Western Maryland Scenic RR

On a warm, hazy day (8/27/94) Liz and I visited Frostburg MD, where we encountered WMSR #734 at the western terminus of its run. Here's a description of the WMSR taken from a company brochure:

The 32-mile round trip begins at the Western Maryland Station Center in Cumberland, Maryland. During the three hour excursion to Frostburg, travel a mile-long gorge through the Allegheny Mountains known as the "The Narrows", pass over an iron truss bridge, wind around Helmstetter's Curve and through the 914 foot Brush Tunnel. Climb grades of up to 2.8% and nearly 1300 feet in elevatation.

#734, 2-8-0 (ex-LS&I) Baldwin 1916, has stopped at the Frostburg depot to drop off its passengers.

While the passengers take a little stroll through Frostburg, the crew pulls #734 onto the turntable to turn her for the return trip.

About ready to turn.

Almost 180 degrees later.

The railroad has a great viewing platform on a hill overlooking the turntable. I had a slight disaster while here - A lens fell out of my glasses and fell to the ground below. Luckily I was able to find it and amazingly, it did not break.

A few hundred feet past the turntable is the portal of the tunnel that carried the original WM under Frostburg and on to the west.