The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad began operations in the spring of 1991, using
a series of diesel locomotive borrowed from other railroad heritage museums. It operates
out of Cumberland, MD, on ex-
#734 joined the WMSR roster in 1991 but did not start in service until 1993 because of the need for extensive restoration. Since then, the WMSR has taken ownership of two EMD GP30s (#501 and #502) purchased from Conrail in 1995, and has collected a variety of passenger coaches, cabooses and freight cars.
I joined an excursion in June 2009. The route from Cumberland is challenging, and this is evident in the amount of work #734 does climbing the 1,291 feet to Frostburg.The average grade is 1.78% with a maximum grade of 3% on the old Cumberland and Pennsylvania section.
Two views of the façade of the old Western Maryland Railroad passenger station in Cumberland. It was opened in 1913 and contained the offices for the railroad’s Western Division.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Major restoration was completed in 1999 and, today, the building is called Canal Place. Operated by the National Park Service, as well as serving as a station for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it includes a visitors centre for the C&O Canal National Historic Park at the western end of the C&O canal path.
Related links:
www.thethrashercarriagemuseum.com
Report a broken link or suggest a new one.
Thomas K. Kraemer produced an illustrated guide, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, published by RR Trax Studios in 2003 (click on the cover to search for this book on Bookfinder.com).
Rebuilding of the original track and platform arrangement at the station was completed in 1998.
The work included installing the water column at the northern end of the main platform, which was acquired from the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
The column is fully operational and regularly waters #734.
#734 steams across the North Branch of the Potomac River from Ridgeley Yard in WV. The Yard is a 15 acre site formerly used by the WM as a Car Shop. The West Virginia Central Railroad built the first yards and tracks in Ridgeley in 1887. In 1904, the West Virginia Central became the Western Maryland and, today, the WMSR uses what remains of the yards for locomotive and rolling stock maintenance work
The rail bridge was built in 1910 when the WM constructed its extension to Connesville, PA.
#734 is one of 8 class 18/SC-
Below is a series of other views of #734 at Cumberland station while it waits to start on the day’s excursion.
Two views from the train as #734 waits to leave Cumberland station.
#734 eases out of the station yard and crosses Baltimore Street.
Approaching Market Street overpass just outside the station yard.
#734 nudging round the Narrows where Wills Creek cuts between the 1,000’ Haystack and Wills Mountains. For many years this was a natural access point west to the Ohio Valley. The old B&O (now CSX) line and the National Road (40A) run on the other side of Wills Creek.
The Western Maryland Railway was mainly a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger operation. Chartered as the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad in 1852, it changed its name to the Western Maryland Rail Road Company in 1853. Construction began on a line from Owings Mill in 1857 to connect with an existing line from there to Baltimore.
Construction of a Hagerstown to Cumberland line began in 1903 and was completed in 1906. In 1907, the Fuller Syndicate, WM’s controlling group, acquired several railroad companies, including the George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad (GC&C), which had built a line west through the Cumberland Narrows.
The WMSR line crosses the highway and Braddock Run on a 300’ truss bridge built in 1910. It is about 60’ above the water level of Braddock Run.
From Braddock Run, the line continues about two miles further near Wills Creek heading
north-
Near here is a rock cave known as “Bone Cave”, which was uncovered when a cut was being excavated for the railway in 1912. It contains fossilised bones from a number of animals from the Pleistocene Age, including a sabre tooth tiger.
On the straight section of track approaching Helmsetter Curve. The crossing ahead is Manteo Drive NW.
Entering Helmsetter Curve, which is named after the family that owns the farm inside the curve.
Four views of #734 on Helmsetter Curve The grade here is 1.78%.
This is a favourite spot for photographing WMSR trains as it offers many unobstructed views of the track..
Another half mile from here is Brush Tunnel.
Brush Tunnel is the only one on the WMSR. It opened in 1911 cutting through an outcrop of Spiney Mountain. It is 914’ long and was originally two track but, as one track has been abandoned, this now allows the Allegheny Highlands Trail, part of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail, to pass through the tunnel for hikers and cyclists.
Beyond Brush Tunnel, the track follows the contour high above Jennings Run for about two miles and then enters Woodcock Hollow, where it traverses another horseshoe curve.
The four views above show #734 approaching and on the curve at Woodcock Hollow.
Sunlight on the trackside trees is reflected back by the boiler, cab and tender of #734 a few miles from Frostburg.
Two miles before reaching Frostburg, the line leaves what was the old WM line to Connellsville, PA, to run along old Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad (C&PR) tracks. At this point, the grade reaches 3%, the steepest part of the line.
In 1927 the WM abandoned some of its GC&C track and accessed additional mines in the area through trackage rights on the C&PR. In 1944, the WM purchased the C&PR, and formally merged operations in 1953
#734 pulls into Frostburg.
The train lays over here for about an hour so that passengers can stretch their legs and get lunch. When I travelled on the train, there were also Park Rangers who provided information on the railroad and entertained child passengers.
Some views of #734 standing at Frostburg.
The C&P line used to continue through Frostburg to Westernport but now ends at Frostburg. The WMSR runs on a spur off the old trackage to Frostburg station, which is nestled in a valley spur.
WM owned 1,400 miles of track at its most extensive, serving Maryland, parts of Pennsylvania
and West Virginia and competing with the B&O over the Alleghenies. Passenger service
on the WM began in 1859 but declined significantly in the 1950s. Passenger services
on the Cumberland-
The WM became part of the Chessie System in the 1973, when it no longer competed
with the B&O (which had also become part of the Chessie System). It finally ceased
operating as a separate entity in 1983 when, ironically, it merged with what was
left of the B&O. Freight trains on the Cumberland-
Turning #734 is perhaps one of the most photographed parts of every run. Here is a sequence of photographs (read from top to bottom, left to right) of the turn on the trip I made.
The 100’ turntable was moved from another ex-
After the turn, #734 runs past the cars on a siding, passes through a set of points and reverses to rejoin the train ready to haul it back to Cumberland.
Above, a panorama and, below, a series of photographs of #734 standing at Frostburg.
As #34, the locomotive had a long career with the LS & I, working out of Marquette,
MI. It was retired in 1951 and stayed on the company’s dead line at Marquette until
the railroad sold three 18/SC-
Frostburg depot was built for the C&P in 1891. It has a seating area where passengers can eat lunch.
The Thrasher Carriage Museum is opposite the depot.
The museum has a large collection of old horse-
The Trail Inn is also opposite the depot. It offers bed and breakfast accommodation, a camp ground and bike rental.
There is also a cafe open while the train rests at the depot. However, when I was there, I found the queues long and the service somewhat desultory. You might be better off taking a hike a few hundred yards up Depot Road to downtown Frostburg.
The township is located on the east side of Big Savage Mountain, about 2,000 feet above sea level. It has a population of about 8,000 and is also home to the Frostburg State University, part of the University of Maryland system.
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