Western Maryland Railroad.html |
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| Western Maryland Railway | |
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| Reporting marks | WM |
| Locale | Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia |
| Dates of operation | 1852–1987 |
| Successor | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland |
The Western Maryland Railway (AAR reporting marks WM) was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Contents |
History
Main Line: Baltimore to Hagerstown
The original main line began with the chartering of the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad in 1852, with the intent of building a rail line from Baltimore west to Washington County, Maryland. The Maryland General Assembly changed the name of the company to Western Maryland in 1853, and construction began from Owings Mills in 1857.1 An existing Northern Central Railway branch line terminating at Owings Mills was used to connect into Baltimore. The railroad was completed to Westminster in 1861 and to Hagerstown in 1872. This section became the East Subdivision.2
In 1873 the WM built its own line from Owings Mills into Baltimore, and built a connection from Hagerstown to Williamsport, in order to access coal traffic from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1876 the railroad opened Hillen Station in Baltimore, which became the company headquarters.2
Extensions in Maryland and Pennsylvania
The railway's first extension into Pennsylvania was a line from Edgemont, Maryland, to Waynesboro and Shippensburg. This line became the Lurgan Subdivision and was leased from the Baltimore and Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1881, and was connected to the Harrisburg and Potomac Railroad in 1886.3
A second route into Pennsylvania was acquired by the WM when it gained control of the Baltimore and Hanover Railroad, and the Gettysburg Railroad, in late 1886. This line connected to the WM main at Emory Grove, proceded north to Hanover and Gettysburg, then southwest to connect again to the WM at Highfield, Maryland, near the Pennsylvania border.
The WM established a connection with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1892 with the opening of the Potomac Valley Rail Road (controlled by WM) between Williamsport and Big Pool, Maryland. This connection brought a major increase in through-freight traffic.4 Construction of an extension from Hagerstown to Cumberland began in 1903 and completed in 1906. This became the West Subdivision. To service the expanded system, the WM built a major shop complex at Hagerstown in 1909, with a roundhouse, machine shops and related facilities. Rail yards at Hagerstown were also expanded.2
In 1904 the WM completed construction of a terminal at Port Covington, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore.5 The Connellsville Extension was built west from Cumberland to Connellsville, Pennsylvania, beginning around 1906 and it was completed in 1912. At Connellsville the WM connected with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). In 1915 the WM obtained trackage rights on a B&O line from Bowest Junction (2 miles south of Connellsville) to Chiefton, WV, which provided access to coal mines in the area west of Fairmont, WV. Athough never a giant, the Connellsville subdivision of WM handled through midwest fast freight traffic and coal from company-owned mines near Fairmont and Somerset, Pennsylvania.
WM opened a passenger station in Cumberland in 1913. The station contained the offices for the Western Division. Today the building is called Canal Place, a facility operated by the National Park Service, and includes the station for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and a visitors center for the C&O Canal National Historic Park.
West Virginia Coal Country
The West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway (WVC&P) began as a narrow gauge line in 1880, its name and gauge changed in 1881 and in the ensuing years it opened a huge swath of timber and coal territory in the Allegheny Highlands of West Virginia. The railroad was directly responsible for the creation of such towns as Davis, Thomas, and Parsons.
In the large valley near the mouth of Leading Creek and the Tygart Valley River, the WVC&P constructed the city of Elkins (named after investor Stephen Benton Elkins). Elkins was home to a large rail yard for the railroad and served as the hub of Western Maryland and Chessie System operations in the region well into the 1980s.citation needed
The WVC&P was sold to the George Gould interests in 1902 and was merged into the Western Maryland in 1905. Known as the Thomas Subdivision, the line connected to the Western Maryland mainline at Maryland Junction, south of Cumberland. This line, famous for its Black Water Grade in Blackwater Canyon, became an important part of the Western Maryland's success until its eventual abandonment in the 1970s.citation needed
Leaving the Tygart Valley River drainage by way of a tunnel under Cheat Mountain, the WVC&P began constructing a path towards the south from Elkins in the late 1890s. By following the Shavers Fork river upstream and then the West Fork Greenbrier River down from its headwaters to Durbin in Pocahontas County, the WVC&P was able to connect to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's Greenbrier Division. Known as the Durbin Subdivision, this line was operational in 1900.citation needed
In 1927 the WM purchased the Greenbrier, Cheat and Elk Railroad, which ran from Cheat Junction, on the Durbin sub, to Bergoo. This line became the the GC&E subdivision. In 1929, WM's purchase of a line from the West Virginia Midland Railway extended the GC&E sub southward to Webster Springs. While these lines were originally built as logging railroads, the WM also used them for coal operations.2
Twentieth Century Operations
In 1931, the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway (P&WV) reached Connellsville to connect with the WM.1 The connection enabled the formation of the Alphabet Route, a partnership involving the WM, P&WV and six other railroads that provided competition with more major railroads including the Pennsylvania Railroad. Today the P&WV operates as the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.
The major rail yards on the WM were Jamison Yard at Hagerstown, mainly for west-bound traffic; and Knobmount Yard, south of Ridgely, West Virginia, mainly for east-bound traffic.6
The WM began using diesel locomotives in 1941 for yard operations,1 and for regular line use in 1949. It discontinued use of steam locomotives in 1954.2
Dissolution
Passenger service on the WM, which began in 1859, declined significantly in the 1950s. The railway ended passenger service completely in 1959.7 In 1964, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) and the B&O jointly filed for permission to acquire control of the Western Maryland Railway with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1973, as part of the Chessie System, the Western Maryland ownership went to C&O and it was operated by the B&O. The B&O absorbed the WM's corporate entity in 1983. The B&O itself merged with the C&O in 1987, which itself became part of CSX Transportation.
Much of the original Western Maryland line west of Big Pool has been abandoned including the 2,375-foot (724 m) summit of the Allegheny Mountains and the Eastern Continental Divide near Deal, Pennsylvania. In addition to CSX, portions of the former WM are now operated by Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, the Maryland Midland Railway (MMID), Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and York Railway. Other portions are now rail trails. A portion of the former WM right of way within the city of Baltimore is now used by the Baltimore Metro Subway.
Subdivisions
At the peak of its operations, in the early to mid-20th century, the WM operated the following major geographical units:2
See also
References
- ^ a b c Roger Cook and Karl Zimmermann, "The Western Maryland Railway: Fireballs and Black Diamonds." (Laurys Station, PA: Garrigues House, Publishers.) 2nd ed., 1992. ISBN 0-9620844-4-1.
- ^ a b c d e f Salamon, Stephen J.; Hopkins, William E. (1991), The Western Maryland Railway in the Diesel Era, Silver Spring, MD: Old Line Graphics, ISBN 1-879314-07-X
- ^ Cook and Zimmerman, op. cit., p. 41.
- ^ Ibid., p. 42.
- ^ Ibid., p. 44.
- ^ Tom Biery, "Railroad Blueprint: The Western Maryland, Cumberland, Md., 1973." Trains Magazine, Vol. 64, No. 2, February 2004, p. 58.
- ^ Cook and Zimmerman, op. cit., chap. V.
- ^ Cook and Zimmerman, op. cit., p. 312.
External links
- Photo tour of Western Maryland Railway
- Western Maryland Story 1952. Written by Harold H. Williams, Contemporary Photography by A. Aubrey Bodine
- Western Maryland Railway Historical Society
- Northern West Virginia's Railroads - Descriptions of Thomas Subdivision and connecting lines
- Baltimore Ghosts: Westward Ho! on the WM - Photos of Hillen Station & Other WM Facilities in Baltimore & Vicinity