The Flickr Westernmarylandrailway Image Generatr

CSXT GP40-2 #6420 and 6935 pose on the old shop track in Hanover, PA as seen from the remains of the former Western Maryland Railway's shop building which once stood here 25 years ago. April 1, 2025. Ilford HP5+ rated at 1600 ISO, Rolleicord lll.

The east end of the former Western Maryland Railway's yard in Ridgely, WVA was being used for excess car storage at the time of this photograph - August 13, 1989. The Western Maryland Railway had ceased being a corporate entity on October 1, 1983 and was formally merged into the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad which at that time was merely a component of Chessie System and only a separate railroad on paper. The WM's through freight traffic had been gradually diverted to B&O lines throughout the '70s with most of the WM's yard and shop facilities becoming redundant. By 1989, the only significant yard left was Hagerstown which served the only significant pieces of WM mainline left, namely the Lurgan and Hanover Subdivisions. Port Covington had closed the previous year. All Hanover Subdivision traffic was now diverted to the B&O's Curtis Bay yard in Baltimore.

Fujichrome 100, Pentax K1000 with Vivitar 70-210 f4.5 lens

CSXT GP40WH #9969 leads the two car geometry train (symboled W003) westbound through Jack's Mountain Tunnel on the Hanover Subdivision on May 23, 2024. 9969 was formerly MARC #69, a rebuilt GP40 of New York Central heritage originally manufactured in July 1967. The unit carried number 3051 for the Central and throughout Penn Central and into Conrail before being sold to MARC. 3051 was painted a solid blue and was renumbered to MARC 32 in a temporary move before it was sent to Morris-Knudsen to be rebuilt into a GP40WH complete with an SDP40 cab, SD45 radiators, and HEP. The 32 entered service as #69 in the fall of 1994 and served MARC well into the 2010s before being replaced by MP36s. CSX bought the locomotive for work train service about 2014 and was immediately placed into service working one of the geometry trains.
Ilford HP5+ at 1600 ISO (510 Pyro)
Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 40mm pancake lens

Allegheny Central #1238 leads a returning excursion eastbound rounding Helmstetter's Curve on the former Western Maryland Railway's Connellsville Subdivision in June 1989.
Fujichrome 50
Pentax K1000

A brochure describing the new fright hump shunting yard opened by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad and situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It opened in 1957 and was intended to reduce time and costs in the shunting of freight wagons; the practice of hump shunting yards, where freight wagons are shunted over a hump and then sorted into siding roads by gravity using multiple points and retarders from a central yard tower, had become almost fashionable amongst rail operators at the time.

The 'Gateway Yard' was a sizable installation, stretching almost five miles in length. It wa sbuilt to primarily served Youngstown's then thriving steel industry - the glow can be seen ont he cover - that relied on rail delivered raw materials - this has been described as a disadvantage in comparison with other US steel producers, and Youngstown suffered a 'rust belt' decline apparently earlier than other steel production centres. The Yrad closed in 1993 and lies derelict. The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad was formed in 1875 and was, for many years, an independent subsidiary of the New York Central following its effective acquistion of the line in 1887. The diagram shows the line's location and the connections with other major railroad centres and lines.

The cover is signed "Fogg" and this is, I suspect, Howard L. Fogg (1917 - 1996) a well-known artist specialising in rail scenes.

A westbound Western Maryland Railway passenger train has just departed the depot at Owings Mills MD on what looks to be a frigid but sunny morning in 1946. The spur track in the foreground leads to a coal dealer whose concrete piers still stand in 2023 (albeit overgrown with brush and trees). The locomotive (one of the fleet of 200 series Pacific types) is crossing U.S. 140 on the overpass.
Note the train order stand to the left in this Anscochrome slide. Also note that the WM's East Sub was double track at this time. CSXT's Hanover Sub main is single track in 2023.

Photographer unknown

Maryland Midland's Highfield turn sets off loaded cement hoppers for the CSXT local to pickup later this day on the "Dutch Line", meanwhile the inhabitant of an abandoned pickup truck pays no attention to the activity outside their window.
Highfield MD, November 14, 2023.
Kodak Gold 200 (medium format respooled to 620)
Kodak Medalist

Maryland Midland SD50 5019 leads three additional units and their cars onto CSXT's Hanover Subdivision at Highfield MD on November 14, 2023. The train is still on the Midland's main but just to the left in this photograph is the Hanover Sub, the junction of which is just ahead behind the photographer. The crew will back their consist of loaded cement hoppers and empty lumber flats into a siding here for the CSXT local L151 to pickup for Hagerstown Yard.
5019 was originally manufactured for Conrail in February 1986 and was numbered 6834.

