Hagerstown/B87.3

Hagerstown/B87.3




Hagerstown was the most busy place on the entire Western Maryland. Pratically all WM trains passed by here. All westbounds from Baltimore and Lurgan as well as all eastbounds off the West Sub kept the short stretch of main line busy between Hagerstown and the Lurgan and Hanover Subdivisions at Town. At Hagerstown there was also a connection with the Norfolk and Western Railway, Pennsylavania Railroad, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which had a branch into Hagerstown from Brunswick, MD. This branch of the B&O's was later removed when B&O assumed control of the WM through the Chessie System. This was perhaps the only time the WM was kept and the B&O abandoned during the Chessie takeover. Hagerstown was also the main locomotive shops for the Western Maryland during the diesel era. Locomotives received major repairs, overhauls, and general maintence. Locomotives were also washed and refueled here as well. This went on up until the early 1980's. After then all maintence was transferred to the B&O's Cumberland Locomotive Shops. Hagerstown was also the site of the large Jamison Yard. Jamison Yard was built to the west of the yard office. The yard had a hump also to sort cars onto tracks seperate. The hump was the middle of the yard and the summit of the 1.08% grade of Williamsport Hill. The eastern slope of the yard was similar with a grade of 0.80%. Locomotives had a tough time pushing a large cut of cars over the hump. The yard was removed track by track as thru traffic dried up. Today Hagerstown is still perhaps the busiest portion of the old Western Maryland. Trains from Cherry Run still run up a small portion of the West sub. About half of the Lurgan Sub remains and usually sees one train a day. The Hanover Sub is still pretty much intact and operational. There is a connection with the Maryland Midland Railway at Highfield which operates the former WM East Sub. CSX exchanges cars with the MMID reguraly. A day at Hagerstown can be a good photo opportunity if you arrive early and chase any train that is called to run out on any of the three subdivisions.



WM BL2 81 and slug 138T switch cars at Hagerstown in 1968. This was a daily routine for the WM BL2's. Times have changed in this 1995 photo at Hagerstwon. Most of the yard tracks have been removed and it is not remotely as busy as it was back in 1968. These diesels sit in idle waiting for a assignment. Conrail locomotive 755 is on the headend of a Lurgan bound coal train. The locomotive is hooked to the yard supplied air line until a crew comes to take in North up the Lurgan Subdivision. (WM photo by unkown person)

My fateher Mason Cooper has photographed as WM employee leaning of the fence by a set of WM SD40's across from the Hagerstown Yard Office. All WM cabooses while not in use were kept of the "cab" track to the left in the first photo. Today all CSX locomotives are kept of the cab track until needed. In the second photo CSX train D775 leaves eastbound with a short train past the yard office bound for the Hanover Sub. One on the Hanover Sub D775 will most likely switch the scrap yard on the old B&O at Security and then return to Hagerstown. CSX coal train U820 waits for D775 to clear before itself heading out and north over the Lurgan Sub to Conrail rails then north to Harrisburg, PA.

In July 1972 WM 81 switches cars around at the Hagerstown Yard office. In December 1995 CSX GP40-2 6445 is doing the same task as the BL2.

Ex. WM SD40 7445 now CSX 4618 heads a train waiting to go east out of Hagerstown. It appears to be a heavy freight train with enough headend power to climb the grade out of Hagerstown. It appears to be alot of older locomotives in the consist. A Chessie GP30 is the forth unit back. CSX SD40 4618 was later rebuilt into a SD40-2 and it painted in the CSx "bright future" paint scheme. (9/95)

A CSX train comes into Hagerstown after switching east at Security.

Some light units turn on the wye at Hagerstown to return to Cumberland and then west to Connellsville. These units had just pulled a grain train east into Hagerstown off the Wheeling and Lake Erie RR at Connellsville. In the second photo, NS is switching some cars in the southern Western Maryland yard. This is the connection with the N&W RY.

CSX train Z 278 now NS train 228 comes off the WM and on to Conrail as it heads south to Vardo Yard on the NS in South Hagerstown. In Feburary 1997, Norfolk Southern ran two trains a day over CSX rails between Hagerstown, MD. and Connellsville, PA. These trains were NS 227 northbound and NS228 southbound. On CSX these trains were designated CSX Z278 (NS228) and CSX Z279 (NS227). They ran under trackage rights that the N&W acquired when Chessie System took over the Western Maryland. The Norfolk and Western ran numerous trains over the WM in the 1970's most of these were grain trains. Today, the Wheeling and Lake Erie RR runs grain trains over the same route as they need. Norfolk Southern no longer runs trains 227 and 228 up the Shenandoah Valley to Hagerstown, these two trains now run around via Cincinnatti, Ohio.

Back up on the main line at Hagerstown, a CSX train is edgeing further and further east as it switches back and forth putting its train toeghter. Soon he will call the dispatcher in Jacksonvill, FLA. and ask for a clear signal east.

A CSX train rounds the curve and passes under the signal bridge and enters the yard passing the B97 milepost to the left of the train. This train has come off the Hanover Sub after desending the mountaion from Highfield. (6/98)

CSX train D799 passes into the Hagerstown yard under the signal bridge. The GP38-2 is returning from the Hanover Sub where it was doing some local work in the mill at Security. (5/98)

In 1971 a WM eastbound lead by F7 53 and SD40 7495 passes under the signal bridge on its way out of the yard. This train is bound for either Lurgan or Baltimore. In 1995 a CSX train pulls up under the same signal bridge as it too prepares to head east.


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