The arrival of the B&O Railroad at Point of Rocks strongly shaped the town’s future development. The first train arrived on April 23, 1832, and Point of Rocks remained the terminus of the Old Main Line for three years. Continued railroad construction was complicated by a lawsuit with the C&O Canal over right-of-way, and a compromise was reached in 1833 when Catoctin Mountain was blasted to allow both the canal and the railroad to pass. Point of Rocks became connected to Washington, D.C. in 1873 via the Metropolitan Branch, which junctioned with the Baltimore Line and continued west. Between 1867 and 1868, the B&O Railroad tunneled 787 feet through Catoctin Mountain. A new train station opened circa 1873 and was enlarged to its present form in 1875, originally under the name Washington Junction. The depot was designed by E. Francis Baldwin in the Gothic Revival style, was formerly known as Washington Junction, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was extensively documented in the 1970s by the Historic American Engineering Record. Its detailed exterior and striking location have made it one of the most picturesque stations in the country, and it remains a popular destination for travelers and an inspiration for model railroaders.