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(rshsdepot) Antietam, MD
Station renovation site plan approved
The Hagerstown Model Railroad Club is spearheading the plans to transform
the former Antietam railroad station at Md. 34 in Sharpsburg
by TARA REILLY
tarar_@_herald-mail.com
WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Washington County Planning Commission unanimously
approved a site plan Monday night that calls for the renovation of the
former Antietam railroad station for a club and museum.
The Hagerstown Model Railroad Club is spearheading the plans for the
.35-acre site at Md. 34 in the west end of Sharpsburg.
The nonprofit museum group received grant money and other contributions to
pay for the renovations, officials have said. A preliminary estimate from
early this year put the renovation costs at $110,000 to $125,000.
The 13,000-square-foot station will house model railroad exhibits and the
group's railroad memorabilia collection.
County Planner Steve Goodrich said the look of the station will remain the
same once renovations are completed.
"We're not changing anything. It's all going to look the same," group member
Denise Troxell said. "It's a really neat plan."
Troxell said the museum will be open on weekends and by appointment during
the week for visits by schoolchildren or Scout groups.
Christmas shows and a railroad safety program will be held there.
"It's going to be really fun," she said.
Goodrich said eight parking spaces will be adjacent to the museum. A
restroom is to be constructed as a separate building to keep the original
look of the station.
The property will be enclosed by a fence.
Sharpsburg Elementary School officials have said the museum may use the
school lot for parking for events that are expected to draw crowds, Troxell
said. Visitors would then be shuttled to the museum, she said.
The former station is owned by the Town of Sharpsburg, which has entered
into a long-term lease with the group, Goodrich said.
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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