As a compliment to the Railroad Park project idea, a couple years ago I proposed an idea to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park for a future project.  Traditionally "rail trails" are former railroad right-of-ways turned into walking and biking trails to preserve them for future recommission, my proposal for a rail trail however takes a slightly different approach.  The Great Race Rail Trail would be in reality a specially designated portion of the C&O Canal Towpath measuring about 18 miles long, running from the Monocacy Aqueduct to Harpers Ferry.  Along the trail would be historical information and designated photography locations.

This portion of the C&O Canal is the only portion (with the exception of Cumberland) where the railroad and canal are paralleled.  This fact was the cause of a highly publicized and closely watched legal battle in 1834, in which the C&O Canal Company backed by the US Government, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company backed by the politicians and businessmen of the city of Baltimore, disputed over the rights to the narrow stretch of land between mountain and river.  In the end the canal company won the dispute and the railroad was left to blast room for passage, however the railroad quickly caught up and passed the canal construction within 4 years.  By the time the canal company had finished construction to Cumberland, the railroad was already well past that city and nearing its  Ohio River destination.

Along this stretch of right of way are located several interesting communities and points of interest.  The Monocacy Aqueduct (and its view of the CSX Railroad Monocacy Bridge), Point of Rocks famous railroad station and tunnel, Catoctin Tunnel, the soon-to-be-reconstructed Catoctin Aqueduct and the parallel Catoctin Viaduct (one of the oldest railroad bridges in the country), the historic and still active Brunswick Railroad Yard (and the museum and potential railroad park), the failed industrial town of Weverton, the former locomotive facility town of Sandy Hook, and of course the Tunnel, bridges, and National Park at Harpers Ferry.  Views pointed out as photography locations along this trail and in surrounding areas would provide some of the best settings in the area for safe photography of the active mainline (Currently some of these locations are accessed across the canal bed while without adequate safety precautions available).  In fact many historic publicity photographs used by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during the early 1900s are taken from these locations, and those photographs could be provided in displays for those who wish to match modern to historic.

This proposed rail trail would emphasize this little known portion of history and provide a safe atmosphere for viewing passing trains in some of the most stunning settings, with cliffs on one side and the trees along the canal prism on the other, and the Potomac River beyond.