Maryland Daily PhotoEvery Week Day a New Picture from MD

This is a picture of a winch from White’s Ferry a location we’ve looked at a few times in the last few weeks.   I just thought this was interesting as it made me wonder what circumstances would necessitate pulling a ferry with this as opposed to it being under its own power.   Then I wondered if it was meant to pull a ferry at all.  Perhaps it is only used when they are laying new chains across the river to guide the boats.

I’ve twice been past the MARC station in Barnesville and the only thing interesting about it is this sign.  The town itself though, is very nice.  It’s center is located about a mile north of where this picture was taken and centers on a main intersection, fanning out for a few blocks in each direction with well kept older homes and a nice atmosphere.

The Oakley Cabin is a historic log cabin in Northern Montgomery County.  It was built in the 1820′s to serve as a quarters for slave farm workers.  It changed hands and purposes many times over, and today is one of the few publicly owned examples of this kind of building.   The building is opened as a museum space today.

This is a unique view of  the interior of a steam engine.  At least the ability to view an engine like this is unique to the Gaithersburg  MARC station. I went there for a picture of the station, and because I had seen on google maps that it appeared to have a steam engine next to the station.    Not only was there an engine, but it was an engine without a bottom.

This is the smoke box of a steam locomotive.  It’s where the fire would burn, heating the water on the other side to make steam.  The smoke from the fire moves through those holes in the top of the picture.   I thought it was a neat opportunity to see something from a different angle.  I hope you agree.

If you don’t agree and you think that this may seem odd for an MDP post, I can tell you that it’s not odd.  In fact, after seeing me take this picture, a woman who regularly waits at the station came up and asked why she sees so many people taking pictures with their head inside the train.  Apparently she never bothered to look inside, or she just thinks that obsolete machinery is still obsolete from the underside.

There’s something special about the Gaithersburg MARC station.  If you are wondering, yes it is another Francis Baldwin B&O station.   Yes, it is now a coffee shop as well as a station.   What else?  Well, you will see tomorrow.