Western Maryland Railway

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Western Maryland Railway
logo_filename=Western Maryland Logo.jpg
logo_size=150
old_gauge=
marks=WM
locale=Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia
start_year=1852
end_year=1987
hq_city=Cumberland, MarylandThe Western Maryland Railway reporting mark|WM was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

History

The oldest portion was the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad which was chartered in 1852 and began building west from Baltimore. The railroad was completed to Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1872. Within a year, its name was changed to Western Maryland Rail Road Company, and eventually, it became Western Maryland Railway Company.

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. [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. p. 41.]

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. ["Ibid.", p. 42.]

In 1904 the WM completed construction of a terminal at Port Covington, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore. ["Ibid.," p. 44.] The Connellsville Extension was built west from Cumberland, Maryland, to Connellsville, Pennsylvania, beginning around 1906 and was completed in 1912.

The West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway Company began as a narrow gauge line in 1880, its name and gauge changed in 1881 and in the ensuing years it opened a huge swathe of timber and coal territory in northern West Virginia to use, creating such towns as Elkins, Davis and Thomas. A major connection was made with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's Greenbrier Branch at Durbin, West Virginia in 1900. Sold to the George Gould interests in 1902, it became an important part of the WM in 1905 as the Thomas Subdivision and contributed heavily to that road's prosperity in the coal and lumber trade down to modern times.

In 1931, the Western Maryland became part of the Alphabet Route, a competitor to more major railroads including the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Thus, although never a giant, the Connellsville subdivision of WM handled through midwest fast freight traffic and coal from company-owned mines near Fairmont, West Virginia, and Somerset, Pennsylvania. In 1930, the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway reached Connellsville to hook up with the WM. That line operates today as the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.

The major rail yards on the WM were [http://www.wmwestsub.com/jamisonyard.htm Jamison Yard] at Hagerstown, mainly for west-bound traffic; and [http://www.wmwestsub.com/thomassub/knobmountyard.htm Knobmount Yard] , south of Ridgely, West Virginia, mainly for east-bound traffic. [Tom Biery, "Railroad Blueprint: The Western Maryland, Cumberland, Md., 1973." [http://www.trains.com/trn/ "Trains" Magazine] , Vol. 64, No. 2, February 2004, p. 58.]

Passenger service on the WM, which began in 1859, declined significantly in the 1950s. The railway ended passenger service completely in 1959. [Cook and Zimmerman, "op. cit.," chap. V.] 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. In 1987, it was merged into the C&O which itself became part of CSX Transportation.

Much of the original Western Maryland line has been abandoned including the crossing of the Allegheny Mountains and the Eastern Continental Divide near Deal, Pennsylvania after going through Savage Mountain in a 3,000 ft tunnel. The elevation at Deal is 2,375 ft (724 m). In addition to CSX, portions of the former WM are now operated by West Virginia Central, the Maryland Midland Railway, 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: [Citation
last = Salamon
first = Stephen J.
author-link =
last2 = Hopkins
first2 = William E.
author2-link =
title = The Western Maryland Railway in the Diesel Era
place = Silver Spring, MD
publisher = Old Line Graphics
year = 1991
volume =
edition =
doi =
isbn = 1-879314-07-X]

References

External links

* [http://www.wmwestsub.com/ Photo tour of Western Maryland Railway]
* [http://www.railsandtrails.com/WM/WMStory1952/index.html Western Maryland Story] 1952 Written by Harold H. Williams, Contemporary Photography by A. Aubrey Bodine
* [http://WesternMarylandRHS.com Western Maryland Railway Historical Society]