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Home , Western Maryland Railway

Reflections on the Western resent: Railway Robert B.Hoover

S THE BLACKTOPbends and winds through the hills,the railroad's — A bridges deck-plate girder bridges painted black or a fading silver-gray — appear suddenly, come at you, and then loom overhead at angles as you pass on the road below. Bigwhite "speed-lettering" on the bridges announce WESTERN MARYLANDRAILWAY.Then they angle away once more, crossing the line of the &Ohio Railroad, rivers, and entire valleys. There isno mistaking that this railroad had purpose, and its viaduct looms even larger than life,dominating the lush gold and green fallin the Valley, which stretches out allaround me; husky, faded green-painted steel girders stride across the valley; then at the end of the bridge, far offfrom the line ofsight: a cut in the hillside. Standing on the eastern edge ofwhat was once the railroad's Salisbury Viaduct near Meyersdale insouth-central , Istand atop a giant monument to the past. There willbe no running on this bridge today, or any other day, or ever again. Ina few years, bicyclists and joggers and hikers willpartake ofthe remote and wildviews ofthe Casselman and Youghiogheny valleys previously enjoyed onlyby trainmen and trespassers likeme. For the last 12 years,

Robert B.Hoover is a paralegal withStrassburger McKenna Gutnick &Potter. He grew up inZelienople and has been interested inrailroads ever since.

27 after a chance encounter on an abandoned trestle outside of the footage, as a small child,riding the scale steam at the Connellsville,inFayette County, Pa., Ihave slowly, thoughtfully, company's Pen-Mar amusement park in the summer of 1940. His and always just a little too late, pursued the ghost of the Western father was the photographer; another WMengineer on leave Maryland. Poring over books, staring at videotapes, and hikingto from the railway was operating the miniature remote, abandoned tunnels, bridges, stations, shops, and famous seen inmy video. Italk quietly, asking them questions about photo locations, Ihave acquired over time respect for a railroad certain things Isaw on the video, and fillthem inon the status of that Inever saw inactual operation. Other than the preservation the Rails-to-Trails project inSomerset County. (Running from work ofmuseums and railhistory groups, inbooks, or through Cumberland to Connellsville and completed in 1912, the re-creations presented by tourism boards, evidence ofthe "Connellsville extension" is stillreferred to by the conventioneers railway's existence comes almost totally from those who lived it. as "the new line.") The slide presentations begin. Myfirst-hand experience is limited to twice glimpsing the last The first presentation includes slides of some ofthe steam- active diesel engine inWM paint, spotting a few freight cars powered excursions run on the WM inthe early 1970s. Istare wearing the WMlogo orpaint scheme, and once tripping overa intently at the screen, seeing again what Imissed. The other men fallen signal tower. But standing by the right-of-way, or even inthe roombreak into debating the particulars of each image. looking through picture books, Iam convinced that there could From their memories of work, and from daily experience and never have been a better mid-sized railroad. observation, these men possess something that Ican never obtain inall mystudy and exploration: the men have a "feel" for the lived past, brought to the present. Often details hint at, document,— how the mind sees all at once everything tobe remembered InJanuary 1996, 1finallyjoined the entire scenes impossible to fullyre-tell. Railway Historical Society. Amongother things, the society "No, that's 2101. The 2102 burned up inthe fire the year publishes a quarterly magazine filled withletters, maps, photos, before." and reminiscences. Italso contains articles writtenby WM "Cross-compound pumps are mounted higher up on this employees which describe or explain various operations, con- one. — struction details, locations, and railroading practices once em- "Now, this GP-7. .."("Jeep" 7, not "Gee-Pee" 7 the way I ployed by the WM.Iread each issue carefully. Iattended my first have been saying itallthese years.) WMRHS annual convention; Ifinally got to see not ghosts but Someone sternly interrupts, "No,that's a GP-9! Look at the real live people. compressors, stillroof-mounted inthe Phase 1model!" Ina conference room at a suburban Holiday InninWest "No dynamic braking fins!" someone else calls out. Chester, Pa., the conventioneers seem to be either former Ijust sit there and let itsoak in, basking in the warmth of employees, their children, or contemporary admirers of the WM. human company.—Aslide comes up showing the American The median age appears tobe about 50. Almost entirely male, Freedom Train magnificent, wreathed insteam, pounding they wear steel-rimmed glasses, denim jeans withbelts, sport upgrade, frozen intime crossing a bridge. Mymouth drops open hats, and crew-cuts. Many have —wallets held in their back pockets and my eyes start to tear. Iam stunned by the sight ofthe by chains attached tobelt loops the kindyou usually see on Southern Pacific locomotive, but the conventioneers instead fall some motorcyclists and truck drivers. Andall the people have into an animated discussion about its complicated equipment those jackets, those great shiny black jackets withthe biggold moves, and then about thebridge itself. "WM,"or the red and yellow fireball "Fast Freight Line" logos on "Number 94 bridge?" someone calls out. men are great deference, "No, of -town"; or, several others, the back. The older treated with and " that's outside say have their wives withthem. Once, at the Hagerstown Round- -town." (I'venever heard ofany ofthe places; that they house Museum inMaryland, Irecall seeing oldblack-and-white ended in "-town" is all Irecall.) photos of Christmas parties,— Fourth ofJuly celebrations, railroad "What about -town?" a chorus rings out. glee clubs,—special parties smiling children and mothers all over Shortly, they reach a satisfied consensus that it's the bridge the place taken at the roundhouse or inthe back shop, loca- over Highway 550 outside ofSabillasville, Md.And on itgoes. tions that would cause insurance-sensitive executives today to The followingevening includes a slide presentation onthe blanch. Now, at the convention, Isuddenly understand what it intricacies of cement switching operations atUnion Bridge inthe means that this railroad was a tight-knit, family-like operation. mid-'70s, followed by a retrospective on the last five conventions There is just one other who resembles myappearance, but he givenby the other young man attending this one. has been coming to these conventions for several years and is The followingday's excursion provides a similar experience. well-known to the others. Afew stares come my way. Pullingmy Running between West Chester and Wilmington, Del., the WMhat down lower, Imuster the courage to introduce myself to Brandywine Scenic Railway had borrowed two diesel locomotives a few ofthe younger men. They are children offormer employ- owned by two other railhistory groups, and the chance to witness ees. One man's father was an engineer who supplied some ofthe the diesels inaction was a major factor inmyattendance. The filmfootage for a video Irecently bought. The other is insome of morning sun just drops so smoothly onto the handsomely

