Western Maryland Railway

Western Maryland Railway
Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad
Founded	1852
Defunct	1983
Fate	Fully absorbed into Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O)
Successor	Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O)
Headquarters	Baltimore, United States
Area served	Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania
Key people	John Mifflin Hood (president)
Products	Coal and freight transportation, limited passenger service (until 1958)
Owner	Chessie System (from 1973)
Parent	Chessie System (from 1973)

The Western Maryland Railway, often referred to as the Wild Mary, was a modest American Class I railroad operating from 1852 until 1983 across three states in the Southern United States: Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. With its headquarters situated in Baltimore, Maryland, the railway primarily focused on transporting coal and freight, while maintaining a limited passenger service that continued until 1958.

In 1973, the WM was acquired by the Chessie System holding company but continued to function independently until 1975. At that time, numerous routes were discontinued in favor of parallel tracks owned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). The Western Maryland was fully absorbed into B&O in 1983. Subsequently, B&O merged with the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) under Chessie System in 1987; this combined entity later joined with the Seaboard System to create CSX Transportation.

19th century

The Western Maryland began its existence as the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad in 1852, chartered with the intention of extending westward from Baltimore. In 1853, it was renamed the Western Maryland Rail Road Company, and construction commenced in 1857 starting at Owings Mills, utilizing a branch line of the Northern Central Railway to establish a connection to Baltimore.

By 1862, the railroad had reached Union Bridge. Construction halted during the Civil War but resumed in 1868 under Chief Engineer Joseph S. Gitt. By 1872, the main line had been extended to Hagerstown (known as the East Subdivision), and significant car maintenance shops were established at Union Bridge.

In 1873, WM constructed its own track from Owings Mills to Fulton Junction within Baltimore, obtaining trackage rights for final access to Calvert Street Station. A branch line extending east from Union Station to Hillen Station was inaugurated in 1876 and became the site of company headquarters. The railway connected Hagerstown to Williamsport to capitalize on coal shipments originating from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

During John Mifflin Hood’s presidency, WM expanded into Pennsylvania by leasing the Baltimore and Cumberland Valley Railroad line between Edgemont and Waynesboro and Shippensburg in 1881 (the Lurgan Subdivision). By 1886, this line connected with the Harrisburg and Potomac Railroad.

Another Pennsylvania route—the Hanover Subdivision—was acquired through control of the Baltimore and Hanover Railroad and Gettysburg Railroad in late 1886. This line ran from Emory Grove through Hanover and Gettysburg before rejoining WM near Highfield, Maryland. Additionally, a branch from Porters Sideling to York was completed in 1893, known as the York Subdivision.

The West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway (WVC&P), originally a narrow gauge railway founded in 1880, expanded access to timber and coal resources throughout West Virginia’s Allegheny Highlands, promoting development of communities such as Davis, Thomas, and Parsons.

In 1892, WM established a connection with B&O via the Potomac Valley Railroad between Williamsport and Big Pool, enhancing through-freight operations. The extension from Hagerstown to Cumberland was finalized by 1906 (referred to as the West Subdivision), leading to construction of an extensive shop complex at Hagerstown that included a roundhouse and machine shops by 1909.

The WVC&P created the Coal and Iron Railway (C&I) in 1899 to reach logging regions and link with the C&O Railway. This route crossed Cheat Mountain through a tunnel near Elkins, followed Shavers Fork upstream, then descended along West Fork Greenbrier River to Durbin in Pocahontas County where it connected with C&O.

20th century

In 1902, the Fuller Syndicate, under the leadership of George Jay Gould, gained a controlling stake in WM and began implementing plans to expand westward. By 1904, WM had completed a significant marine terminal at Port Covington in Baltimore, which included piers for coal, grain, and general merchandise, along with eleven rail yards, warehouses, and maintenance facilities. During the 1920s, rotary dumpers and a substantial grain elevator were added to enhance operations.

Construction reaching Durbin was finalized by 1903. The 1905 acquisition of the WVC&P incorporated the C&I line into WM as the Durbin Subdivision.

