What’s loud, majestic, fast moving, romantic, mysterious, and works like a mammoth snowblower in the winter? If you guessed Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s steam locomotive, then my hat is off to you!
So this is the first of a two-part “Epic-sode” tackling not only the history of trains as brought back to life by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, but a second future episode about the historic B&O Railroad Station in Oakland, MD, the queen bee of Victorian railway architecture.
There can be no doubt about it, trains have played not only an immensely important part in the history and development of our nation, but that they have excited the imagination of both adults and children since the first train hit the rails back in 1812. I could spend this entire episode listing all the movies, books, songs, and novels that have enlisted trains as major characters, and still not hit them all. How the West was Won, Van Ryan’s Express, Night Train, and the Great Train Robbery, are all classics, and most recently, though, you have the remake of Murder on the Orient Express, Polar Express, Hugo, The Girl on the Train, and soooo many more. (The film info website IMDB has a filter so you can pull up any movie related to trains.) Oh, and just in case you thought you heard a familiar voice in the intro, that conductor crying “All Aboard,” was the awesome and amazing voice of Tom Hanks, as the conductor in the movie, the Polar Express. We’ll hear a little bit more from Conductor Hanks in just a little bit.
And then there are the songs, again, waaayyy too many to list, although one of my personal favorites has to be Wabash Cannonball by Johnny Cash. [play segment, refer to lyrics in show notes]. But here are just a few of the most famous: The Ballad of John Henry, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Midnight Special, Rock Island Line, Last Train to Clarksville, and so very many more songs, filled with the lore and the language, and the love of trains.
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I’m not sure exactly what it is about trains that gets us all steamed up (sorry about that) but I know my kids went crazy for Thomas the Tank Engine back in the 90s, and kids still do today. I know that my father was a model railroad hobbyist and loved to de-stress running his model trains on the layout he built in our basement (and yes, I confess, I used to like to run them and make them crash, which he hated but put up with endless good humor.) And one of our favorite family activities when the boys were little was to head down to none other than Union Station in Washington to ooooh and aahhhh at the huge Christmas model train layout they used to have there every Christmas. Great memories.
Norwegian Christmas Train Display at Union Station – Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave, NE Washington, D.C. The display returned in 2017 and featured hand-made replicas of real Norwegian trains set in a the mountains and fjords of Norway. Each train is hand-crafted by an expert model builder and is a replica of a real Norwegian train. In 2017, display was open regular shopping hours throughout the holiday season.
Norwegian Model Train Display During Christmas Season, at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
HISTORY
So, how did it all begin? And how did it come to be a part of Mountain Maryland and The Gateway to the West? The first passenger horsecar or tram, Swansea and Mumbles Railway was opened between Swansea and Mumbles in Wales in 1807.[26] Horse remained preferable mode for tram transport even after arrival of steam engines, well till the end of 19th century. The major reason was that the horse-cars were clean as compared to steam driven trams which caused smoke in city streets.
James Watt, a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer, greatly improved the steam engine of Thomas Newcomen, that was basically being used to pump water out of mines. Watt developed a reciprocating engine in 1769, capable of powering a wheel. Although the Watt engine powered cotton mills and a variety of machinery, it was a large stationary engine.
The first commercially successful steam locomotive was Matthew Murray‘s rack locomotive Salamanca built for the Middleton Railway in Leeds in 1812. The first noted commercial railroad in the US, which would become a common-carrier operation was the Granite Railway in Massachusetts dating to 1826.
After further success of the steam locomotive as a reliable means of hauling goods and people by the end of the 1830s, railroads were here to stay and would soon begin to sprawl westward, taking settlers with it.
RAILS AS THE GATEWAY TO THE WEST
As I said before, our country would not have grown and prospered as it did without the railroads, which brought together the young nation and allowed for unprecedented prosperity. The “Golden Age” lasted from roughly the 1880s until the 1920s, at which time other modes (automobiles and airplanes) slowly eroded the railroads’ transportation monopoly. Mountain Maryland, as a major Gateway to the West, is filled with the rich history of lumber, coal, and the building and heyday of the Railroad, all of which intersected with and played off of one other, in a dynamic dance of natural resources and human ambition, to help make the westward settlement and fulfillment of our so called “Manifest Destiny” a reality. Just take a look at the shownotes, to see a video of one of the earliest, and still most awesome train chase scenes from the 1962 epic movie, How the West was Won, with its stirring soundtrack to get a glimpse of how that western movement was impacted by the railroads, including the building of the famous Transcontinental Railroad.
The Transcontinental Railroad made it possible and even affordable to go coast to coast in the United States
WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD (WMSR)
So, railroads became an epic, larger than life reality, and now fast forward to today, and rejoice in the fact that you can read about, learn about, and experience in REAL Life, up close and personal, the wonder and glory of the locomotive.
Of course, I’m talking about The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR), which is a heritage railroad based in Cumberland, Maryland. It operates over ex-Western Maryland Railway (WM) trackage to Frostburg, Maryland and back using both steam and diesel locomotives.