Pittsburgh History, Spring 28 1998 The power of freight locomotives was awesome. Here a freight pushes a caboose to help another freight carry its load at Helmstetters Curve, Md., 1950.

29 Bridging Past and Present The mark of a good railroad was one that stayed on schedule. This eastbound train picks up orders on the fly as it passes through Maryland Junction, W.Va., June 1954.

30 Pittsburgh History, Spring 1998 restored 1954 Reading FP-7s, dazzling intheir gloss black paint three-hour descent talking to him. Next time, Ivowed, Iwould be withgreen and gold markings. Irush back and forth, unsuccess- better prepared. He diedbefore Ihad my chance. But what a fine fully straining for just the right angle for a portrait photograph. memory to have ofa railway's vice president. The knot ofmen in front of the lead engine breaks into a discus- George, as part ofWM's management, had taken part inthe sion about the relative drawbar performance ofthese anthracite railway's decision to merge withits competitor, the Baltimore & haulers versus the WM's own F-3s and F-7s, hauling bituminous Ohio. About a year ago, just before Isaw the news ofhis death, I out ofdeep ,over the summit past Spruce (only the came across the preface he had writtento a WMbook that had highest mainline inthe East! they say) and 's justbeen reissued. 1 His preface was a fond but clear-headed Black Fork Grade. Isheepishly shake my head. Ihave nothing to account of the fortunes ofthe railway and its demise as aninde- say about drawbar performance. Black Fork was so remote that pendent entity. During the early days ofmy exploration— ofWM, I there were very few pictures ever taken there; ithas been often wondered why the railway didn't survive why Icouldn't abandoned since 1983. Had Ionly known sooner.... The men see itrunning for real instead ofonly inmy imagination. rattle offperformance data as though they had just climbed down out oftheir locomotive cabs. Duringone ofthe slide presentations the night before, a slide came up and initIsaw George Leilich. Abutton-down graduate By the time Ihad discovered the Western Maryland, eight ofYale University's transportation school, he had gone on to years had passed since the last train departed Connellsville and the become WM's vice president ofoperations and an instrumental tracks were removed. The employees and railfans Imeet always part ofWM's success. He was a strong supporter ofthe historical seem saddened by the loss, and there is still some bitterness society and also a deep-down railenthusiast, once found running towards the B&Oand the dismemberment of"WildMary." one ofWM's hottest freight locomotives, the NickelPlate 765, Standing by empty rights-of-way indeserted countryside, Ihad to wellover the speed limiton the "property" (a railroading term start learning about WMfrom scratch. for equipment and track). Several years ago on the return trip of Far fromhome and too shy anyway to talk to people like an excursion on a steam-powered logging line deep inthe eastern those attending the convention, Iaccumulated the knowledge and mountains of West Virginia,Isat next to some men wearing memory ofothers withevery book Ipurchased. WM, after a 50- WMhats. Before the last "photo run-by" ofthe day, we fell to year struggle to get from Baltimore to Cumberland, was in1902 talking. The smiling, gray-haired older man whom they had been suddenly caught up inrailway baron George Gould's final attempt sitting withhad gotten offthe train to take part inthe run-by, and at fulfillinghis dream of creating a truly transcontinental railroad his companions asked me, "Doyou know who that man is? system. Collapsing intobankruptcy two years later, the Gould That's George Leilich.He used to be incharge of all WM system fellinto separate pieces, leaving the WMinreceivership. operations!" Emerging from bankruptcy, itbelatedly flung itself west from The run-by was set up at a bend, on a bridge crossing a deep Cumberland, and by 1912, having the lowest grade crossing ofthe blue stream. The train dropped offeverybody wanting photo- Alleghenies, became an important linkbetween the Eastern graphs at an agreed-upon "photo line," and began backing up, to Seaboard, Pittsburgh, and the Middle