New Tygart Flyer 2017

After friend Gary Muehlius and I rode the Cass Scenic on July 12, we rode the New Tygart Flyer out of Elkins, West Virginia on July 13.  The New Tygart Flyer is an operation run by the Durbin and Greenbrier Railroad.  The Durbin and Greenbrier Railroad runs this line, the Cass Scenic Railroad, and the Durbin Rocket on tracks owned by the State of West Virginia.

Our train was scheduled to leave at 11 AM and we arrived at 9 AM.  We were surprised to find their BL2 idling with only one coach and a power car.  BL2s are quite rare and it looked like it was on our train!  I've wanted a cab ride in one of these units and maybe this was my chance!
We quickly grabbed some pix of the locomotive.

Then suddenly it backed away from the depot and left town!  I quickly ran into the depot to find out what was going on!!!  It turns out it was going to the end of the line at Spruce on a special charter to pick up a bunch of Amish people.  But it wouldn't be returning to Elkins and it wouldn't be on our train!!!!!

But we still would get the Fs!!!  Here is their Western Maryland painted F7 #243.  It was originally Canadian Pacific #4071 and is 1500 horsepower.

And the trailing unit for the trip up the hill (and lead unit coming back) was Western Maryland painted #67.  It was originally Clinchfield F7 #200 and has been upgraded with a 645 power pack rating 2000 horsepower.

Similar to the North Shore Scenic Railroad operation in Duluth, this train shoves back from the depot to the main line before assaulting the hill.  The Western Maryland Railroad built the depot in 1908 and the last passenger train left the depot in 1959.

Our trip will be a 48-mile 4 hour round trip.  

On the left was the site of a large rail yard and round house.  The round house burned in the 1980s and no reason was found for the fire.  (Was it a convenient way to get rid of it???)

The bridge had been removed but when the State of West Virginia purchased the line a new bridge was put in place.  It very closely resembles the former bridge.

We back through the crossover switches onto the main line.

Come along for a fun train ride in the Alleghany Mountains!

We soon cross 3 bridges, 2 over streets and one over the New Tygart River.

And we cross US Highway 280.

The engine had 3 speedometers but one didn't work and another didn't work over 10 MPH.  So the GPS provided the most accurate speed.  Track speed is limited to 20 MPH.  Note on the GPS the hairpin curve we are about to enter.

This rail is 112-lb. continuous welded rail.  CSX replaced the original stick rail with this heavy main line iron.  (This was probably done so the railroad could show a loss on the line and abandon it.  But the state wouldn't let them and eventually purchased the line).

We enter a 1800' tunnel.

Most of West Virginia is lower income.  At the end of a large trailer park is this house (VERY inordinary for WV) but I took the picture for the shed.  Formerly MAIL POUCH tobacco signs adorned many buildings in the country, most noticeable on barns.

We follow the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River.

At this town of Bemis there were once 4 lumber mills and 1 coal mine, all served by the railroad.

Another main line crossed at this location.  Note the diamond is still lying in the right-of-way on the right side of the picture.

Our full length coaches are capable of rounding a 28 degree curve but there is a 33 degree curve just a little up the line so we can't go much further.  So first we run around our train (note there isn't much clearance room on either end).

Our engineer is Terry and the New Tygart Flyer runs with one crew member in the cab.  The conductor is in the passenger cars.

 The train then shoves up to this location to the High Falls of the Cheat River.

The West Virginia state flower is the Rhododendron which abounds along the track.

All passengers are given a cold sandwich buffet and we took advantage of the stop to grab our 'beans.'

A quick shower followed by sunshine provided this neat shot.

 Heading back down the hill.

Thank You to the Durbin & Greenbrier Railroad for another great day of riding trains!

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2017

On July 14, 2017, friend Gary Muehlius of Seattle and I rode the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad out of Cumberland, Maryland.

Here is their beautiful depot, restored with the ticket office and gift shops at track level and a canal museum at street level.

The depot was built in 1913.  This is the trackside view.

This is the view from the street below.

We had time before our train left and quickly discovered that the Chesapeake and Ohio canal ran right by the depot.  There is a great museum about the canal in the lower level of the depot.

After our last train ride the next day, on the way north from Romney, West Virginia, we found more remains of the canal.

Back to our train ride--our power for today is a GP30.  It originally was built for the Reading Railroad but now is lettered for the Western Maryland, the tracks we will be running on today.

Here is our train.

We will be going 16 miles UP HILL, rising in elevation from 600 feet to 2200 feet.  The grade is basically 1.75% but has spots up to 3%.  We will be heading north through "The Narrows."

Here we go!  The brakeman protects the crossing, even though there are flashing signals (Maryland drivers aren't any better than Duluth drivers).

We cross Willis Creek (originally Will's Creek), now lined with concrete.

The hanging cables are telltale poles.  These were used to warn brakemen riding on the tops of the cars that an obstruction was coming up, in this case a bridge.

Bicycle trails and railroad tracks can coexist (despite what Wisconsin says).  There is no barrier between the tracks and trail except in the tunnel.

We soon come to a large bridge over a highway.  This bridge was originally double tracked.  There were dozens of bikers on the trail, all except 3 riding DOWN hill!

This great vintage 1975 picture is of a Western Maryland freight train dragging its train uphill at Helmstetter's Curve.  The hairpin curve is one of the classic photo locations in our country.

Today, foliage has taken over the location but here is what it looks from the cab.

Continuing . . .

We come to Brush Tunnel, a 914-foot tunnel under Piney Mountain.

Then I had camera problems.  More tunnel pix on the trip back down the hill.

There are 2 old signal bridges still in place, not used.  However, the first one has a light that can be lit for photos.

This bridge goes over the original Western Maryland track running from Connellsville, PA to Cumberland, Maryland.  We traveled on a branch off the main line into Frostburg.

This is now part of the bike trail.

We come to Frostburg, the end of the tourist line.

After the passengers disembark, we will turn the engine on the turntable.  This turntable was moved here from Elkins, where we rode their tourist train yesterday.  Formerly, just to the right of the turntable, there was a tunnel leading to Westernport.

Then we run around the train so the engine will be on the head end on the way back.  The caboose is used for charters and the gondola is used for hauling bicycles up to Frostburg so the bikers can ride back downhill to Cumberland.

 And who should I run into at Frostburg but friend Alex Cook-Shannon from the North Shore Scenic Railroad in Duluth!!  He is employed for the summer by the Thomas The Tank group and is at the Western Maryland Railroad helping with their 'Christmas In July' trains.

We have a little time so Gary and I enjoy our lunch in the cupola of the caboose!

The view from my dining chair.

And we head back down the hill.

This is the location of a former switchback.  Note the flat groundwork.

There was a coal mine here that caved in!

At this point, about a year and a half ago, there was a landslide which closed the track.

The train had to stop short of this location at this little depot, called Mountain View, before returning to Cumberland.

We approach Brush Tunnel again.

Soon we are back to the big steel bridge.

And all too soon, our great ride is over.  Thanks to the Western Maryland staff and crew for a great day riding the train!!