In 1907, the syndicate expanded its holdings by acquiring several railroads, among them the George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad (GC&C), which extended westward through the Cumberland Narrows to Lonaconing, Maryland. Between 1910 and 1912, the Connellsville Extension was constructed from Cumberland to Connellsville, Pennsylvania, establishing a connection with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE).

By 1915, WM had secured trackage rights over a B&O line stretching from Bowest Junction near Connellsville to Chiefton, West Virginia, thereby broadening coal access west of Fairmont, West Virginia.

The GC&C route provided entry to mines located in the Georges Creek Valley. In 1927, WM discontinued some GC&C track segments and instead utilized trackage rights on the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad (C&P) for additional mine access. WM acquired C&P in 1944 and consolidated operations by 1953.

Although relatively small in scale, the Connellsville subdivision handled fast freight and coal shipments originating from company mines near Fairmont and Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Passenger stations were established in Cumberland and Hagerstown in 1913. The Cumberland station served as headquarters for Western Division offices and currently functions as Canal Place under the National Park Service. It hosts both the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and a visitor center for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Both stations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

That same year, WM renamed its Finksburg station "Asbestos," after a local roofing business—a change that proved unpopular among local residents.

The WVC&P developed Elkins near Leading Creek and the Tygart Valley River into a major rail yard and operational center for both WM and later the Chessie System well into the 1980s.

Following its acquisition by the Fuller Syndicate in 1902 and merger into WM by 1905, WVC&P's line—referred to as the Thomas Subdivision—connected at Maryland Junction south of Cumberland. This route included Black Water Grade within Blackwater Canyon, which remained vital to WM until it was abandoned during the 1970s.

In 1927, WM purchased the Greenbrier, Cheat and Elk Railroad and extended it southward with an additional West Virginia Midland Railway line acquired in 1929. Initially constructed as logging railroads, these lines supported coal transportation as part of WM's GC&E Subdivision.

The Fuller Syndicate's endeavor to create a transcontinental railroad system beginning circa 1902 encountered strong competition from dominant railroads such as PRR and B&O. Overexpansion led to WM entering receivership in 1908; however, a new corporation acquired its assets in 1909, allowing receivership to conclude by 1910.

In 1931, a connection with the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway (P&WV) at Connellsville facilitated formation of the Alphabet Route—a coalition of eight railroads including WM—to rival larger carriers like PRR. Today, P&WV is leased by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.

Major yards included Jamison Yard at Hagerstown with a capacity for 3,000 cars handling westbound traffic, and Knobmount Yard near Ridgeley, West Virginia accommodating up to 1,600 cars for eastbound shipments.

Diesel locomotives were introduced for yard use beginning in 1941 and entered regular service by 1949; steam locomotives were phased out by 1954 despite new J-1 class 4-8-4 engines being added as late as 1947.

Passenger service commenced in 1859 but declined significantly over time—from generating 26 million revenue passenger-miles in 1925 down to only two million by 1956. The Baltimore-Owings Mills-Thurmont-Hagerstown route ceased operations in 1957; service between Cumberland and Elkins ended between 1957 and 1958; finally, mixed train service from Elkins to Durbin terminated in 1959.

In 1964, C&O and B&O jointly petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to obtain control over WM; approval was granted in 1968.

By 1973, as part of Chessie System consolidation efforts, ownership of WM transferred to C&O while operations were managed by B&O. B&O merged into C&O in 1987; subsequently, C&O became integrated into CSX Transportation.

Legacy

A significant portion of the original Western Maryland Railway (WM) westward from Big Pool has been left unused, including the summit area of the Allegheny Mountains and the Eastern Continental Divide near Deal, Pennsylvania. Beyond CSX's operations, segments of the former WM lines are currently managed by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, Maryland Midland Railway (MMID), Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, Pennsylvania & Southern Railway, and the York Railway. Additionally, a stretch of the old WM track bed in Baltimore now supports the Baltimore Metro Subway, running northwest from downtown to Owings Mills, Maryland.

