Hagerstown: Railroading Around the Hub City
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About this ebook
Mary H. Rubin
Join author Mary H. Rubin in a look back at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal as seen through the photographs of days gone by. Images from the C&O Canal National Historical Park Headquarters depict the canal's vital role in the growth of our nation. Take a walk through history in this retrospective and remember the days of the C&O Canal and the legacy it has left.
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Hagerstown - Mary H. Rubin
heritage.
INTRODUCTION
The jangle of the wheels on the rails, the hissing of the steam, the train’s whistle heard in the distance—who among us doesn’t thrill to the sights and sounds of those ever-popular trains? Does anyone really see a train go by without counting the cars or wondering what cargo might be in those containers? The imagination is piqued with thoughts of to what faroff places the passenger trains once carried travelers from Hagerstown—perhaps business in Baltimore or to visit friends and family in Chicago, or perhaps even further away to the North or South via connections with other rail lines. It is also hard to forget the trolleys and the invaluable transportation they provided throughout the entire region. Imagine hopping on an open-air trolley for a day trip to Pen Mar Park or traveling east over the mountain to Frederick, Maryland.
Hagerstown was once the third-largest city in the state of Maryland and has a rich history to tell that is inextricably linked to the railroads. Hagerstown’s nickname of the Hub City
comes from the wheel-spoke effect that the many rail lines in and out of Hagerstown created (which is the most apparent on a map showing the train routes). The first train cars from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reached the limits of Washington County on December 3, 1834, where the line crossed into Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. The Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) built a branch line into Hagerstown that was then followed by lines from other railroads to the north and south. The railroad was instrumental in transporting both goods and passengers and helped spell the demise of the C&O Canal—in fact, the railroad lines were constructed through Washington County and on to Cumberland, Maryland before the canal reached the same point.
Through the years of steam and the later years of diesel-powered locomotives, the railroads continued to ply the tracks through the county providing work for many, transportation of freight, and passenger service from Baltimore in the east to the great expanse of the country to the west. Hagerstown’s hotels, many rivaling those of larger cities, grew up around the railroads and welcomed the streams of people that trains brought to and through the area. During the mid-20th century, as more and more highways were built and the air became full of planes, the reliance on railroads began to diminish. Today, passenger service no longer runs through Hagerstown but freight service continues and the trains are far from forgotten. Many visit the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum to relive a bit of yesteryear, and it is common to see drivers parked at vantage points near train lines to watch the massive engines and cars of many different lines pass by.
In spite of today’s many fast cars and planes, there is a certain regret that the days of train travel and trolley excursions have faded away. Those who remember when the trains and trolleys were a normal part of daily life will treasure the photographs in the following pages, reminding them of how it used to be. Those who are too young for this to have been a reality in their lives will find much that captures the imagination and surely will have questions for parents and grandparents about what it was really like.
So now, turn the pages and take a step back through time to the majesty of the trains of Hagerstown!
One
CUMBERLAND VALLEY RAILROAD
February 3, 1841 is the date that the first train entered Hagerstown on the Franklin Railroad. One can only imagine the excitement felt by the crowds who gathered near the current site of the Maryland Metals yard on W. Church Street to see the engine steam into town from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The crowd was not disappointed when, to their surprise, two locomotives, the Washington and the Franklin, chugged along the rails. The Franklin Railroad fell upon hard times and was merged into the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1865. The drawing shows one of the original Cumberland Valley Railroad locomotives that came to Hagerstown. (Courtesy of Maryland Cracker Barrel.)
This piece, the oldest in the collection of the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, is an announcement from the Cumberland Valley Railroad from January 25, 1838. It details changes in the train schedule for passenger and freight travel from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Harrisburg and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. (Courtesy of Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum.)
This special notice was issued to enginemen, firemen, and other engine workers by the Cumberland Valley Railroad Company. It was devoted exclusively to regulations regarding all aspects of coal usage in the engines. Directions for safe use, prevention of waste, and many other guidelines were detailed for the workers. Number four, for instance, mandates that lumps of coal should be broken into pieces not larger than three inches. (Courtesy of Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum.)