Misplaced Pages

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50-598: The WM became a property of the Chessie System holding company in 1973, although it continued independent operations until May 1975 after which its lines were abandoned in favor of parallel Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) lines. In 1983, it was fully merged into the B&;O, which later was also merged with the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway into the Chessie System in 1987, which then merged with

100-683: A "high water mark" more than 7'6" from the floorboards. Flood stage in the shallow riverbed was only 7 feet. Located at Parsons and listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Tucker County Bank Building , Tucker County Courthouse and Jail , and Western Maryland Depot . The Cheat River is formed at Parsons by the confluence of the Shavers Fork and the Black Fork . The city has

150-465: A fire while stored in a Chessie System roundhouse in Silver Grove, Kentucky . It has since been cosmetically restored to its American Freedom Train paint scheme, and is on static display at the B&O Railroad Museum, although has been exposed to the elements for most of its time there. In October 2023, the locomotive was moved into the museum's shops to undergo a cosmetic restoration. In 2017,

200-739: A giant, the Connellsville subdivision of WM handled through-midwest fast freight traffic and coal from company-owned mines near Fairmont and Somerset, Pennsylvania . WM opened a passenger station in Cumberland and one in Hagerstown in 1913. The Cumberland station contained the offices for the Western Division. The building, which is called Canal Place , is operated by the National Park Service and includes

250-727: A large grain elevator. Construction to Durbin was complete by 1903. With the acquisition of the WVC&;P in 1905, the C&;I became part of WM and this line became the Durbin Subdivision. In 1907, the syndicate acquired several railroad companies, including the George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad (GC&C), which had built a line west through the Cumberland Narrows , and then south to Lonaconing, Maryland . Using

300-609: A similar move. Ultimately, the financially stronger C&O took control of the B&O in December 1962, though the two railroads kept their separate identities. The combined C&O/B&O purchased stock in the Western Maryland Railway until it was able to take full control in February 1967, bringing a third railroad into the combined entity, which in 1973 became formally known as the Chessie System after

350-471: A state record. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,485 people, 628 households, and 419 families living in the city. The population density was 1,337.8 inhabitants per square mile (516.5/km ). There were 730 housing units at an average density of 657.7 per square mile (253.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White , 0.1% African American , 0.1% Native American , and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of

400-568: A three day a week mixed train between Elkins and Durbin, West Virginia , ended in 1959. In 1964, the C&O and the B&O jointly filed for permission to acquire control of the Western Maryland Railway with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The ICC approved the acquisition in 1968. In 1973, as part of the Chessie System, Western Maryland ownership went to C&O and it was operated by

450-529: A total area of 1.20 square miles (3.11 km ), of which 1.11 square miles (2.87 km ) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km ) is water. The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Parsons has a marine west coast climate , abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. Parsons had 96.99 inches of rain in 2018,

500-615: Is still standing on Hillen Street in downtown Baltimore, next to the Orleans Street Viaduct ; it is now occupied by Public Storage , which also owns and operates the building. At the peak in the early 20th century, WM operated the following lines: Chessie System Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O),

550-816: The Maryland Midland Railway (MMID), Western Maryland Scenic Railroad , Pennsylvania & Southern Railway and York Railway . A portion of the former WM roadbed in Baltimore is now used by the Baltimore Metro Subway going northwest from downtown to Owings Mills, Maryland in Baltimore County . Other portions are now rail trails . These include the Western Maryland Rail Trail in Maryland;

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600-628: The Seaboard System Railroad on December 29, 1982. That began to change in 1983, when the WM was merged into the B&O. The Chessie image continued to be applied to new and re-painted equipment until July 1, 1986, when CSXT introduced its own paint scheme. In April 1987, the B&O was merged into the C&O. In August 1987, C&O merged into CSX Transportation , a 1986 renaming of the Seaboard System Railroad, and

650-530: The Tucker County Seat War took place between the people in the town of Parsons and that of St. George over the location of the county seat. Although nobody was killed in the "war," the situation came to a climax when a mob of armed men from Parsons marched on St. George and took the county records by force. The 1985 Cheat River flood caused extensive damage in Parsons. Over 90 percent of

