For other places with the same name, see Kensington station (disambiguation).

Kensington is a passenger railroad station at 10417 Howard Avenue in Kensington, Maryland, United States. Opened by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1891, the Kensington station is today served by MARC Train's Brunswick Line, which makes 15 weekday scheduled stops at Kensington, plus one flag stop on Fridays.

Station layout

Kensington station has a former B&O station master's house. The building is open during the Kensington Farmers Market, which is held in the station parking lot. Inside there is an old stove, waiting area, and restrooms. Tickets can be purchased from a self-service machine. During the Kensington Labor Day Parade, CSX Transportation, which currently owns the railroad line, offers free souvenirs. There is also a small model train layout. The platform is a low-level concrete platform. On the other side, there is a covered waiting area and some benches. Elaborate safety measures can be found on the crosswalk between the platforms leading to the station entrance that include crossbuck signs with warning bells, highway signs, and pedestrian signals.[4] The station is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, lacking raised platforms for level boarding.

History

The B&O completed construction of the Metropolitan Branch through Montgomery County in 1873.[5]: 7  The line connected Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland and points west.

Initially, the settlement around the railroad line was known as Knowles Station. The town was incorporated in 1894 and was named Kensington at that time. The B&O station was designed by architect Ephraim Francis Baldwin and opened in 1891.[5]: 32–33  [6] From 1893 to 1935, the station was used as a terminal for the Kensington Electric Railway, which offered streetcar service to Chevy Chase, Maryland. The station is a contributing property to the Kensington Historic District.

Gallery

  • MARC Locomotive #72 arrives at Kensington station
    MARC Locomotive #72 arrives at Kensington station
  • Kensington station shelter
    Kensington station shelter

See also

References

  1. ^ "MARC Station Information". MTA Maryland. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "MARC Brunswick Line Technical Report" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  3. ^ National Register of Historic Places Listings; September 14, 1980
  4. ^ Flickr photo by John Mueller
  5. ^ a b Soderberg, Susan C. (1998). The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, Its Stations and Towns. Germantown, MD: Germantown Historical Society.
  6. ^ Traceries and Preservation Associates (1992). Vision of Kensington: A Long-Range Preservation Plan (PDF) (Report). Montgomery County Council, Rockville, MD. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2009. p. 14.

Further reading

External links