An absolutely beautiful video!
Western Maryland Scenic RR
The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR)
in Cumberland, Maryland, is based out of the Western Maryland Station
Center, the former Western Maryland station. The Western Maryland
Station is located adjacent to the old guard locks of the C&O Canal.
The WMSR tourist excursion operates steam and diesel trips to
Frostburg, Maryland, over Western Maryland trackage. The line includes
portions of WM's Connellsville extension, originally built as part of
the Georges Creek & Cumberland Railroad in 1913, and of the
Cumberland & Pennsylvania. Both lines were absorbed into the WM.
Operations began on the WMSR in May of 1989, with steam motive power provided by Pacific type (2-6-2) steam engines of the Allegany Central, and a city-owned GP9 diesel.
The steam engines, built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the
Canadian Pacific Railroad, class G5D, arrived with operator Jack
Showalter from Covington, Va. There were lettered Alleghany Central, soon changed to Allegany Central, to correspond with local spelling. Engine 1238 did most of the excursion work, and was later joined by sister engine 1286 in the fall of 1990. The City of Cumberland diesel was painted black, and lettered in near-WM speedlettering
style with a road number 40. It was a GP9 high-nose unit, ex-C&O
5940. It went back to Virginia with the Showalters. Starting with the
1991 operating season, the Scenic Railroad Development Corporation
(Allegany County, City of Cumberland, Frostburg) leased diesel units
from Sheridan Rail Operations, including an RS3 and an RS-D5. Several VIA rail FA2 units were obtained; one was painted in WM and one in B&O
colors. One of the units in WM colors was later sold to the South
Branch Valley Railroad in West Virginia, and has since been repainted.
FA unit 800, in B&O colors, went to the Liberty Limited Dinner Train
operation out of New Freedom, Pa. along with the Western Maryland
lettered RS-D5. The Scenic railroad acquired ex-C&O caboose 3078
from CSXT, and repainted it as number 10.
The Scenic Railroad is operated with City, County,
and State funding. The Allegany County Tax on hotel rooms goes to
support this tourist magnet. The money has been well-spent, as more and
more visitors come to ride the train, then stay to shop, dine, and visit
other attractions in the area.
The line extends some 15.6 miles from Cumberland to
Frostburg, with a maximum grade of 2.8 percent. There are four bridges
and one tunnel on the line. The first bridge, just to the west of the
Cumberland Station, takes the line across Will's Creek. The next bridge,
at the west end of the Narrows, carries the line over Route 40,
Braddock's Run, and the old Eckhart Branch Rail Road right of way. The
next two bridges are on ex-C&P trackage. They once carried the
C&P line over the Western Maryland tracks towards Connellsville.
Brush Tunnel, the only one on the line, was built by the Western
Maryland, and is 834 feet long. Behind the turntable at Frostburg, the
old C&P tunnel still exists, but is not in use. The switchover from
WM to C&P trackage occurs at Switch No. 9, at Zihlman.
The pride of the Western Maryland Scenic motive
power fleet is a 2-8-0 steam engine, painted WM Fireball, and numbered
734. It is visually similar to a WM class H8 or H9 Consolidation. It may
sometimes be seen operating in conjunction with one of the diesels, in a
scene reminiscent of the early 1950s. TheWestern Maryland Scenic
Railroad acquired two ex-Conrail GP-30 diesels, one now painted in Baltimore Orioles colors, and the other in a Washington Redskins theme. The Washington Redskins conducted their football camp at nearby Frostburg University at one time.
The Cumberland terminus, the Western Maryland Station Center, is now the focus of Canal Place, a federally funded historical project involving the railroad and the adjacent C&O Canal terminus.The Frostburg terminus is the restored Station, now outfitted as a restaurant.
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