The WMSR operates passenger excursion trains and occasional freights when needed out of the former Western Maryland station in Cumberland, which also houses one of the six visitor centers of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park as well as other attractions and offices. This station was built in 1913.The railroad offers coach and first class service, as well as reserved caboose rides. The railroad also runs murder-mystery excursions and special seasonal trips, all of which sound utterly delightful to me, and here are just a few:
- Christmas City Express – During this three hour journey, you will experience the Christmas City Express, a magical story of a little girl’s journey aboard our own Western Maryland Scenic Railroad on Christmas Eve. Hear the story, meet the elves, take part in the elf naming ceremony, play reindeer games, and of course, meet Santa and Mrs. Claus- and much, much, more.
Please join us for an unforgettable evening on a round trip journey from Cumberland to our own magical Christmas Station located in Wonderland (Frostburg). Here you will disembark the train for hot chocolate and cookies and, of course, photos with Santa. (Make sure to bring your wish list and your camera). After an hour of holiday cheer and merriment, you will board the train for more holiday activities as you travel back to Cumberland aboard the Christmas City Express. - Winter Photo Trek
- New Year’s Eve Murder Mystery
- GAP Train Connection (combines train ride with riding your bike)
- Romance on the Rails
- Valentine’s Day Excursion Wine and dine on board one of Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s heritage dining cars as you travel west to the mountain city of Frostburg. At the depot, enjoy a romantic afternoon in the mountains or join in on the fun and play WMSR’s version of the Newlywed Game. The dinner includes a four-course meal ranging from Filet Mignon to Honey Glazed Salmon with a complimentary bottle of wine for the two of you, and dessert on the ride back.The Romance on the Rails Trains depart from Cumberland to our depot in Frostburg, nestled in the Allegheny Mountains.Dining Class guests enjoy a 4-course meal consisting of appetizer, salad, choice of entrée, and a signature dessert. A complimentary bottle of wine of your choice from our selection is also included (1 per reservation).
- Hands on the Throttle (WooHoo, for all you diehard railfans!)
- Mountain Moonshine -Shhh- It’s the Mountain Moonshine train! Taste the best mountain moonshine made by Tall Pines Distillery. Guests enjoy a 3-course meal consisting of a salad, choice of entrée, and a signature dessert of Chef’s choice with 5 samples of shine, and 5 sweeter flavors on the way back. And meet the man behind the still with his many moonshine secrets- all during your layover. Just be sure to keep an eye out the window for the G-men! Then at our Mountain View stop, relax around the campfire, or join in on boot stompin’ music and cornhole tossin’.
- Spring Blossom Special
Just what does it take to get and keep a heritage train going in these modern times? Well, there’s a podcast called The Roundhouse that deals with all things trains, and they did an interview with the manager of WMSR, and generously gave me permission to use some of it, so here are some answers to that very question. You’ll hear from John Garner, General Superintendent of the WMSR, speaking about what it takes in terms of staffing, talent, and coordination to run a heritage railroad today as well as plans for expansion in the future. The host of The Roundhouse Podcast is Nick Ozorak, who you’ll also hear on this clip, and thanks again to him for permission to use it. I encourage you to listen to his entire episode #37 for the full interview with John Garner, it’s really interesting, and the rest of his podcast and website are super informative and well done, there is a link at our shownotes.
So, I think we’ve just about come to the end of the line with this Part One of our two-part railroad epic-sode, I just want to give the WMSR a shout out for all their good work in keeping this cherished historic asset and activity alive and thriving. And if you’d like to be a part of history, you can play a role as well,
You can join up the WMSR Foundation on their website, and you can be a sponsor or a donor, either as an individual or a business. Or just volunteer and donate your time with some of the administrative activities that always need to be done. As Tom Hanks, our conductor for this episode, would say:
And with that, I will bid you a fond farewell, and until we meet again, STAY WILD my friends.
The END 
PostScript:
WMSR Address: 13 Canal Street Cumberland, MD 21502 (second floor) The ticket office is located on the second floor right inside off of the train platform (where you board). Ticket offices and lobby opens 1 hour prior to the departure of the train. After parking, you have a few options on how to get up to the second floor. There is a ramp, located on the left side of the building. In addition, to the right, there are steps just behind the visitors’ center. There is also an elevator which is at the back of the visitors’ center (located on the right side of the building).
WABASH CANNONBALL by Johnny Cash
From the great Atlantic ocean to the wide Pacific shore
She climbs a flowery mountains o’er the hills and by the shore
She’s mighty tall and handsome she’s known quite well by all
She’s a regular combination on the Wabash Cannonball
Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodland o’er the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine hear those lonesome hoboes call
Traveling through the jungle on the Wabash Cannonball
Well she came down from Birmingham one cold December day
As she pulled into the station you could hear all the people say
She’s from Tennessee she’s long and she’s tall
She came down from Birmingham on the Wabash Cannonball
Here’s to daddy Claxton may his name forever stand
And always be remembered in the courts throughout the land
His earthly race is over and the curtains round him fall
We’ll carry him home to Dixie on the Wabash Cannonball
Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodland o’er the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine hear those lonesome hoboes call
Traveling through the jungle on the Wabash Cannonball
LINKS:
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
Compilation of the Best SnowMo Train Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fveIpOUgFBo
Mountain Discoveries Magazine! Article on WMSR
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/images/fw2016/wmscenicrr.pdf
The Roundhouse Podcast, WMSR Episode, #37
Harper’s article on all the best railroad songs:
https://harpers.org/blog/2014/06/the-twenty-three-best-train-songs-ever-written-maybe/
B&O Train Station Oakland
WildFulness 