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Sticky G Performs at the SS B&O Station Open House

Sticky G bandmembersSpecial Guests: Sticky G

Showtimes at 11-11:45, 12-12:45, and 1-1:45

Join us in welcoming the acoustic band Sticky G. They feature family-friendly cover songs from classic rock, such as the Eagles, Dylan, CCR, Jimmy Buffet, Beatles, Grateful Dead, and other well-known standards. Of course, there will be train songs for this special occasion! Sticky G has entertained audiences at numerous DC metro and Delaware events for over 10 years.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage #4, 8100 Fenton Street. This garage has an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue, while traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station. The Silver Spring Metro Station is located four blocks away at 8400 Colesville Avenue.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Co-hosted by Montgomery Preservation and Silver Spring Historical Society
and presented in collaboration with SSTCi

SSTCi LogoFind out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

SS B&O Station Open House: The History of the Georgetown Branch of the B&O Railroad

Special Event: Presentation on the Georgetown Branch at 12:30 pm (appropriate for ages 11 and up)

Georgetown Branch
Credit: William Duvall, ca 1966

The 11.5 mile branch stretched from just west of Silver Spring, MD across Rock Creek, through Chevy Chase and Bethesda, and along the palisades of the Potomac river into Georgetown in DC. Trains operated from 1892 until 1985 and the line featured a long, tall trestle, a tunnel, and industrial street running. Industries served included cement plants, lumber yards, fuel dealers, three power plants and even a Frito factory. Ben Sullivan will share the colorful history of the line through rare photographs, historic maps, and key stories from its 93-year run.

Co-sponsors: Montgomery Preservation, Silver Spring Historical Society, & Bethesda Historical Society

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.
  • Show off your favorite train-related outfit!

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage #4, 8100 Fenton Street. This garage has an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue, while traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station. The Silver Spring Metro Station is located four blocks away at 8400 Colesville Avenue.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Find out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

SS B&O Station Open House: Hands-On Activities with Brains Plus Reptile Petting Zoo

live turtle plus digital renderings of two brainsDuring our October Open House, you can enjoy two special events!

Learn about Animal and Human Brains from 11 am to 1 pm

Members of the Laboratory for Evolutionary Neuroscience from The George Washington University will bring a pop-up exhibit featuring 3D brain models for fun hands-on activities to explore how brains come in different shapes and sizes and what they can teach us about how animals think, behave, and evolve.

Reptile Talk at 1 pm

Join Professor Emeritus Ray Bosmans, Mid Atlantic Turtle and Tortoise Society, to learn about and touch many different types of reptiles. Thinking about owning a turtle as a pet? Ask Dr. Bosmans how you can be a turtle parent.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage #4, 8100 Fenton Street. This garage has an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue, while traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station. The Silver Spring Metro Station is located four blocks away at 8400 Colesville Avenue.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Open House Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation & Silver Spring Historical Society

Find out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

Bethesda Meeting House – August Open House

Please join us to beat the heat at the historic Bethesda Meeting House (9400 Rockville Pike.) Relax beneath old shade trees with other Bethesda history lovers. You’ll have the opportunity to tour the site and learn more about it. You are also welcome to bring your gloves, tools and your energy if you’d like to help us garden. We are looking forward to seeing you. There is no need to RSVP.  Ample parking is available.

Dinosaur Park Comes to the Train Station

Sunday, September 6, 10 am – 2 pm (pop-up museum from 11 am – 1 pm)

Dinosaur ParkStop by the station to learn about Maryland dinosaurs from the paleontologists from Dinosaur Park!

We welcome a pop-up museum from 11 am – 1 pm courtesy of M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage and lot #4, 8100 Fenton Street, with an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue. Traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Open House Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation & Silver Spring Historical Society

Find out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

Bethesda Meeting House April Clean-Up and Open House

Bethesda Historical Society, a MPI Member Organization, is organizing its renovation. Early Spring is a great time to tour the grounds and buildings and learn more about the history of this unique place just a block north of NIH. Enjoy a quiet walk through the adjacent cemetery founded in 1820 where some of Bethesda’s first families now rest.

You could also bring your gloves, garden tools, rakes, shovels and battery-powered leaf blowers to help us maintain the beauty of this amazing place.

No need to RSVP. Ample parking is available. The location is 9400 Rockville Pike, accessible only when driving south towards NIH.

Silver Spring B&O Station May Open House Featuring a Walking Tour of Silver Spring

Jerry McCoy at acornJoin Silver Spring Historical Society founder Jerry A. McCoy on a FREE one-mile walking tour to the spring site after which the community was named.

McCoy is the author of “Historic Silver Spring” (2005) and “Downtown Silver Spring” (2010). He is a retired special collections librarian/archivist from the DC Public Library’s Washingtoniana Division and Peabody Room.

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Meeting Place: Tour starts and ends at the Silver Spring Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station.

