Resent: Maryland Railway Robert B.Hoover
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Reflections on the Western resent: Maryland 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 Baltimore &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 Casselman River 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 Pennsylvania, Istand atop a giant monument to the past. There willbe no trains 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 train 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 steam locomotive 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 Western Maryland 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 West Virginia,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 Blackwater Canyon'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