West. 2 After the end of run by the line forthe cameras. Some ofthe shutterbugs, World War I-mandated control by the U.S. Railroad Administra- including George Leilich,however, weren't satisfied withtheir tion and years of struggle to avoid takeover by other railways, positions, and crossed to the other side ofthe bridge, quite a WMgained its independence. Butthis was achieved only through ways up the track. The train came by, smoking itup, and by the a 1932 Interstate Commerce Commission order placing into a non- time the engineer got the brakes on and the engine stopped voting trust the 43 percent share of the WMowned by the B&O.3 around the bend, the group that had crossed the tracks for the After World War II,the WMburst into full flower,becoming one vantage point up the line was now way back up the line. of the best-run railroads inthe nation. Aninnovative, disciplined, We could see George running after us on the track and and fierce competitor, the railway's strength was manifested inits grinning at the foolishness ofhis situation. When he got to the people and physical plant. bridge, he hesitated, then went down and jumped into the water, WM's direct competitor and part-owner, the much larger snapped offa few shots, and thrashed across the stream, waist Baltimore &Ohio Railroad, had seen its financial condition deep, cutting across the bend and emerging marginally closer to steadily deteriorate after World War II.By the early 1960s, the us. After much shouting, the engineer realized what had hap- B&Owas broke and merged into a prosperous southerly neighbor, pened and reversed the train a little. When he gotback on board, the Chesapeake &Ohio Railway (whichhad acquired, as well,21 having crawled up the stream embankment, George Leilich had percent of WM's stock).4 In1964, B&Oand C&O fileda joint an air ofimportance greater inmyeyes than anything else that request withthe Interstate Commerce Commission to set aside the day. He told everyone that he didmanage to get some good terms ofthe 1932 non-voting trust.5 The request was approved shots ofthe train fromhis cold-water location. three years later. 6 Inmy early suppositions and imaginations about Iwished I'd talked to him then, while he was soaked and the fate of the WM,Ipictured the new WMboard, itsmajority human and laughing at himself. Icould have spent the whole made up of B&Oand C&O directors, ina darkened, smoke-filled

Bridging 31 Past and Present 32 Pittsburgh History, Spring 1998 )

room, voting to "merge" withB&O/C&O.Then in1975, the last trains ran over the once-great line,and their traffic was moved to the B&O. WM's rails were quickly ripped up, and today rusting bridges, crumbling tunnels, and weed -filledballast are all that remain, along withthe sadness and memories ofitsloyal employees and fans. But as Igathered more information, the storyline that had I developed gradually evolved. To the management of the B&O, the freight traffic carried on the parallel and competing WM, once just a grudge held since the Gould days, had become a precious loss it could little afford.7 To the management of the WM, by the mid-'60s, itwas losing important freight business to trucks and the St. Lawrence Seaway, and was hurtby changes in its traffic base and declining coal traffic. As a "bridge" line linking traffic on other railroads, WM also was hurt by the changes in freight car accounting charges and by the steady demise of the railcompanies which were its eastern connections. Operating expenses inthe '50s and '60s had increased faster than revenues. Long-term survival as an independent seemed unlikely. By merging, both railways could reap the economies ofscale that could help them survive. When B&O/C&Osought termination of the 1932 federal order, WM supported the move. After approval ofthe merger, plans were drawn up to gradually coordinate the roads' opera- tions. Following the re-routing offreight caused by the 1968 Penn Central merger and the deteriorating condition ofthe connecting roads with which WM still shared traffic,WM traffic levels dropped further still. During 1975 and 1976, operations over WM mainlines west ofHagerstown ceased, and although the excess capacity of B&Oand WM was eliminated, allWM

