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Maryland
Midland Railway Published
in The Short Line Magazine, #177 Vol. 30, No. 3 The Maryland Midland is likely a familiar name to
many eastern railfans. The
company’s two-bay covered hoppers can be seen in train consists all over
the east, carrying cement to various customers.
This article will take a closer look at this highly successful
central Maryland shortline. The Maryland Midland operates a total of 70 miles of
trackage, consisting of two connecting lines.
The trunk of the system is a portion of the former Western Maryland
mainline, stretching between CSX connections at Emory Grove, MD to the
east, and Highfield, MD to the west.
Both CSX interchanges are former WM lines, as well, stretching from
Baltimore, MD to Hanover, PA and from Hanover west to Hagerstown, MD. Splicing the east-west ex WM line is a former
Pennsylvania Railroad branch that originally ran between Frederick, MD and
York, PA via Hanover. The
Penn Central put up the line for sale in 1972, and the portion in Maryland
was purchased by the state. This
line is currently in service between Walkersville and Taneytown, MD, and
is crossed by the ex WM main at Keymar, MD. The Maryland Midland began operations in 1980 on the
Walkersville to Taneytown segment. The
railroad had a total of 17 miles of track, one small Whitcomb locomotive
and approximately 200 cars a year of traffic.
From these humble beginnings, the company expanded its operations
over the next several years, first with the purchase of 37 miles of
trackage from Highfield to Westminster, MD from CSX in 1983, and
eventually further east to Emory Grove in 1988. The early years of the Maryland Midland offered quite
an eclectic fleet of locomotives, including a pair of F7As, 4 SD24s, and 3
RS-3s operated over approximately the first ten years. Three GP9s arrived in 1985, ex N&W 793, 794, and 812.
These were eventually renumbered in order to 200-202, and remain on
the Maryland Midland roster to this day.
Three ex CSX GP38s arrived on the property in 1993, and are
today’s 300-302. Customers When Maryland Midland began operations in 1980,
traffic was around 200 cars per year.
This has burgeoned to a present day level of nearly 15,000 cars per
year, and this is in large part due to the company’s largest customer,
Lehigh Cement Corporation. The
plant has nearly doubled in size in recent years, and the resulting
traffic increase has been a boon for the Maryland Midland. Another major source of traffic is the stone shuttle
between the Laurel Sand & Gravel Barrick quarry at Woodsboro and
Laurel’s rock yard at Finksburg. This
traffic is captive on Maryland Midland, and involves no interchange with
CSX. This enables Maryland Midland to deliver custom, reliable service to
the customer. 3 bay 100-ton
hoppers are used on the run, some still bearing Clinchfield Railroad
lettering. A relatively recent development has added a large
seasonal boost to Maryland Midland’s traffic base to the tune of over
300 cars a year of agricultural products.
This traffic was previously trucked by area farmers to the Port of
Baltimore’s export grain elevator, which closed in early 2003.
As a result, farmers began to ship their crops to Perdue Farms in
Chesapeake, VA, and rail became the more cost-effective mode of
transportation. Keymar
Fertilizer, Inc. (known as “KFI”) began to load grain hoppers during
the 2003 fall harvest, and strings of covered hoppers lined the lightly
used Taneytown Branch. KFI
has since expanded to better serve its customer shipping needs, and moved
nearly one million bushels of soybeans through the facility in 2004. There are also several carload shippers along the
line that add to the Maryland Midland’s traffic base, including NVR
Building Products in Thurmont, MD, which is frequently served by the
Maryland Midland. A complete
list of customers can be found on the company’s website at http://www.mmidrwy.com
. The Lines One not need look far along the ex WM trackage to
know this was once a busy through route.
Occasional WM style block signals can still be found, along with
code line poles, and classic metal WM station markers. Maryland Midland maintains the line to 25 mph standards, and
much is still the ex WM 115 pound jointed rail.
This line is owned by the Maryland Midland, with the exception of
the segment from Westminster to Cedarhurst, which is presently owned by
the state of Maryland. From Emory Grove to Union Bridge, the line rolls
through the scenic Maryland countryside on relatively light grades.
Departing Union Bridge for Highfield, the grades begin to pick up,
capped off with a ruling 2% grade from Thurmont to Highfield.