Weather: This event will be cancelled if it’s rainy – please check back here to confirm the event status.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage and lot #4, 8100 Fenton Street, with an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue. Traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Open House Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation & Silver Spring Historical Society

Check out photos from previous Open Houses

Live Irish Music Inside the Cool B&O Station

Special Guests: The Foleys’ Irish Band, two showtimes: 11 am to 12 pm plus 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

Celebrate the rich traditions of Irish music! Led by Limerick native Neil Foley and joined by his son Con, this talented father-and-son duo brings authentic Celtic folk and fiddle music to life.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage and lot #4, 8100 Fenton Street, with an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue. Traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

Co-hosted by Montgomery Preservation and Silver Spring Historical Society
and presented in collaboration with SSTCi

SSTCi Logo

Find out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

Silver Spring B&O Station Heritage Marker Dedication & Open House

MPI is joining in the fun and holding our June Open House on Saturday, June 27 (11 am to 4 pm) during Montgomery County’s 27th annual Heritage Days weekend.

Special Events

  • 11:00 am: Dedication of Silver Spring Baltimore & Ohio Station Heritage Marker

Join SSHS and MPI for the unveiling of the newest Silver Heritage Trail sign!  The colorful, double-sided sign will commemorate the original 1878 and replacement 1946 station as Silver Spring’s “The Hub of Growth” and “The Station Masters,” who operated them for a total of 119 years. Read more information about the other Silver Heritage Trail signs located in downtown Silver Spring.

Dedication Remarks: Jerry McCoy, President of Silver Spring Historical Society

Special Guests: County Executive Marc Elrich plus Descendants of Jonathan Burns and Robert Davis, former Station Masters

  • 12:30 pm: Storyteller Jane Dorfman
Jane Dorfman
Jane Dorfman

Ms. Dorfman shares folk tales, fairy tales, and personal stories with audiences of all ages. She is dedicated to passing on the world’s amazing heritage of stories and loves to transport her listeners through her craft. You can learn more about her work at her website or YouTube channel.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society.
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

Please note that the number of parking spaces is limited. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage and lot #4, 8100 Fenton Street, with an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue. Traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station.

There is a special needs space and ramp at the station, along with an accessible entrance and restroom.

The station is a Montgomery County Historic Site, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District. 

Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation & Silver Spring Historical Society

Find out more: rentals | station highlights | support the station maintenance fund | photos from past events

Silver Spring B&O Station April Open House: Streamlined Trains

Special Feature: “Streamlined Trains” @11am

Hickory Creek, the observation car from the NYC 1948 20th Century Limited

Railroads have played an enormous role in America’s development and culture, none more dramatic in public perception than the iconic 20th-century locomotive and passenger cars designs for the Country’s high end railroad passengers and luxury trains. Beginning in the 1930s, Art Deco emerged as a prominent design theme. For railroads, Art Deco was manifested in streamlining, smooth design and innovative use of interior space and function. Using commentary and slides, David Vaughn will trace and illustrate these dramatic developments, using as examples the works of and rivalry between two well-known 20th-century industrial designers: Raymond Loewy and Henry Dreyfus.

Loewy styled the locomotives and designed the trains for the 1938 and 1948 Broadway Limiteds of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Dreyfuss styled the locomotives and designed the 1938 and 1948 20th Century Limiteds for the New York Central Railroad. They battled for design supremacy for their respective railroads, which were themselves staunch rivals. The commissions awarded to Loewy and Dreyfuss gave them control of all design aspects of the engines and cars, from locomotive styling, down to and including china and menus for the dining cars, and everything in between. David’s presentation will also touch on the period through and after WWII into the 1950s, during which Art Deco continued to influence railroad design.

City of Chicago

David Vaughn, by profession an attorney, arbitrator and mediator in labor and employment disputes, is a life-long railroad enthusiast who participates in multiple railroad, rail fan and model railroad organizations, including the New York Central Historical Society. He holds or has held offices in a number of such organizations. He and his wife Catherine own and are restoring the 1950 Pullman-built streamlined lightweight passenger car City of Chicago, a combination sleeping, dining, and lounge car previously owned by the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (the “Nickel Plate Road”). The car is a prime example of Art Deco design. David served as National Director of the Nickel Plate Road Historical and Technical Society.

Highlighting the Cincinnatian, the B&O’s Last Streamliner: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is most remembered for being the first common carrier railroad in the United States. It also had a storied passenger service fleet, including several streamlined trainsets such as the Royal Blue and Capitol Limited. Nicholas Bulgarino of Bulgarino Locomotive Works will cover the development and history of the Cincinnatian, the last streamliner the B&O created.

These presentations will include a display of a scale model of the 1948 20th Century Limited and a model of the Cincinnatian, and be followed by an opportunity for questions and comments. Appropriate for ages 11 and up.

Ongoing Activities

  • Take a self-guided tour outside & inside the station.
  • “Train Spot” under the canopy! See locomotives galore! Wave at the engineers!
  • Indoors, enjoy the HO-scale model train display courtesy of the Rockville Model Railroad Society
  • Play with wooden toy train sets.
  • Visit the station manager’s ticket office and 1945 telephone booth.
  • See railroad photos & memorabilia, including the original B&O “Drumhead,” along with photos & memorabilia of the original Downtown Silver Spring.

This station is in the National Register of Historic Places, a Montgomery County Historic Site, and a gem in Silver Spring’s Arts & Entertainment District.

Please note that because of contractor equipment using the lot, the number of available parking spaces will be limited. There is a special needs space and ramp at the station. Additional parking is available one block away at county garage and lot #4, 8100 Fenton Street, with an additional entrance off of Sligo Avenue. Traffic and crosswalk lights facilitate crossing Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue in front of the station.

Open House Co-Hosted by Montgomery Preservation & Silver Spring Historical Society

Check out photos from past Open Houses

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