Above: The Western Maryland joined with the B&O Railroad's Somerset line at Rockwood, Pa. Junction operator C. A. Minder minds the station, c. 1930. Left: March 1952, on the Salisbury Viaduct, a once-important route for the railroad.

33 BridgingPast and Present employees received comparable jobs and the seniority they had earned. 8 Today, the roads which connected with the WM are abandoned, or are parts of the two other mega-railroads in the East which do not need a bridge line connection. The coal fields from which WM derived so much traffic are largely empty and silent. No matter how efficient itwas, the railroad could not have survived on its own.9 Merger was the best long-term choice for stockholders and employees. So, the WM vanished. Iwish so hard that ithadn't, and I'msure itwillbe a primary topic at my next meeting withfellow conventioneers.

— Walking on a rail-less viaduct east of Meyersdale this one the Keystone Viaduct —the windblows against my jacket as I mull over the remains of what brought me to the area inthe first place many years ago: the mysteries of the majestic upper Potomac; the ruggedness ofthe Alleghenies; the sunny broad plateaus and valleys ofSomerset County; and the beauty of the Casselman and Youghiogheny valleys. My interest originally was the B&Oline and its history. (And, for the time being, there are stilllots of trains on the B&Oline going through the region.) But, as Ilearned from conventioneers devoted to the Western Mary- land line, the past is for some the living past, the past ofmemory and experience; in the case ofmy fellow conventioneers, the past was perhaps among the best parts of their lives. Havinghad that experience, Irealize Iam part of the first generation to experience the railway as the unlived past. Walking on the viaduct, an ATVdriven by a boy ofperhaps

Above: During its heyday, a railroad could not go long without support buildings. Destroyed by fireon November 20, 1924, the Bowest engine house (between Connellsville and Indian Creek) was rebuilt with an engine inside its partially reconstructed building. Right: Freight traveling over Keystone Viaduct, January 1951.

34 Pittsburgh History, Spring 1998 35 Bridging Past and Present

Georgetown, Md. The canal offers a clear contrast to the nearby but inaccessible WM Cumberland Extension, running from Cumberland through the wildPotomac Valley towards Big Pool and Hancock, Md. Although perhaps ideal for excursion trains with its remote views, pioneering bridges, tunnels, and fills,the Cumberland Extension has faded fast in20 years, and will someday vanish and exist only inbooks like the ones onmy shelves. As they travel the right-of-way, my hope is that cyclists and backpackers willwonder, as Ido, about the great bridges passing over them. ® Notes' Rogert Cook and Karl Zimmerman, The : Fireballs and Black Diamonds, 2nd ed. (Laury's Station, Pa., 1992), ix-xi. 2 Ibid, 49 3 This paragraph: Cook, Zimmerman, 44-51; Ross B.Grenard andJohn Krause, Steam in the Alleghenies: Western Maryland (Rockville Centre, NY.,no date), 5; David R. Top: A common sight to earlier Sweetland, Western Maryland: InColor (Edison, N.J., 1995), 3. 4 Stephen Salamon and William E. Hopkins, The Railway generations was a locomotive like this J. Western Maryland in the Diesel Era (Silver Spring, Md., 1991 ),4. traveling the rails in the Indian one 5 Cook, Zimmerman, 52; Grenard, Krause, 5. Creek area, 1913. Above: Modern-day 6 Sweetland, 69. visitors to the Western Maryland 7 Abook about the parallel B&Oline contains this photo caption: "We have already Railroad willfind only abandonment and nominated the WM Connellsville Extension as one ofthe most unnecessary railroads ever built, at blocked passages such as the Welton and. as we gaze their Salisbury Viaduct ... we suspect that it was also one ofthe most expensive." Charles S. Roberts, Sand Patch: Clash Titans (Baltimore, Tunnel West Portal. of 1993), 94; nomination made inphoto caption onp. 88. 8 This paragraph: Cook, Zimmerman, xi,52, 281-291; Salamon, Hopkins, 4; Sweetland, 69. 9 Cook, Zimmerman, xi

38 Pittsburgh History, Spring 1998