WMSRR Suggestions

Your girlfriend is a keeper. Don't blow it.  J.

I think there is a peddle railcar trip that runs on the same track as the WMSRR.  

You are not too from where the Potomac Eagle tourist train is stationed.

Depending on how long  you will be there, Strasburg is about 2-2 1/2 hours away also

For future plans, check out the New Tygert Flyer in Elkins, West Virginia.  It will not disappoint.  Plan on an all day trip and if you like, you may want to stay overnight.  It has been a few years since I rode the train but it was one of the best tourist trips I have done, and I have done many.
You will need to plan ahead but well worth the trip and Cass is nearby.
Dennis

https://mountainrailwv.com/tour/new-tygart-flyer/

If you include a stop at Cass then look at Snowshoe ski resort area.  It's nearby and may have some type of summer activities.

Also, there is some type of winery listed in Cumberland.  Always good to give back to the gf if she would enjoy that type of stop.

Take a drive up to Meyersdale, Pa., maybe 20 miles north of Frostburg. There the old WM station houses the Meyersdale Area Historical Society. It's a two-mile walk along the old ROW in either direction to the WM's Salisbury and Keystone Viaducts. Rent a bike, see a bit of the Great Allegheny Passage.

PD

Rocky Gap Resort and Casino is about 10 minutes east of Cumberland right off I-68.

Rocky Gap Casino Resort (rockygapresort.com)

This restaurant is also in roughly the same spot. Fun place, great pizzas and overall menu.

History | Puccini Restaurant

I appreciate the suggestions! I might check out the Potomac Eagle if they have tickets available for Sunday. We have nothing planned for that day.

Cass is on my list but I doubt we would have time. I'm so glad those locomotives are running. They have to be incredible to see in person!

I'll look into the other places. Should be a good time! Thanks for the suggestions!

@prrjim posted:

I think there is a peddle railcar trip that runs on the same track as the WMSRR. 

You are not too from where the Potomac Eagle tourist train is stationed.

Depending on how long  you will be there, Strasburg is about 2-2 1/2 hours away also

Rail Bike Tours in Frostburg, MD | Tracks & Yaks (tracksandyaks.com)

We did the rail bike ride last June- very interesting.  After the Frostburg Flyer train departs Frostburg to return to Cumberland, they start the rail bikes.  It's generally downhill, easy pedaling on the steeper parts but more pedaling effort required on the flatter sections.  You go part way down, then get off the bikes and ride the shuttle back up to Frostburg.

FWIW- Regarding Cass, the CASS SCENIC WHITTAKER TRIP only goes partway up the mountain.  The CASS SCENIC BALD KNOB TRIP goes all the way to the top.  Bald Knob is the 3rd highest point in West Virginia and has a great panoramic view.

Reiterating a previous reference above, the last time we rode Cass we stayed at Snowshoe.

For something interesting but different from trains, not too far from Cass is Green Bank Observatory - Home of the GBT

Its radio Astronomy, enjoyable and educational.

When I was in Cumberland and Frostburg last october, the rail bikes with riders pedaled into the station in Cumberland before the train left for frostburg.    Then in Frostburg, they pulled a string of empty railbikes into the station after the train arrived.

You might want to call before you go.

I was looking to buy a ticket to ride on my day off on Juneteenth, looked on their schedule and saw no mention of 1309. I don’t think it’s in service right now. I have heard that diesel is pulling all the trains for now.

If anyone knows what’s happening with 1309 please share it with us.

Thanks,

@Craignor posted:

You might want to call before you go.

I was looking to buy a ticket to ride on my day off on Juneteenth, looked on their schedule and saw no mention of 1309. I don’t think it’s in service right now. I have heard that diesel is pulling all the trains for now.

If anyone knows what’s happening with 1309 please share it with us.

Reportedly, 1309 is "out of service" indefinitely. Maybe, just maybe, she will return in the Fall.

Thanks,

@Hot Water posted:

Thanks.

I did see that 1309 hasn’t run since February.

@Craignor posted:

You might want to call before you go.

