Here Comes The Light #15353

The Story

The train headlight at the end of the tunnel is the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad #734 bearing down the track while throwing black smoke high into the air as it works upgrade to Frostburg Maryland. I was straddling the rail as the train approached but soon moved quickly away to safety. The engineer didn’t like it; I received several sharp whistle toots! I was soon further punished by the dense heavy smoke in the tunnel.

The Western Mayland Scenic Railroad runs from Cumberland to Frostburg in Maryland. Today, it’s a tourist line with a rails-to-trails beside it. Curious tourists out for a joyriding afternoon get a beautiful ride up through the steep mountains and back. Interestingly, with prior arrangements, loading your bicycle onto the train allows you to coast the entire way back downhill to Cumberland. This railroad line once continued through to Pittsburgh and the bike trail still does, forming a part of the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage.

You too can have an enjoyable ride on this railroad while getting the smell of working coal smoke into your nose. Laughingly, just don’t stand in the tunnel and get too much of it. Follow the link for more information on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.

Location: high in the mountains above Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. Picture and story © Andrew Dierks