Kensington (MARC station)

Kensington MARC commuter rail station
Station statistics
Address	10417 Howard Avenue Kensington, Maryland United States
Line(s)	Brunswick Line
Connections	Ride On
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Parking	Yes, 48 free spaces
Bicycle facilities	No
Other information
Opened	1891 (B&O)
Accessible
Owned by	MARC
Services
Preceding station   MARC   Following station Garrett Park toward Martinsburg or Frederick Brunswick Line Silver Spring toward Union Station     Former services     Baltimore and Ohio Rockville toward Chicago Grand Central Station Main Line (Metropolitan Branch) Silver Spring toward Baltimore Mount Royal Station
Kensington Railroad Station
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location	Kensington, Maryland, USA
Coordinates	39°1′36.4″N 77°4′18.5″W / 39.026778°N 77.071806°W / 39.026778; -77.071806Coordinates: 39°1′36.4″N 77°4′18.5″W / 39.026778°N 77.071806°W / 39.026778; -77.071806
Architect	Ephraim Francis Baldwin
Architectural style	Late Victorian
Governing body	Private
Part of	Kensington Historic District (#80001827)
Added to NRHP	September 14, 1980[1]

Kensington Station is a railroad passenger station located at 10417 Howard Avenue in Kensington, Maryland, United States. It was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O).

Kensington Station is currently served by MARC commuter trains operating on the Brunswick Line. There are fifteen weekday scheduled stops at Kensington Station and one flag stop on Fridays.

CSX Transportation, the owners of the railway line, operate frequent freight service over the line. Amtrak's Capitol Limited previously served the station, and have since dropped the stop from its timetables.^{[citation needed]}

Station house

The 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.^[2]

History

The B&O completed construction of the Metropolitan Branch through Montgomery County in 1873.^[3]: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.^{[3]:32–33 [4]} From 1893 to 1935, the station was used as a terminal for the Kensington Electric Railway and offered passenger service to Chevy Chase, Maryland. The station is a contributing property to the Kensington Historic District.

Gallery

• 

  MARC Locomotive #72 arrives at Kensington Station

• 

  Kensington Station shelter

See also

• Metropolitan Subdivision
• Washington D.C. Streetcars (Maryland)

References

Further reading

• "Kensington" at Maryland Municipal League
• Town of Kensington - "History of Our Town"

External links

• Kensington Historical Society photo of B&O Railroad station
• MARC services map
• MARC Brunswick Line schedule
• MARC stations list
• Ride-On Bus Service - official site
• Station from Google Maps Street View