Jump to benefits for: The Railroad  |  The Community  |  Tourists & the Public at large  |  Railfans

 

CSX Transportation

Perhaps the most difficult obstacle to this project, the current property owner, would in the end gain much benefit from the completion of the project as currently designed.

  • Fencing at a currently unsecured location along their major Right-of-way.
    • The possibility of a future partnership to provide matching fencing at most points for public and railroad employee safety.
  • A    safer location 30 feet from the tracks for families with children to watch trains.  Many of these families currently watch from the MARC station platforms within 6 feet of the trains!!!
  • The park would provide better nighttime lighting and further video surveillance around the track facilities, including the locomotive fueling facilities.
  • The public would be better informed regarding how to report suspicious or dangerous situations around the tracks.
  • Safety displays    and programs such as involvement with Operation Lifesaver would hold a strong emphasis throughout the train viewing areas, to give visitors and locals alike a better understanding of how and why to be safe around the railroad tracks.
  • Railroad transportation, and CSXT in particular, would be promoted as an efficient and economical way to transport goods across the country.
  • The B&O and Chessie System heritage of CSXT would be preserved and promoted.
  • A memorial would be dedicated in the park in honor of past and present railroad employees.

The Existing Community & Economy

  • Would provide a safe place for families in town to sit back, relax, and watch trains even in poor weather or heat, without needing to stay in the confines of a car or out in the hot sun during the summer.
  • Give a closer playground for families in the downtown area who do not wish to walk small children a half mile or more to the nearest park, and unlike the others in town this playground would be fully fenced to protect younger children.  (Currently there is City Park to the east end of town, the Pool playground at the High School, 2nd Avenue Park and Kim Weddle Park to the north, the playgrounds at the Elementary School, and West End Park below them.  This forms a circle around the edges of town, but no playground in the middle!)
  • An extra sidewalk in the 100 block of East Potomac Street, as well as paved sidewalks through the park which would be kept clear even in the winter for use by commuters who walk home.
  • Provide more tourists to the downtown area, who would shop, eat, and visit attractions in and around town.
  • Provide a beautiful addition to improve first impressions of the downtown area, visible for anyone arriving to town from the C&O Canal or parking at the MARC parking lot on weekends.
  • Preserve and promote local history.
  • Provide an extra stage for live performances during events such as Railroad Days
  • Serve as a welcome center for tourists and help orient new residents in partnership with the Museum.
  • Promote frequent visiting of the Museum, and museum events and special exhibits.

Tourism and General Public Benefits

Over the years several studies have been performed, some by the City, some by the railroad itself, which have reported that the only sustainable industry for Brunswick after the locomotive shops were closed in the mid 1950s  is tourism.  However today, over 50 years after the shops closed, and over 20 years since the railroad yard was downsized and its extensive staffing laid off, there is still very little in the way of true tourist infrastructure.  Primary tourist base through town are from three sources: The C&O Canal, from which a business may sell the occasional meal or drink but rarely can someone be enticed off of the trail into town, the Brunswick RR Museum which has served for 30 years to be a successful tourist draw but in itself is not enough to make Brunswick a true 'destination', and performances at Beans in the Belfry which serve to sustain that business.  Events such as Railroad Days assist in once-a-year economic boosts but can not sustain a struggling business, and Main Street's First Friday events bring locals downtown but little in the way of tourist revenues.  Railroad View Park as currently planned would attempt to form a bridge across which Brunswick can produce a steady tourism income to suppliment  limited local income.

  • Visitors would be provided with public restrooms, something that is extremely hard to find downtown.
  • The playground would prove to be the only one in the tourist district.
  • The park's proximity to the south entrance of town would entice more people from the C&O Canal to come take a look.
  • Businesses and restaurants in the downtown would be attractively promoted within the park to attempt to draw tourists to dine  and shop while in town.
  • The park would serve as a self-guided welcome and information center for visitors, even when the  Museum and C&O Canal Visitor Center are closed, and would direct visitors to them either that day if open, or on their next weekend visit.
  • Advertise community events to attempt to bring more attendance to Railroad Days, the Potomac River Family Festival, Hometown Holidays, First Friday, the Farmer's Market, etc.
  • Provide an attractive park for relaxing and shade where there currently is a bare open patch of grass.
  • Create a new attraction to make Brunswick more of a destination.  A museum will receive a visitor for a day, some well designed rail parks can receive visitors for entire weeks at a time!  (Promoting Green Country Inn as the "Replacement Y" and the "Lodging place of railroaders" would direct several of these dedicated railfans to stay at that establishment instead of a hotel at Harpers Ferry or Frederick.)

Railfans in particular

"Railfanning," the art of watching, documenting, and/or photographing trains can be a demanding hobby.  People travel the country looking for the best destinations.  Many of these folks, men and women of all ages, can be known to drive dozens or even hundreds of miles just to stand in the heat or the rain beside the train tracks and listen to a radio scanner to see when the next train is due.  Several of these people carry with them equipment that some would call excessive; expensive cameras, radio scanners, computers.  Catering to this hobby is rarely done but can be a valuable asset once word spreads to these hobbyists.

Currently nearby Point of Rocks is on the official list of the top 50 places in the United States to watch and photograph trains, this is primarily due to the historic train station and train volume.  Brunswick recieves the same number of trains, and has visible yard operations.  If such a park were offered, with the amenities projected, it would become the hotspot for casual watching and an ideal location for the avid photographer tourist.

  • Shaded and raised trackside location with a built in radio scanner and possibly an ATCS Dispatcher display.
  • Benches and tables for relaxing
  • historic rolling stock for comparison shots and foreground/background material
  • Physical proof that Brunswick welcomes photographers and railfans (Citing several incidents where railfans were wrongly arrested or harassed by local police in past years, which has scared off many formerly frequent visitors)
  • Provide direction to other points of interest and photographic locations in the downtown area for railroad aficionados
  • Provide safety information to those new to the hobby.
  • Serve as a 'base camp' with restrooms, wi-fi, and electrical access.

 

Any questions about these or other potential benefits of the park, feel free to email to RMossPhotos (at) Gmail.com!