1309 wasn't running when we went. It was scheduled to start in June but I'm not aware of anything that happened. It's hard to say. I bought the DVD about the project and was surprised at how bad things got. I know some cinematic drama was applied but the 1309 restoration sounds like it was the project of "but what there's more!" only it wasn't good things that they kept finding out. So I wouldn't be surprised if new damage to an original critical component was discovered or something of that nature.

As a follow up, we actually didn't have a ton of time to get through things in a single weekend. But that's mostly because we're prone to exploring so we drove around quite a bit. Anyway, we rode the open air car which has a roof but is otherwise open. It was a wild train ride for me due to the elevation gain. I've never travelled vertically like that! It was quite the climb and it was awesome. I can't say enough good things about the experience. I especially liked the staff because the people on the train that day were knowledgeable and readily cracked jokes and made small talk. It was a really great crew!

The turntable at Frostburg was an unexpected thing. I didn't know it was there so I was excited to watch that happen because I have never watched a locomotive spin around before. The carriage museum and local history museum in Frostburg there are awesome. Once again, the staff at the history museum were happy to provide a little extra detail since we both like history. They also were mindful of what time the train went back down the hill. Super helpful! The canal museum in Cumberland was cool too. It actually made me a little angry that we weren't taught about the canals in school as a kid. I thought canals were mostly a UK thing with only one or two in this country. This is not the case.

The historic parts of Cumberland were awesome. I love that old architecture from the colonies. I saw Washington's little cabin and all that. Downtown Cumberland was under construction but we hit up a book shop that was cool. Dans Rock Overlook was cool. You could see Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia from there.

Great trip! I cannot say enough good things about it and can't wait to go back. I would recommend it for sure. It's a great getaway weekend and also family friendly. I feel very fortunate to have that, Potomac, Cuyahoga, and Titusville in my area. That's a lot of train riding! haha

Bill,

Glad you had a good time.

I love that area too. And the ride is a lot of fun, especially the open car where you can see, hear, smell, the loco up front. First time I went out there to ride the 734 I sat in an open car, and I didn’t wear a hat…I was picking cinders out of my hair for a week.

I was a little thrown off when they said to bring safety glasses, ear plugs, etc for the open air car...behind a diesel haha @Craignor. I know what a noisy filthy time steam can be from my time around steam tractors but I figured the diesel wouldn't be too bad. It wasn't. You could smell the exhaust a few times but overall, it was very enjoyable. I would love to ride open air behind 1309 once but we gotta see if it's in service or going to come back in service.

I rode the WMSR behind 1309 last fall and would like to take my grandson to Cumberland later this month for both the train and rail bike runs.  I called the WMSR ticket line yesterday and the associate was’t able to tell me when 1309 would return to service.  Are the shop forces actively working on it?  If 1309  isn’t running this month plan B is to take my grandson to Cass for the Spruce Peak run.

I volunteer at the Wilmington & Western where we work to keep two steamers over 100 years old running. You can't always say how long it's going to take to fix something. First, you try to trace down the cause. Then you come up with an idea to try to fix it. Maybe you have to fabricate something to try it. Then you install it.  To test it, you gotta fire up the engine and bring it up to pressure--a whole day. Oops, it didn't work. Drop the fire and back to the drawing board. And if it's hot out, you like to let the loco cool down before you crawl around inside it (days). It's not like you can order new parts from Baldwin, or Nathan, or any of the other major steam suppliers. And the parts were never designed to operate this many years.

I visited WMSRR last summer and got a shop tour with Nathaniel, their Chief Mechanical Officer. Even though 1309 was built at the very end of the steam era, it was in terrible condition. C&O did no maintenance on it; they ran it into the ground because they knew diesels would take its place shortly.

My guess is the overstretched shop staff and volunteers at WMSRR are doing the best they can to get 1309 back in service.

Another possible complication is when 1309 is due for its annual inspection, something that requires a fair amount of disassembly. The timing of that may also be complicating matters.

