Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

This is one of the most, if not the most, beautiful railroad stations in America. You can easily be captivated and transported back to 1873 when you stand on the platform of the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station. What’s even more fascinating is that it’s still used as a daily commuter station for the MARC train into Union Station ... Read More »

This photo begs further investigation (click on it for high-resolution). This looks like a massive train wreck (obviously), and what continues to amaze me is in those days, people would rapidly gather around a crash site to inspect it. Two large freight trains were barreling down the same track towards each other when collided in a massive explosion of steel ... Read More »

This is a guest post by Aaron. He also wrote a really popular post on red metro trains. At first glance, this looks like a mundane promotional photo from the early days of Metro’s Judiciary Square station.  It isn’t.  You’re looking at a full-scale “experimental” station built in 1968 to practice underground building techniques.  It wasn’t underground.  And it wasn’t at ... Read More »

This is a guest post by Aaron. He also wrote a cool one on the 1940 U.S. Census. We suspect you’ve ridden Metro for many years – without seeing anything quite like these stunning “glossy red” train cars.  They were part of the original plan.  Sure they’re sleek and sporty but they never progressed beyond the drawings and models seen here. ... Read More »

Last week, we did a quick post on Fort Lincoln Heights. Now, I’d like to focus a little more on Deanwood, the former neighborhood of both Nannie Helen Burroughs and Marvin Gaye. 1. Before the Deanwood metro … way before Deanwood’s metro stop recently had a dubious label attached to it. You’ll read later in this post that a different ... Read More »