Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSXT Sand Patch Questions and Observations

Good Morning:

I was recently visiting the Sand Patch area and saw many trains with manned helpers. Does CSXT use DP power over this route, or are all trains shoved with
manned helpers? What is the ruling grade from Connellsville to Sand Patch?

What impressed me was how quickly trains moved on both sides of the mountain with helpers. They were not any trains making any speed records, but they were not on their knees struggling up the hill, either. AC units certainly make a difference.

Some other observations: I saw the former WM trestle just west of Meyersdale and the old bridge at Glade City. With the WM being single tracked and no deck on either bridge for a second main, I can understand why (especially in the 1970s) Chessie System decided to keep the B&O and abandon the WM. While it would be good to have the line with lesser grades, I cannot imagine that a single tracked WM could handle the volumes today moving moving over the former B&O route. Even with directional running (WM side handling eastbound trains and B&O side handling westbound trains), it makes me wonder if all of the tunnels on the WM side would have been cleared or daylighted for doublestacks. Also, I cannot imagine that there would be a significant time savings on the WM vs the B&O considering how quickly trains can now get over Sand Patch, even with helpers. I know that this has been debated here and I have asked questions about this before, but my trip out there got me thinking about what might have been and how it may have applied to today's operations.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/17 10:50 by CSXT_8437.

No DPU trains yet. Helpers are based at Cumberland and Connellsville. The grade on the west side isnt as steep (I think it reaches 1.3% between Keystone and Sand Patch) but it is obviously longer. Most of the way itbis under 1%, so some trains will go as far as Garrett before getting a helper, especially if nothing is available at Connellsville. Ironically, the eastbound trains tend to be heavier die to the prevailing dlow of loads vs empties. Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/17 13:01 by PittsburghMike.

What's the average tonnage these days?

Just curious as my trains are usually all DP and under certain tonnage we go the 1.5% route while everyone heavier goes the lesser grade.

From what I remember of sandpatch to Cumberland there are all the curves so DP radio may be a factor depending on the CSX DP train makeup

Posted from iPhone

> "With the WM being single tracked and no deck on either bridge for a second main, I can understand why (especially in the 1970s) Chessie System decided to keep the B&O and abandon the WM."

This is only a half-correct statement.

Much of the Western Maryland had originally been constructed, with the idea that a lot of it could, one day, become a double-track mainline. That included, both, the Salisbury Viaduct (just west of Meyersdale, Pa) and the Keystone Viaduct (just east of Glade City). If you ever tour the former WM, you would notice that practically all of its bridges between Hagerstown, Md, via Cumberland, to Connellsville, Pa have abutments that were designed to accomodate a second track. However, sadly, that never came to be. Out of the list of tunnels between Cumberland and Connellsville, two of the four were originally constructed for double-track configuration. East, all five tunnels Knobley, Welton, Kessler, Stickpyle, Indigo were always single-track.

Welton tunnel has the interesting background that when the Cumberland Airport (which is really in WV) decided to lengthen its runway, after the WM's abandonment. Today its east portel is nothing but gone; having the airport be on top of a mountain meant that the railway's entrance cut to the tunnel needed to be filled-in. Indigo, the WM's longest tunnel (almost a mile in length), was declaired as a preservation site, for an endangered species bats. Originally, the plan was to redevelope the WM's right-of-way, as it did between Connellsville and Cumberland rails-to-trails project, to reach Big Pool, Md, where the railroad is still active all the fairly short distance to Hagerstown, but spurs-off and crosses the Potomac River to connect with CSX's right-of-way. As a result, Indigo is never going to be restored, partly due to its habitat and partly for its lenghth.

Matthew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/17 01:49 by Cumberland.

Thank you for the additional information. I should have noted that I noticed the bridges were built to accommodate another deck. However, it was never installed and would have been quite expensive, along with needed improvements at tunnels.

I did not know that the tunnels east of Cumberland were set up for only one track.

Thank you again.

You're wecome!

Coincidentally, the planning of redevelapment of the WM for rails-to-trails project, with its two impedaments (Welton and Indigo Tunnels' states), was that it generally follows the Potomac River as well as, luckily, the C&O Canal's Towpath. Although the railroad's right-of-way crosses the river 9 times, east of Cumberland, the commission building the continuation of the "Great Allegheny Passage," east towards Hagerstown, Md, could use the Towpath as an easy, accessible alternative.

Matthew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/17 11:19 by Cumberland.

The second Sand Patch tunnel was completed in 1912.  It was designed to replace the original single track bore.   More than 100 train movements were made through the old tunnel each day. Soon after the new double track tunnel was opened, the line suffered a gravel wall collapse at the west portal. More than 1000 men and six steam shovels worked around the clock for two months to open the line.  The avalanche closed both the new and old tunnels.  What to do now ?  All freight and passenger (24) trains were now routed over the newly opened Western Maryland line from Keystone Jct to Cumberland.   This proved that the new Western Maryland line could handle both B&O and WM traffic. 
tom

The photo is by William Price.   A view of Helmstetters Curve during the double track Western Maryland Rwy era. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/17 12:45 by TrackOne.

---

Thanks, Tom! After twenty+ years of studying the railroads' history, I have never heard/read anything about that incidident.

Well, I guess we learn something new every day!

Matthew

TrackOne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The second Sand Patch tunnel was completed in
> 1912.  It was designed to replace the original
> single track bore.   More than 100 train
> movements were made through the old tunnel each
> day. Soon after the new double track tunnel was
> opened, the line suffered a gravel wall collapse
> at the west portal. More than 1000 men and six
> steam shovels worked around the clock for two
> months to open the line.  The avalanche closed
> both the new and old tunnels.  What to do now ? 
> All freight and passenger (24) trains were now
> routed over the newly opened Western Maryland line
> from Keystone Jct to Cumberland.   This proved
> that the new Western Maryland line could handle
> both B&O and WM traffic. 
> tom