Western Md. Scenic Suffers "Landslide," Closing Part of Line

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:50 pm

http://www.times-news.com/news/local_ne ... 6bfb0.html

Quote:

Track damage from a landslide believed to be mine-related will keep Western Maryland Scenic Railroad trains from reaching their Frostburg destination until summer, officials said Monday.

The landslide, located on tracks between Frostburg and Switch No. 9, was discovered Thursday during a routine track inspection. Land below the railroad tracks has slipped away at an estimated 2 to 4 feet. The erosion makes the tracks impassible, John Garner, scenic railroad superintendent, said.

"This will hold things up," Garner said. "We're looking not to reconnect into Frostburg until, at the very earliest, July."

The Maryland Bureau of Mines visited the site Friday to begin an investigation. Field testing of the area is expected to take up to 45 days, according to Garner. If the Bureau of Mines finds the landslide is indeed mine-related, emergency repairs are expected to take an additional 30 to 60 days.

More at link.
Photos posted to the line's Facebook account.

jlg759 · **Joined:** Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:26 pm **Posts:** 10

Last two photo charters with 734 are still a go. !!

Rick Rowlands · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:00 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

Photos posted to the line's Facebook account.

No there isn't.
https://www.facebook.com/Wmsrsteam/

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:11 pm

Try this one:

https://www.facebook.com/WmsrFoundation/

Now, to the uninitiated, this doesn't look like much. But I comes from Pennsylvania coal-mine territory, and I once saw a "crack" like this consume well over a dozen dump truck loads before they gave up and did more serious excavation and filling (involving teams of dump trucks dumping fill, front-end loaders, etc.).

In this case, if it's found to be a collapsed mine, the railroad is off the hook and the state agencies step in to take corrective action. If it's not a mine, well.......

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2016 5:03 am

Finally go to look at the story, and one of the things that stood out was that a campground and cafe at Frostburg got between 85% and 90% of its business from the railroad.

This is serious not only for the railroad, but for at least that one business, and I would suspect others as well.

In turn, if the railroad has to set up a new Frostburg "terminal," that will be second best for it as well; it will not be the destination that Frostburg now is. And then there is going to be the expense of installing a runaround track at the new "terminal," not to mention, from the description, that this new runaround track will likely go onto the trail that occupies the former second track location at No. 9. . .

Final item--I understand the WM had a station for Frostburg on the main line somewhere, but I've never been able to pinpoint the location. I wonder how far it was from Frosburg itself?

Dave Albright · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2016 7:14 am

It was down the hill from the C&P freight depot, just east of the rr overpass.

YeOldeEnjine · **Joined:** Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:31 pm **Posts:** 329

Now reports of a second slide near Woodcock Hollow.

https://www.facebook.com/GAPTrail/?fref=photo

CO 2666 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:43 pm

Here is a really nice article done by TRAINS Magazine about the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's "recovery" from a couple of years of just one set back after another. Its a very nice article and is worth the read. There shouldn't be a paywall.

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/observation- ... yland.aspx

Best,
-Andrew

tom moungovan · **Posted:** Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:13 pm

Wonderful news. Whether the 2-6-6-2 is running or not, I am hoping that an old friend & I can ride next year.

wm303 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:32 am

"Final item--I understand the WM had a station for Frostburg on the main line somewhere, but I've never been able to pinpoint the location. I wonder how far it was from Frosburg itself"?

The Frostburg Station was located on the main line near where the right-of-way crossed MD Rt 36 on an overpass and where the trail diverges uphill to the C&P Station.

There is a parking lot on the station site now.