700-614: The Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated under the Chessie name from 1973 to 1987. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio , the Chessie System was the creation of Cyrus S. Eaton and his protégé Hays T. Watkins , then president and chief executive officer of the C&O. A chief source of revenue for the Chessie System was coal mined in West Virginia . Another

750-553: The "C" in "Chessie System" on the locomotive 's flanks, and on other rolling stock. The beginnings of the Chessie System came from cooperation between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). An announcement from the New York Central (NYC) and Pennsylvania (PRR) railroads in November 1957 that they were considering combining prompted the B&O and C&O to consider

800-457: The "Chess-C" and C40-8W 7765 has the "B&O" logo. 366's decal was later damaged by fire and removed. In June 2023, GE ES44AH unit #1973 entered service, being repaired and painted at CSX shops in Waycross , GA with a CSX blue and yellow color scheme on the front (nose) and cab of the locomotive and throughout the rest of the locomotive, the classic yellow and red Chessie System scheme. It

850-572: The B&O. The B&O itself merged with the C&O in 1987, which itself became part of CSX Transportation. Much of the original WM west of Big Pool has been abandoned including the 2,375-foot (724 m) summit of the Allegheny Mountains and the Eastern Continental Divide near Deal, Pennsylvania . In addition to CSX, portions of the former WM are now operated by Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad ,

900-914: The Blackwater Canyon Trail and Allegheny Highlands Trail in West Virginia, and the Great Allegheny Passage in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Allegany County, Maryland , the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park includes the Western Maryland Railroad Right-of-Way, Milepost 126 to Milepost 160 , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and the Western Maryland Railway Station in Cumberland which provides tourist orientation and historical exhibits. A former WM warehouse

950-475: The C&O's historic cat mascot Chessie . Chessie System was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the railroads on June 15. On November 1, 1980, Chessie System merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form CSX Corporation . Initially, the three Chessie System railroads continued to operate separately, even after Seaboard's six Family Lines System railroads were merged into

1000-500: The Chessie System name was retired. Its subsidiaries included: The Chessie System company itself directly owned no locomotives or other rolling stock. Instead, equipment was placed on the roster of one of the three component railroads and ownership denoted by the reporting marks C&O, B&O, and WM. All three companies shared a common paint scheme of yellow, vermillion , and blue. Notable Chessie System locomotives include: The former Reading Company #2101 ( T-1-class 4-8-4 )

1050-670: The Lake Shore Railway Historical Society acquired C&O 8272, a GE B30-7 . It has been restored in the Chessie System paint scheme and currently resides at the Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East, Pennsylvania , and most recently, an EMD GP15T (C&O 1507) was donated to the B&O Railroad Museum. In 2015, CSX used decals to decorate two of its locomotives in the livery of predecessor railroads. CSX AC4400CW 366 bears

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1100-689: The PRR. Today the P&;WV is leased by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway . The major rail yards on the WM were Jamison Yard at Hagerstown, capacity 3,000 cars, mainly for west-bound traffic; and Knobmount Yard, capacity 1,600 cars, south of Ridgeley, West Virginia , mainly for east-bound traffic. The WM began using diesel locomotives in 1941 for yard operations, and for regular line use in 1949. It discontinued use of steam locomotives in 1954, despite receiving new ones as late as 1947 with its J-1 class 4-8-4s ,

1150-718: The Seaboard System to form CSX Transportation . The railroad was headquartered in Baltimore , Maryland . The original main line began with the chartering of the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad in 1852, with the intent of building a rail line from Baltimore west to Washington County, Maryland . The Maryland General Assembly changed the name of the company to the Western Maryland Rail Road Company in 1853, and construction began from Owings Mills in 1857. An existing Northern Central Railway branch line terminating at Owings Mills

1200-636: The Tygart Valley River drainage by way of a tunnel under Cheat Mountain , followed the Shavers Fork river upstream and then the West Fork Greenbrier River down from its headwaters to Durbin in Pocahontas County , where it connected with the C&O Greenbrier Division. The Fuller Syndicate , led by George Gould , purchased a controlling interest in the WM in 1902 and made plans for westward expansion of