Just my opinion but, I believe that part of the "problem" is that Gary Bensman is no longer working/supervising work on 1309. The 1309 is indeed a VERY complicated steam locomotive, even though it is essentially a 1918 USRA compound articulated, being an articulated it requires lots of experienced expertise.

I admit complete ignorance regarding Mr. Bensman. I do believe, though, that Nathaniel was a key member of the outside team that restored 1309 to operation, and became CMO after that.

The article was posted: https://www.times-news.com/new...13-ef21b4e38ff2.html

Apparently the cylinders/pistons need some work and they elected to do it in the summer when rider volumes are lower. Glad to hear it'll be back pending any other setbacks.

Steamtown and WMSR are not the places to go right now if you want to ride behind steam. They are nice mountain railroads, but for now you will just hear air horns. Reading and Northern (when 2102 is running), Strasburg, and Cass are better choices right now. Strasburg and Cass run steam on every train.

We rode WMSR this past Sunday, 20 August.  I asked the lady in the ticket window when steam will be returning and she responded maybe October 6th.

Rode the Frostburg Express pulled by this diesel.

At the Cumberland station preparing for boarding

On the turntable in Frostburg

@Craignor posted:

First time I went out there to ride the 734 I sat in an open car, and I didn’t wear a hat…I was picking cinders out of my hair for a week.

The first time I went, I treated myself to a cab ride in the 734.  When we got back to Cumberland, my friends told me to go to the restroom.  I replied that I didn't need to use the restroom, and they just repeated and stressed that I should go to the restroom.  I understood when I got there and looked in the mirror...   Fortunately, I was wearing a hat and had a change of shirt with me in the car, but it did take a while to wash up before we left.

And when in the area, another neat place to visit is the Paw Paw Tunnel.  If you do, make sure to bring a good flashlight with fresh batteries and perhaps a backup and/or an extra set of batteries.  It is a great little hike.

Andy

@BZ posted:

We rode the open air car behind 558 and it may not have been steam but it was a really great experience. You can hear the diesel rev up, smell some exhaust, and the horn sounds great. I would go back in a second to ride behind a diesel.

I also thought the roundtable was pretty nifty. I have never seen one in person, operating. You can get right up close to this one too. I gotta say, I was shocked when the older fella spun the locomotive around. He's definitely got some experience because he hit the lever/throttle/whatever once and almost lined it up. He only had to bump it once more to hit the alignment. We went back later on by car and I saw a younger guy do it and he wasn't nearly as smooth haha It really impressed me to see how easily they swung a full size locomotive around in a circle

Once again, WMSRR is 110% worth the trip.

@BillYo414 posted:

We rode the open air car behind 558 and it may not have been steam but it was a really great experience. You can hear the diesel rev up, smell some exhaust, and the horn sounds great. I would go back in a second to ride behind a diesel.

I also thought the roundtable was pretty nifty.

The correct term is "Turntable". I think it was King Arthur that made the term "roundtable" famous.

I have never seen one in person, operating. You can get right up close to this one too. I gotta say, I was shocked when the older fella spun the locomotive around. He's definitely got some experience because he hit the lever/throttle/whatever once and almost lined it up. He only had to bump it once more to hit the alignment. We went back later on by car and I saw a younger guy do it and he wasn't nearly as smooth haha It really impressed me to see how easily they swung a full size locomotive around in a circle

Once again, WMSRR is 110% worth the trip.

@Hot Water posted:

Noted! Roundtable down sound funny now that I re-read it.

We were booked to ride the WMSR on 7 Jan 2024 with the #1309.  Thought it would be nice to experience operating steam in the Winter with the possibility of a snowy background.  On 27 Dec we received an email from WMSR that they had to cancel use of the #1309 on that trip.  From their email:

Over the past year, our flagship engine, steam locomotive #1309, received running gear repairs anticipated to extend the service of her 75 year old pistons. The pistons were not part of her restoration to service. While operating in December, it became apparent that the full replacement of the piston heads and rods would be required to continue operating 1309. While this was in planning, the timeframe has occurred sooner than anticipated.

We wanted to inform you that Locomotive 1309 will no longer be operating for the 2024 event, and we will be substituting for diesel power for the trains on January 6th & 7th.

