Jones Fall+

 

so we started our bike ride from Lake Roland on the old rail bed. Even though we traveled south.  The actual rail bed is still active in parts where it splits forming the Light Rail train service to Cockeysville.  From the the it becomes the NCR “Rails to Trails” 40 mile path from Cockeysville to York Pennsylvania.  (please see my post about “tour dr Lunch” The other section went (north west) and served the oldest incorporated company in Baltimore County called “Rockland Bleach and Dye Works Company” which was incorporated in 1831 being the oldest corporation in Baltimore County and it is still active today but not at that site. It also served as well as many other companies as well.  That line went over to Owings Mills and then met the current and active CSX line that goes all the way to Pennsylvania passing the through Lineboro.  Along the way there were sub lines now and forever closed and one is at “River Valley Ranch”. I will explore it

 

 

So for us we traveled south on the rails beds in Lake Roland passing some of the old infrastructure photos below

Also nice single tracks have been established here as well for our mountain bikes below


We passed many of the old rail infrastructure 


Photos of Lake Roland below

The Lake Roland dam is below 

From here we rode to another old rail bed by Gilman School, the old MA and Pa Railway and passed historic homes below 

From Gilman we rode the rail bed South all the way through wyman park going under the bridges along the way so we did not have to ride in traffic 

From Wyman Park you can travel south on the Jones Falls bike Trail to the Street car Museum (we went north and West on the Jones Falls Bike Trail) but here are a few historic pictures of the southern route 

From here we crossed into Druid Hill Park  (Baltimore Zoo) and it is amazing as the bike trails are perfect and there are many  historical buildings 

From here we took the Jones Falls trail to Woodberry where there were many many successful manufacturing companies especially textile mills like:  Willian Hopper Industries, Steiff Silver, Woodberry Cotton Mill, Woodberry flour Mill, Pool and Hunt and Schenuit Tire and Rubber.  Schenuit is now being torn down and converted to a storage facility 

A very old historical Church

 

From here we headed home on the Jones Falls Trail and it is amazing with its bridges over the roads below

 

and man made paths through the woods below

we passed many beautiful streams below

 

and we ended up back into Lake Roland and below are some photos both current and past of the old railroads 

 





 

Below is an old photo of the NCR that stopped at Ruxton