The was an
American Class I Railroad which operated in
Maryland ,
West Virginia and
Pennsylvania .
The oldest portion was the
Baltimore, Carroll And Frederick Railroad which was chartered in
1852 and began building west from
Baltimore . The railroad was completed to
Hagerstown, Maryland in
1872 . Within a year, its name was changed to Western Maryland Rail Road Company, and eventually, it became Western Maryland Railway Company.
The Connellsville Extension was built west from
Cumberland, Maryland , to
Connellsville, Pennsylvania , beginning around
1906 and was completed in
1912 . In
1931 , the Western Maryland became part of the
Alphabet Route , a competitor to more major railroads including the
Pennsylvania Railroad .
The
West Virginia Central And Pittsburg Railway began as a
Narrow Gauge line in
1880 , its name and gauge changed in
1881 and in the ensuing years it opened a huge swathe of timber and coal territory in northern West Virginia to use, creating such towns as
Elkins ,
Davis and
Thomas . A major connection was made with the
Chesapeake And Ohio Railway 's Greenbrier Branch at
Durbin, West Virginia in
1900 . Sold to the Gould interests in
1902 , it became an important part of the WM in
1905 and contributed heavily to that road's prosperity in the coal and lumber trade down to modern times.
Thus, although never a giant, the Connellsville subdivision of WM handled through midwest fast freight traffic and
Coal from company-owned mines near
Fairmont, West Virginia , and
Somerset, Pennsylvania . In
1930 , the
Pittsburgh And West Virginia Railroad Company reached Connellsville to hook up with the WM. That line operates today as the
Wheeling And Lake Erie Railway .
In
1964 , the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) and the
Baltimore And Ohio Railroad (B&O) jointly filed for permission to acquire control of the Western Maryland Railway with the
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In
1973 , as part of the
Chessie System , the Western Maryland ownership went to C&O and it was operated by the B&O. In
1987 , it was merged into the C&O which itself became part of
CSX Transportation .
Much of the original Western Maryland line has been abandoned including the crossing of the Allegheny Mountains and the
Eastern Continental Divide near
Deal, Pennsylvania after going through Savage Mountain in a 3,000 ft tunnel. The elevation at Deal is 2,375 ft (724 m).
Portions of the former WM are now operated by
West Virginia Central , a
Short Line Railroad , and
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad . Other portions are now
Rail Trail s. A portion of the former WM right of way with in the city of
Baltimore is now used by the
Baltimore Metro Subway .
