Harpers Ferry WV Guide RSUS

RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

RAILFAN GUIDE to
HARPERS FERRY, WV

Brunswick is halfway between Harpers Ferry WV and Point of Rocks MD. At one time, there was a great yard that existed here, now, it serves mostly as a storage yard for the Martinsburg bound MARC commuter trains.

Weekdays can be very productive picture days between Brunswick, Harpers Ferry, and Point of Rocks, between MARC, Amtrak, and CSX. If you have a trail bike, bring it along for getting to the overlook above Harpers Ferry. Visiting during the fall is especially rewarding with the magnificent colors we have here in Maryland!

And speaking of MARC, because of the traffic flow through Brunswick, the EB and WB platforms are separated by the commuter parking lot (which used to be yard trackage). The WB platform is adjacent to the B&O depot.

Brunswick is one of many places in the central Maryland area you can visit, as seen below. While maybe not as exciting as going to Chicago or St Louis, the area offers numerous opportunities for pictures in settings you can't find elsewhere. The central MD area also includes part of West Virginia and Virginia.

For MARC and Amtrak schedules, check out the central Maryland page.

For other guides of the area:
     Click here for a guide to the central Maryland area,
     Click here for a guide to Point of Rocks MD,
     Click here for a guide to Brunswick MD.

Getting There

If you are coming from the west or east via interstate 70, take US340 south from Frederick MD, which is exit 53. From Frederick, Harpers Ferry is about 14 miles south on US340.

Coming up from the south west, as in I81, I usually take exit 307 at Stevensville (you could also go up to exit 317 at Winchester, and take VA7 east to get to US340, but I found it usually takes a little longer than getting off at exit 307). My daughter used to go to school at Virginia Tech, and getting off here made the trip to Baltimore much quicker than going across 66 through DC, or up to Hagerstown to catch 70. At this exit are a bunch of good places to get gas and catch something to eat. Anyways, head east on VA277, which is Fairfax Pike. In about 4 miles, you will hit the traffic light junction of 277, US340, and US522 (take a left and you'll wind up at the East Broad Top! :-). Go straight through the intersection, and you are now on US340. Stay on this as you pass through the small towns of Boyce, Berryville, Rippon, and then bypass Charlestown. You may also be able to catch some Norfolk Southern action as you toot along, but in the 20 some years I've been using this route, I've never caught anything. In Berryville, there is a nice set of N&W CPL signals if you hang a right on Main St and go to the crossing. About ten years ago, they built a bypass around Charlestown, which makes the trip go a little quicker, but the downtown area has some nice shops in it if you have your wife or girlfriend with you. Just follow the signs for 340, and you can't go wrong. Where 340 and WV9 meet up with the 340 heading to Harpers Ferry, there is a standard cloverleaf interchange, just watch the signs. From there it's about 5 miles to Harpers Ferry.

From DC, you have a couple of choices. You can head west from the DC Beltway on either VA7 or VA267, the Dulles Airport Access Road, which is a toll road, and head to Leesburg where you can pick up US15 heading to Point of Rocks. Just on the other side of the river and Point of Rocks, hang a left onto MD464, Point of Rocks Rd, and take that the seven miles into Brunswick, and then another 7 miles or so to Harpers Ferry after 464 meets up with US340.

If you're coming from the north side of DC, I would just head up I270 to Frederick, and then catch US340 south... while it may be a little longer, you don't have the stop signs, traffic lights, and slow moving idiots that plague the back roads.