1250-480: The WM also used them for coal operations. The Fuller Syndicate attempted to assemble its own transcontinental railroad system beginning around 1902, by acquiring various rail lines. It faced stiff competition from the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), the B&O and others, and became financially overextended in its expansion plans. As a result, the WM entered receivership in 1908. A new corporation,

1300-641: The WM at Highfield, Maryland , near the Pennsylvania border. A branch from Porters to York, Pennsylvania was completed in 1893; this became the York Subdivision. The West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway (WVC&P) began as a narrow gauge line in 1880, its name and gauge changed in 1881 and in the ensuing years it opened a huge swath of timber and coal territory in the Allegheny Highlands of West Virginia. The railroad

1350-409: The WM built its own line from Owings Mills to Fulton Junction in Baltimore, and obtained trackage rights from the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (B&P) for the remaining two miles of the route eastward to Calvert Street Station (Later replaced by Union Station (which still later was called Penn Station)). It built a branch east of Union Station to Hillen Station, which opened in 1876 and became

1400-528: The West Subdivision. To service the expanded system, the WM built a major shop complex at Hagerstown in 1909, with a roundhouse , machine shops and related facilities. Rail yards at Hagerstown were also expanded. The WVC&P established the Coal and Iron Railway (C&I) in 1899 to reach logging operations and a connection with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). The route left Elkins and

1450-626: The Western Maryland Railway Company, was formed and purchased the WM assets in 1909, and the receivership ended in 1910. In 1931, the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway (P&WV) reached Connellsville to connect with the WM. The connection enabled the formation of the Alphabet Route , a partnership involving the WM, P&WV and six other railroads that provided competition with larger railroads including

1500-760: The Western Maryland's success until its eventual abandonment in the 1970s. In 1927, the WM purchased the Greenbrier, Cheat and Elk Railroad , which ran from Cheat Junction, on the Durbin sub, to Bergoo . This line became the GC&;E Subdivision. In 1929, WM's purchase of a line from the West Virginia Midland Railway extended the GC&E sub southward to Webster Springs . While these lines were originally built as logging railroads,

1550-421: The age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under

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1600-460: The age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 26,424, and the median income for a family was $ 31,645. Males had a median income of $ 22,331 versus $ 20,069 for females. The per capita income for

1650-535: The area west of Fairmont, West Virginia . The GC&C line provided the WM with access to mines in the Georges Creek Valley . In 1927, the WM abandoned some of the GC&C track and accessed additional mines in the area through trackage rights on the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad (C&P). In 1944 the WM purchased the C&P, and formally merged the operations in 1953. Although never

1700-403: The businesses and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. Twenty-five years later, in 2010, several empty storefronts lined the street up to the courthouse. Bars, restaurants, clothing stores and other businesses never returned to Parsons. The floods caused an estimated $ 570 million in damages. More than 3,500 homes and 180 businesses were destroyed. The BF Long & Co general store had

1750-437: The city. The population density was 1,332.5 people per square mile (2.566/km . There were 731 housing units at an average density of 665.8 per square mile (2.566/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 98.97% White , 0.21% Native American , 0.07% from other races , and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population. There were 642 households, out of which 27.4% had children under

1800-524: The company headquarters. The WM built a connection from Hagerstown to Williamsport , in order to access coal traffic from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal . Under the leadership of company president John Mifflin Hood , the railway made its first extension into Pennsylvania by leasing a line from Edgemont, Maryland , to Waynesboro and Shippensburg . This line became the Lurgan Subdivision and

1850-402: The land on which the town was built, and by another as having been an aged wilderness pioneer in the area. The West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway was built into Parsons in 1888. The railway caused the town to boom by the 1890s. The railway was later merged into the Western Maryland Railway and provided passenger train service until the 1950s. In the early 1890s, a dispute known as

1900-585: The last new design of the wheel arrangement to be developed. Passenger service on the WM began in 1859. The WM's original Hillen Street Station in downtown Baltimore was demolished in 1954. A smaller replacement Baltimore station was briefly used between 1954-1957. Revenue passenger-miles declined from 26 million in 1925 to 2 million in 1956. The WM ended its passenger service on its Baltimore-Owings Mills-Thurmont-Hagerstown mainline route in 1957. Service on its Cumberland-to-Elkins line ended between 1957 and 1958. Passenger service on its final remaining line,

