Jamison Yard/B89

Jamison Yard was located on the western side of Hagerstown, MD. Jamison Yard was a busy place in WM days with the high priority Alpha Jet freight trains, Reading, B&O and N&W run thru trains. Jamison Yard also has a hump, that was used to easily switch freight cars to certain trains based on their destination. When I first began taking photos on the Western Maryland at Hagerstown, the entire yard had been removed. Only a small track to off load grain and an old car shop builing remained. Lately telephone poles had began to be loaded here regulary and I remember a track being reinstalled thru the middle of the old yard. I plan to go back soon and explore Jamison Yard more indepth.

Today CSX trains are generally put toeghter and leave from a section of the old yard. Usually all westbounds will run their engines from the cab track at Hagerstown west through the yard where they will couple to their freight cars and go any switching before leaving for the B&O at Cherry Run. Occasionaly D721 will pickup only a few cars needed to switch the industries at Newgate and run west to switch out the cars. The train will then return with the others cars it had picked up and add them to its train before continueing west itself. Always check Jamison yard located behind the Lowe's Hardware store in Hagerstown before driving west along the WM looking for a train, one may be ready to leave.

CSX train D720 eastbound passing under the I-81 overpass passes an old WM telephone booth on its way up Williamsport Hill as it enters the abandoned yard. This was the westend of Jamison Yard. Once all the yard tracks diverged into two mainline tracks. All westbound trains waited here at this phone booth for clearence west by the dispatcher.

A view west then east along what was once Jamison Yard. These poles were here as they were being loaded onto freight cars. A new track was also reinstalled for this loading to take place.

CSX train D721 has finished putting its train toeghter and is now releasing the brakes at it begins to drift west out of the yard and down Williamsport Hill.

Train D721 leaves the yard another day passing an old WM structure along the main track it what was once the center of Jamison Yard. That structure was believed to be the old TV camera which was used to read the old ACI lables on the passing cars. These were the metal signs on the sides of cars that had a multi colored bar code used to identify the cars. The ACI system later proved unsucessful.

The pusher on train U820 is still in run8 pushing hard against the cars to clear the main for D721 which is waiting east of the switch to make the trip west. The western end of Jamison Yard was still on Williamsport hill up to about this point. Pushers have to continue to work the entire way to get the train up in the yard.

Inside the old shop building in Jamison Yard. The shop builing is in the distance in the above photo. This shop was called the Speed Shop. The Speed shop was built in the late 50's or 1960's as a modern car shop. CSX train D773 arrives off the Lurgan sub and drops its train. The diesels will return to the cab track and the Hagerstown Yard office. Later, D721 will arrive to do any needed switching. The train will then head west to Cumberland. The covered hoppers on the left are spotted here to be unloaded and transferred to trucks.

WM's 2 BL2's numbers 81 (pictured above) and 82, along with there paired slugs did all of the switching and worked the hump at Jamison yard in the late WM days. Both BL2's still survive today. 81 (shown above) with slug 138T are now on static display at the Baltimore and Ohio Railraod musem in Baltimore, MD. 81 wears the WM "fireball" paint scheme, the paint scheme both BL2's wore when they were delivered. Sister 82 is now operating on former WM trackage south out of Elkins pulling freight and passenger trains for the West Virginia Central Railroad. 82 has been repainted into its WESTERN MARYLAND "speed" paint scheme shown on slug 138T above.

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