from Baltimore in the summer months.

Construction of the railway began at the same time, and on June 9, 1900, the first train arrived at [[Chesapeake Beach]] with much fanfare a full load of passengers. The one-hour excursion, nicknamed the "Honeysuckle Route," carried passengers and freight daily through the Southern Maryland countryside. Like the trip itself, however, the train to Chesapeake Beach wasn't destined to last very long. Financial hardship caused by the Great Depression of the 1930's and the increasing popularity of the automobile brought on the demise of the railroad. On April 15, 1935, the final train chugged away from the Chesapeake Beach station with its last passengers.

 == Historic Photos == [[Image:083626pr.jpg]]Chesapeake Beach Railroad Engine House, 21 Yost Place, Seat Pleasant, Prince George's County, Md. VIEW NORTH, YARD NORTH OF ENGINE HOUSE, SHOWING WATER TANK AND SHOP Photocopy of photograph, 1941 (Courtesy of Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum; L. W. Rice, photographer). LoC. [[Image:083624pr.jpg]] Chesapeake Beach Railroad Engine House, 21 Yost Place, Seat Pleasant, Prince George's County, Md. VIEW SOUTH, NORTH ELEVATION SHOWING BAYS 2 and 3, DIESEL AND TURNTABLE Photocopy of photograph, 1976 (Courtesy of Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum; Roy Hartman, photographer). LoC. ==External links== * http://www.cbrm.org/ [[Category:Museums]][[Category:Historic Sites]][[Category:Calvert County, Maryland]]