Maryland Midland's UBHF returns down the Blue Ridge grade at Lantz MD on November 14, 2023 with SD50 #5020 leading four additional units and about 40 cars.

Maryland Midland's Highfield turn, UBHF. crosses State Road 77 at Rocky Ridge MD as the train comes to a stop. The crew needed permission from an MOW crew just ahead in order to return to the yard at Union Bridge MD.
The railroad crossing warning letters on the pavement indicate a crossing ahead just behind the photographer. The crossing is for a spur track to a brickyard that is to the left and out of frame in this photograph.
November 14, 2023.

PXL_20231105_200703985.NIGHT~2
1904 construction started
1906 opened
1975 abandoned
1980 sold to the National Park Service
1990 sold to Maryland state
2010 closed to protect bat colonies living in the tunnel

Western Maryland Scenic Railway's 2-8-0 #734 climbs the Allegheny grade near Frostburg MD and will be passing underneath Parkersburg Rd in a moment, October 24, 1993. The unused second main track here became the WMSR's mainline when the Great Allegheny Passage trail was built occupying the scenic railway's original main shown here.

Tri-X Pan
Nikon FG

Somewhere along the Western Maryland Scenic Railway's mainline (Woodcock Hollow?) 2-8-0 #734 brings the day's excursion train back east down the Alleghenies from Frostburg. October 24, 1993.

Fujichrome Velvia 50
Nikon N8008

One last look at the remains of a support column for the Western Maryland Railway in Connellsville. It's going to take a while for these things to weather away.

It's a little hard to see but here are five of the remaining supports for the Western Maryland Railway that once ran through Connellsville. There are like nine or ten total remaining, including the three with arches that make up the front, rear and middle of what was the Bigg Sixx Tavern.

Here's the rear of the former Bigg Sixx Tavern in Connellsville. This is not the same support arch as at the front of the building.

There are several of these arches in town. Most are in good shape because these things were built to last.

At one time the arches supported the Western Maryland Railway. If I'm reading the Wikipedia entry correctly the line was abandoned in 1975. The section of the line that runs through Connellsville has been turned into the Great Allegheny Passage hiking and biking trail that goes from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland.

Former Western Maryland Railway BL2 Locomotive #82 poses in front of the Elkins, WV Depot for photographers during the 2008 centennial celebration for this city's railroad depot, which is also former Western Maryland. This diesel-electric locomotive is currently operated by the West Virginia Central Railroad on its New Tygart Flyer excursions. What's unfortunately not visible in this frame is the 162-ton Western Maryland Shay #6, which was also on display, albeit a little further to the photographer's right. During this particular event, Shay #6 spent 4 days away from its home at the Cass Scenic Railroad, visiting Elkins for 4 days, and operating local excursions out of this depot. It was the first time in decades that the city had seen a live steam locomotive. The BL2 and a similarly-lettered EMD F-unit provided diesel protection for the special train, being typically coupled on at the tail end of the consist.

Bathed in lights specifically set up for the occasion, the historic Western Maryland Railroad Depot in downtown Elkins, WV celebrates its 100th anniversary in July of 2008. To help commemorate this historic occasion a special train, headed by the 162-ton Western Maryland Shay #6, visited the Elkins Depot from the Cass Scenic Railroad, and ran a number of local excursions for the general public. On this particular evening, not only was the depot lit up, but both Shay #6 and a Western Maryland BL2 diesel locomotive were also lit up in a adjacent area for local photographers. It was the first time in decades that the folks in Elkins had seen a live steam locomotive.

D795-24 has begun the climb up the Blue Ridge Mountains at Maria Furnace PA with three SD40s in charge of the train as it passes a local cattle farm, November 24, 2021. The lead locomotive is on "home rails" for the first time in a long while. It was originally manufactured for the Western Maryland Railway in 1969 and carried number 7449. The other two are of C&O and Clinchfield heritage. All were originally SD40s before being upgraded by CSX to SD40-2 standards.

Fujicolor Superia Xtra 400
Nikon F

Running on the Western Maryland Western Division layout, Loudoun County VA, August 26, 2014