Several other sections have been transformed into rail trails, such as Maryland’s Western Maryland Rail Trail, West Virginia’s Blackwater Canyon Trail and Allegheny Highlands Trail, as well as the Great Allegheny Passage which spans both Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Within Allegany County, Maryland, the C&O Canal National Historical Park encompasses the Western Maryland Railroad Right-of-Way, Milepost 126 to Milepost 160, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981. The park also includes the historic Western Maryland Railway Station in Cumberland, which functions as a visitor center offering historical displays.

A former WM warehouse located on Hillen Street in downtown Baltimore, adjacent to the Orleans Street Viaduct, is currently owned and operated by Public Storage.

Subdivisions

During its peak in the early 1900s, WM managed these rail lines:

Subdivision Name	Starting Point	Ending Point	Remarks	Current Status
Belington	Elkins, West Virginia	Belington, West Virginia		Owned by West Virginia State Rail Authority (WVSRA) as West Virginia Central Railroad; operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (D&GV)
Connellsville	Cumberland, Maryland	Connellsville, Pennsylvania	Included State Line Branch connecting to PRR until 1972; Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) implemented at Cumberland.	Portions now used by Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and converted into Great Allegheny Passage rail trail
Durbin	Elkins, West Virginia	Durbin, West Virginia		Section from Elkins to Cheat Junction owned by WVSRA and operated by D&GV; Cheat Junction to Durbin owned by Monongahela National Forest, designated West Fork Rail-Trail.
East	Walbrook Junction, Maryland	Hagerstown, Maryland		Emory Grove to Highfield segment operated by Maryland Midland Railway; remaining parts under CSX control.
Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk (GC&E)	Cheat Junction, West Virginia	Webster Springs, West Virginia		Segment from Cheat Junction to Big Cut owned by WVSRA and run by D&GV
Hanover	Emory Grove, Maryland	Highfield-Cascade, Maryland	CTC managed at Emory Grove Tower	Currently operated by CSX Transportation
Huttonsville	Elkins, West Virginia	Dailey, West Virginia		Owned by WVSRA; operation by D&GV but inactive since approximately 2010.
Lurgan	Hagerstown, Maryland	Shippensburg, Pennsylvania		Portions presently run by CSX and Pennsylvania & Southern Railway
Thomas	Cumberland, Maryland	Elkins, West Virginia	Includes C&P Branch from Westernport to Shaft; Stony River Subdivision leased in 1963.	Some sections abandoned after 1927; others operated by CSX and Georges Creek Railway (leased to Western Maryland Scenic Railroad); certain parts converted to rail-trails or submerged beneath Jennings Randolph Lake.
Tide	Walbrook Junction	Port Covington (Baltimore)		Segments currently owned by CSX; Port Covington portion abandoned in 1988.
West	Cumberland, Maryland	Hagerstown, Maryland	CTC located at Maryland Junction.	Most of the line east of Cumberland is abandoned except for a small section at North Branch; Western Maryland Rail Trail extends from Peare to Big Pool; east of Big Pool operated by CSX under Lurgan Subdivision.
York	Porters Sideling, Pennsylvania	York, Pennsylvania		Presently operated by the York Railway

Heritage unit

In April 2024, CSX Transportation unveiled its twelfth heritage locomotive, CSX #1852 Western Maryland, paying tribute to the historical significance of the Western Maryland Railway.

External links

Visual tour of the Western Maryland Railway
The 1952 Western Maryland narrative by Harold H. Williams with photographs by A. Aubrey Bodine
Western Maryland Railway Historical Society and Western Maryland Railroad archival collection (1857–1961)
Railroads of Northern West Virginia – details on Thomas Subdivision and related lines
Baltimore Ghosts: Westward Ho! on the WM – imagery featuring Hillen Station and Western Maryland facilities in Baltimore
The Western Maryland Railway, known as 'The Fast Freight Line'
Directory and genealogies of North American railroads
Documentation from the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER):