Postcards and trivia (for MD/PA locals mainly I guess)

[Mark5]

Interesting that there was once a train station here on Washington Street in Hagerstown:

http://home.comcast.net/~VagelKeller/images/hager2.jpg

The Church is still standing. Gotta drive by that next time I'm in Hub City. 

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=st+mary%27s+catholic+church+hagerstown&fb=1&cid=0,0,14492934172862541597&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Also, I wonder if these buildings are still in Chambersburg:

http://home.comcast.net/~VagelKeller/images/cburg14b.jpg

All from this cool site:

http://home.comcast.net/~VagelKeller/postcard01.htm

Mark

[wm3798]

By looking at the map, I'd say that Walnut Street used to be the Cumberland Valley ROW.  When the WM did the grade crossing elimination project after 1956, the PRR was also moved to share the same berm, although at a slightly lower grade at the south end.  If you switch the map to the satellite view and follow Walnut Street to the north, you can see a line of trees that follows what would have been the track bed as it curves toward North Junction, where the CV/PRR crosses the WM. 

Conversely, the old WM right of way is now Burhans Blvd, to the west of the current track position.  Its station was also bypassed, but still stands and serves as the Hagerstown Police HQ.

Lee

[Bob Bufkin]

The old CV office building has been gone for quite awhile.  I understand that there are still a couple of old CVRR building in general use in Chambersburg (p.s. I was born there).  Used to be quite a bit of track on various streets (both PRR and WM) at one time.  Haven't been up there for over a year.  The old PRR watertower was torn down within the last 2 years.  NS considered it a safety hazard. At one time PRR actually used 2 or 3 swithers (EMD SW1s and later SW7s) running out of Chambersburg.  Was fishing with my cousin once near the old Heinz plant with our bikes parked on a small trestle when an SW7 and a few cars came along.  We had to rush and throw them off the trestle cause he wasn't gonna stop.  Remember one of the crewmen laughing when he went by.  Think that was where I learned the rage road finger salute.
Bob

[Mark5]

By looking at the map, I'd say that Walnut Street used to be the Cumberland Valley ROW. 

You may be right. Isn't the track that butts up against Walnut the old B&O Weverton branch?

This map gives what might be a better feel with the W&W tracks close by:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Hagerstown&state=MD&address=224+W+Washington+St

Here's the church today

http://www.saintmarysonline.org/StMarysCatholicChurch2008.jpg/StMarysCatholicChurch2008-full;init:.jpg

[wm3798]

No, the Weverton branch crosses Prospect there at the traffic circle, then heads straight over to the WM, curving around to the northeast and tying in just east of the yard throat.
Lee

[Bob Bufkin]

Sound to me that when the weather warms up, a few of us need to do some railroad archiology, say from Hagerstown to Harrisburg. 

[asciibaron]

Sound to me that when the weather warms up, a few of us need to do some railroad archiology, say from Hagerstown to Harrisburg. 

not too much to see really.  you have better access live the bird's eye views on maps.live.com.

-Steve

[Bob Bufkin]

True.  However, I can point out right of ways and other details which don't show on the maps very well if at all. 

[wm3798]

I love a good ghost hunt!  My favorite is the M&P through Harford County.

Lee

[davefoxx]

I love a good ghost hunt!  My favorite is the M&P through Harford County.

Lee

Lee,

I also like searching for remnants of bygone railroads.  I attended summer camp in Rocks, Maryland (Harford County) in my youth, and I always wanted to poke around to see if I could find what was remaining of the Ma & Pa.  I also enjoyed going over to Whiteford last year for you to see if that M&P freight station was still standing.

That said, here's one of my favorite finds just next door in Cecil County, Maryland.  I noticed this bridge about three years ago and thought that it resembled a B&O bridge, knowing that a B&O branch once ran through the area somewhere. The date on the keystone (which I didn't know was there until I downloaded the picture to my laptop but probably won't show on this smaller picture being posted to this thread) confirmed that this granite single-arch bridge was part of the B&O's Lancaster, Cecil & Southern branch, as the 4 1/2-mile line was built in 1892. This shot was taken from Leeds Road looking over the Little Elk Creek, which runs from right to left. The bridge crosses another stream which joins the creek here. The railroad used to run along the west bank of the Little Elk Creek, heading north (to the right in this picture) towards Providence Mills.



Dave