This portion of railroad gives a visitor a nice taste of mountain
railroading, as the Maryland Midland winds its way through the beautiful
scenery of Catoctin Mountain, part of the Blue Ridge chain.
The sweeping horseshoe curve at Sabillasville is a spectacular
sight, and the roar of non-turbocharged EMD’s in run 8 echoing off of
the surrounding mountains sends a definite message of the power of
railroading. While the mountain railroading of the west end may
captivate many a fan, the classic street running on Farquhar Street in
Union Bridge is a favorite of many, as well.
Here, the Maryland Midland shoves up a steep grade to Lehigh
Cement, and the street is lined with classic northeastern US-style row
houses. However, this classic scene is on borrowed time.
With the expansion of the Lehigh Cement plant also came a new spur
to replace the 80-year-old trackage on Farquhar Street.
While many fans will certainly lament the loss of this timeless
scene, it is probably a very safe assumption that the residents of
Farquhar Street will not, nor will the Maryland Midland.
The descent down the grade back to the yard is steep, and the track
takes a sharp curve at the end that literally comes within a few feet of a
residence. Hauling more and
heavier traffic down the trackage is no easy task, even for the most
experienced crews. The new spur on the east side is nearly complete, and
was anticipated to be in service in 2003.
The roadbed is complete, but the in-plant trackage at Lehigh Cement
has yet to be constructed. A
projected completion date is difficult to predict, so there is still time
to get the street running. A
wye track to the new spur is complete and in service, and now provides
Maryland Midland with a badly needed online wye for turning locomotives,
which previously required interchange to CSX, a timely and costly
proposition. The Woodsboro to Taneytown segment is mostly in the
woods, though the steel girder bridge at Ladiesburg is quite impressive
and easily viewed. Downtown
Taneytown provides a classic small town American scene, though traffic is
very sparse on this end of the line.
The WM crosses the line on a steel bridge at Keymar, though this
junction is not publicly accessible.
The track itself is 85 pound jointed rail, with heavier rail south
of Keymar, and the grades are relatively light. Maryland Midland has very recently reached an
agreement with the state of Maryland to purchase all of the state-owned
trackage, on both the WM main and the PRR line.
This will bring all lines under company ownership, and eliminate
the fees paid to the state for use of the trackage.
The company also intends to aggressively pursue new customers on
the north end of the former PRR line, which at present sees the least
traffic on the system. Present Day Maryland Midland With the expansion of Lehigh Cement and KFI, traffic
on the Maryland Midland is booming. With
more carloads, naturally comes the need for more horsepower.
Maryland Midland elected to initially lease two GP40s to evaluate
the performance of high-horsepower, turbocharged units. The units tested were HATX 518 and 521, and arrived on the
Maryland Midland in November 2003. They
were tested for a period of 6 months, but it didn’t take long for the
company to decide that the 3000 HP GP40s were not the best units for the
Maryland Midland. As a
result, 4 ex LTV Steel Mining Company GP38-3s were acquired in summer 2004
and were delivered in Maryland Midland paint.
Expansion of the fleet not only provides more horsepower, but also
allows the Maryland Midland to run heavier trains simultaneously.
The existing 3 GP38s were simply not enough to go around, and as a
result, trains were scheduled around availability of the road units.
The new units were to wear a newly designed nose emblem, but
difficulties with production caused the opportunity to be missed at
painting of the units and most likely means this addition will not happen.
GP38 302 did receive an experimental emblem, but it may be removed
at a future date. The Future The future looks bright for the Maryland Midland, as
traffic is projected to remain strong.
Lehigh Cement still has the capability to expand production, so it
is very possible that the already strong traffic from the plant will
increase even more. There are
also available industrial sites located along the railroad at Taneytown
and near Westminster that could host future shippers. The locomotive fleet will likely remain as is for the
next several years. With 7
GP38 units upgraded to Dash 3 standards, the Maryland Midland has a
reliable, modern road fleet to handle its traffic.
The GP9s are planned to be kept on the roster, and will most likely
spend the rest of their time on the roster leased to Lehigh Cement as
in-plant switch units. Railfanning the Maryland Midland With traffic at its current levels, the opportunity
to catch trains in action on the Maryland Midland is present 6-7 days a
week. All trains originate
and terminate in Union Bridge, and are symboled with alpha codes.