I emphasize with them, hope the repair work goes well.

@BZ that's a bummer although I will say that I love the WMSRR diesels. I'm a steam guy, 100%. But those diesels are sharp.

It's a bummer the engine scheduled its own maintenance. Typically I find older equipment lets you know what needs replaced and you eventually hit a point where the equipment hits its rhythm and you these sort of breakdowns don't happen outside of the planned maintenance schedule. I hope all goes well! I would like to see 1309 running myself at some point.

One thing I love about WMSR is you don't technically have to stay seated when the train is moving. When it gets moving along good, my friend's and I will stand over where the cars are coupled together and it's kind of open. Stick your head out and see, hear, and smell the locomotive working.

Do they allow you to hang out the vestibule doors? But, they do now have an open air coach near the front of the train so that you can hear the steam locomotive work up the mountain and blow the whistle. I hope they fix #1309 and it returns next year. Next year is midnight tonight, lol. Times Square will be nuts tonight with the big crowds and Ryan Seacrest hosting Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve 2024 which is televised on ABC. Why didn't all of the ex-WM from Ridgeley, WV to Elkins, WV survive? Parts of it are used by freight shortlines, but other parts are just gone. South of Elkins is another tourist railroad which runs over 60+ miles of the ex-WM. I guess in the Chessie System days they preferred the ex-B&O toward Grafton, WV and the ex-WM basically paralleled it and was considered redundant and parts of it were lifted and parts survived. The PA portion toward Connellsville is now a rail trail in parts. The bridge through Connellsville past the station which survives is just gone with the piers and abutments surviving. A town in a remote area of Western Maryland has an ex-Gettysburg 2-8-0 on display painted in B&O, it was #76 and came from the Mississippian Railway in the 70's to Gettysburg.

I rode WMSRR on my way to York last fall.  Arrived in Cumberland on Saturday, rode the train on Sunday, and drove to York on Monday.  Strasburg and East Broad Top are about 2 - 2 1/2 hours from Cumberland.

We rode in the open air car and it was simply outstanding. Anybody who doesn't mind a bit of ruckus and filth should give it a go. We were behind a diesel but the smell and the sounds were awesome. Plus your track side view is 110% unobstructed, which can be a thrill in some of those sections with the cliffs. The Conductor told us we could flip our seats around to face the direction of travel on the way back but we opted to look at where we had been instead.

You guys got me nostalgic now thinking about this even though it was this year. I would really like to go back!

As a placeholder, I wanted to post a video of 1309, but the file size is so large, I can't figure out how to get it off my phone to edit and post here. In the meantime, here is 1309 under steam 8/27/22, with the open air car just behind. Personally, I rode in the car behind that. I was impressed with the amount of cinders and soot those in the open-air car were bombarded with. They worked steam going back down the hill just to run the lubricators.

Hurricane (by the time it hit WV, Tropical Storm) Juan in 1985 did a LOT of damage to railroads:

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2197

Many were already half dead from depleting coal reserves and deferred maintenance, so the massive rains gave corporate HQ a reason to pull up what was left and get rid of the taxes. The Staggers Act had already made abandonment easier. The B&O Old Main and most of its structures west of Fairmont #9 mine went because of the damage. If you ride the Potomac Eagle, the car host will tell you about the huge changes in the Trench and the construction of the flood wall the train now passes through.

There were previous attempts to reconnect Cass and Durbin. Eventually, after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the state bit the bullet and put considerable money into bank stabilization and track rehab. One of the side streams kept tearing out its bridge. That was the last big sticking point (somebody correct me if that’s wrong) and the new bridge is higher and on better footing.

I knew the storm Juan did a tremendous lot of damage, but didn’t know about the rebuilding you described.  Thank you for the link too!

WMSR Acquires Georges Creek Division and GP9's

https://wmsr.com/blog-news/wms...-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

BZ, I saw that yesterday.  News like this is always encouraging.  Thank you for sharing the link.  I didn’t think of Bill’s topic when I read the news.