1950-440: The population. There were 628 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2000-592: The portion of the line through the Narrows, the Connellsville Extension was built west from Cumberland to Connellsville, Pennsylvania , beginning in 1910, and it was completed in 1912. At Connellsville the WM connected with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). In 1915, the WM obtained trackage rights on a B&O line from Bowest Junction, 2 miles south of Connellsville, to Chiefton, West Virginia, which provided access to coal mines in

2050-755: The station for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and a visitors center for the C&;O Canal National Historic Park . It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Hagerstown station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In the large valley near the mouth of Leading Creek and the Tygart Valley River , the WVC&P constructed the city of Elkins, West Virginia . Named after investor Stephen Benton Elkins , Elkins

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2100-539: The system. In 1904, the WM completed construction of a large marine terminal at Port Covington , on the Patapsco River in Baltimore , to support the Gould organization's expansion plans. The terminal facilities included coal, grain and merchandise piers, overhead cranes, eleven rail yards, warehouses, a roundhouse, a turntable and a machine shop. During the 1920s, rotary dumpers for coal and coke were installed, and

2150-432: Was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,463 people, 642 households, and 426 families living in

2200-520: Was directly responsible for the creation of such towns as Davis , Thomas , and Parsons . The WM established a connection with the B&O in 1892 with the opening of the Potomac Valley Railroad, controlled by WM, between Williamsport and Big Pool, Maryland . This connection brought a major increase in through-freight traffic. Construction of an extension from Hagerstown to Cumberland began in 1903 and completed in 1906. This became

2250-688: Was home to a large rail yard for the railroad and served as the hub of Western Maryland and Chessie System operations in the region well into the 1980s. The WVC&P was sold to the Fuller Syndicate in 1902 and was merged into the Western Maryland in 1905. Known as the Thomas Subdivision, the line connected to the Western Maryland mainline at Maryland Junction, south of Cumberland. This line, famous for its Black Water Grade in Blackwater Canyon , became an important part of

2300-664: Was leased from the Baltimore and Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1881, and was connected to the Harrisburg and Potomac Railroad in 1886. A second route into Pennsylvania , the Hanover Subdivision , was acquired by the WM when it gained control of the Baltimore and Hanover Railroad , and the Gettysburg Railroad , in late 1886. This line connected to the WM main at Emory Grove, proceeded north to Hanover and Gettysburg , then southwest to connect again to

2350-521: Was numbered #1973 in homage to the year the Chessie System was created. Parsons, West Virginia Parsons is the largest city in and county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia , United States. The population was 1,322 at the 2020 census . Parsons is located at the confluence of the Shavers Fork and the Black Fork , forming the head of the Cheat River . Parsons was named for Ward Parsons, described by one source as having once owned

2400-486: Was one of three locomotives that pulled the American Freedom Train in 1975 and 1976. As part of B&O's 150th anniversary celebration in 1977, the Chessie System sent #2101 on a national tour as the "Chessie Steam Special". Painted in the Chessie System motif, the train consisted of the locomotive, two tenders, and 18 to 20 passenger and baggage cars. In March 1979, the locomotive was severely damaged in

2450-436: Was the transport of auto parts and finished motor vehicles. "Chessie" had been a popular nickname for the C&O since the 1930s, cemented with an advertising campaign that featured a sleeping kitten named Chessie . The 1970s holding company developed the "Ches-C" emblem: a kitten outline imposed on a circle, creating a rough letter C. This emblem was emblazoned on the front of all Chessie System locomotives, and also served as

2500-550: Was used to connect into Baltimore. The railroad was completed to Westminster in 1861 and Union Bridge in 1862. Further expansion was delayed because of the Civil War . Westward construction resumed in 1868 under Chief Engineer Joseph S. Gitt , and the line was completed to Hagerstown in 1872. This section became the East Subdivision. The company's first major car shops were established at Union Bridge. In 1873,

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