These are currently three regularly scheduled jobs on the Maryland
Midland, the UBHF (Union Bridge-Highfield), UBEG (Union Bridge-Emory
Grove), and UBST (Stone train). The
UBEG operates M-F 2200, UBHF Su-Thu 1400, and UBST, M-F 0800.
As with any shortline, these times can be varied based on customer
needs, and are periodically revised. There are frequently extra stone trains on the
weekends during warm weather months, as northeastern quarries tend to
maximize production during warm weather, since the wet processed stone
will freeze in the hoppers during cold temperatures.
The UBEG usually rates one or two GP38s, and the UBHF and UBST
generally rate two to three. For
those with scanners, the action can be heard on 160.425, 160.545, and
160.965. EOTs are used and
broadcast on 457.937. Numerous photographic opportunities exist along the
lines in all directions, with the most scenic portion located along the
Thurmont to Highland segment. Highway
550 parallels the line, and publicly accessible locations abound. There are nice spots between Union Bridge and Thurmont, but
Highway 77 only generally parallels the line.
Side roads will be used to access grade crossings. The Union Bridge to Emory Grove segment offers good
scenery, and Highway 75 roughly parallels the route from Union
Bridge to New Windsor, but again, side roads will be used to access many
photo locations. Highway 31
is roughly parallel from New Windsor to Westminster, and then Highway 140
from Westminster to Emory Grove. Following
the line is not as easy on the east end, so a Delorme atlas or other
detailed area map is highly recommended.
This end of the line offers more rolling hill type scenery, and
downtown Westminster offers some nice “cityscape” opportunities.
The rock yard at Finksburg is crossed by a bridge at the east end,
so fans of industrial type photos will be pleased with the view here, with
numerous conveyors and heavy equipment visible. The active segment of the former PRR line between
Woodsboro and Taneytown is heavily tree-lined, but there are a few good
photo spots. Foremost is the
steel bridge at Ladiesburg, which is easily photographed from Warner Road,
which passes underneath. The
wye at Keymar is also a good photo spot.
The line tends to open up a bit toward the north end at Taneytown,
though this segment only sees light seasonal traffic at present to a
propane dealer and timber company. Highway
194 follows the line in its entirety. The street trackage in Union Bridge is probably high
on the list of photographers visiting Maryland Midland. Farquhar Street is 2 blocks east of Main St. in downtown
Union Bridge. Generally, both
the UBHF and UBEG work Lehigh Cement at the beginning and/or end of their
shift, so it is relatively easy to get a train on Farquhar Street. For those interested in riding the rails, the D.C.
National Railway Historical Society sponsors annual fall foliage trips
that operate over the Maryland Midland.
The trips are generally in the early October timeframe, and usually
use chartered MARC commuter equipment.
Visit http://www.dcnrhs.org for more information on these trips. Finally, for those interested in learning more on the
history of the Maryland Midland’s predecessor line owner, the Western
Maryland, the Western Maryland Historical Society maintains a nice museum
at the former WM depot in downtown Union Bridge.
The museum is open on Sundays from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, and is easily
worked into a visit to the Maryland Midland.
Special arrangements can possibly be made for a visit outside of
this timeframe by contacting the WM Railway Historical Society at (410) 775-0150. Visiting the Maryland Midland Visitors must be aware that the Maryland Midland is a
busy operation with heavy traffic. While
the company is generally tolerant of railfans, entering company property
without prior permission is strictly forbidden.
Unauthorized entry into the shop area at Union Bridge is not
permitted due to liability concerns. There are numerous locations to safely observe and
photograph the Maryland Midland from public property all along the system.
Visitors are reminded to conduct themselves safely and responsibly
around the railroad, even when not on railroad property. A visit to the Maryland Midland offers many unique
opportunities to observe a modern, efficient shortline operation.
While not the nostalgic “branchline” type operation some
shortline fans favor, it does offer a look at what is becoming the more
typical US shortline scene: high-horsepower locomotives pulling heavier
trains on well maintained trackage. If
you’ve been planning a visit, now is as good a time as any.
Time will likely soon expire on the street trackage and like so
many others, another small piece of railroading will become history. The author would like to thank Mr. Jeff Barkdoll
for his assistance with this article.
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