Nostalgia & History > 39 yrs ago OTD more action on B&O's Mountain Sub

6/26/81 was Day 2 of our adventures recording the action along B&O's Mountain Sub on Cranberry Grade.  First eastbound up the hill was #88 at Mcguires,WV. (MP 244 Mtn Sub) powered by B&O 7407,7616,4156.  This train usually had pulpwood loads head out to be dropped off at Keyser,WV. for the Westvaco Paper Plant in Luke,MD.  The M&K Helpers were cut in ahead of some MOW cars on the rear.  Next westbound happened to be the St. Louis Trailer Jet which we caught near the top at Salt Lick Curve in Terra Alta,WV.

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The St Louis Jet had a Class C26 "Safety Caboose."   Next eastbound was a QDX (Quick Dispatch Extra) with B&O 4197 plus 3 at Bishops Farm (MP 245 Mtn Sub) east of Rodemer,WV.  Bottom shot of another set of Grafton Empty Hoppers with B&O 3696,B&O 6923,C&O 7523 at the top of the grade in Terra Alta.  A set of M&K Helpers are waiting for the coal cars to clear so they can cross over and follow the empties back down the hill to M&K Jct. for another push.

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Top shot of the B&O Station in Terra Alta with a build date of 1883.  Yet another set of Grafton Empties powered by B&O 4337 plus 4  at Graveyard Curve (MP 245.5 Mtn Sub) west of McGuires,WV.  We headed back down towards M&K Jct. in Rowlesburg,WV.  Another Coal Drag was on the way up and we shot this one at Amblersburg (MP 250 Mtn Sub). This one had B&O 4290,6583,7598,WM 5976 for power. Those GP9s were screaming !

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Next 2 shots of the M&K Helpers passing us at Amblersburg making beautiful music.  Bottom shot  of the Helper farther up the hill at Rodemer,WV.  The C&O 7426 was putting on the smoke show.

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One more shot of this Drag farther upgrade at Graveyard Cut (MP 245.8 Mtn Sub).  Another set of Grafton Coal Cars were on their way downgrade and we set up on the bridge at M&K junction.  This train stopped and set out a string of empties in the yard. These cars were for loading on the Kingwood Sub.  I would have loved for that WM SD40 to be on the point.

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Thanks for the awesome photos. Great look back!  

The Empties put their train back together and proceeded west towards Grafton.  Top shot of the B&O 4017 plus 5 crossing the Cheat River bridge in Rowlesburg.  We headed back up the mountain to Terra Alta and my final shot of the day was a time exposure of the Philadelphia Trailer Jet passing "CA" Tower.  It had been a busy day on the Mountain Sub.

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Fantastic pictures !
Gary

You saved the best photo for last. First-rate set.
Bob

Those two MW cars in the second photo are Western Maryland cars, probably from wreck train service. The first car is a converted boxcar while the second is a converted troop kitchen car.
Charlie

Great shots !!!   Always love seeing Chessie


Gary

First-rate set of photos. Thanks for sharing them.
/Ted

This one's for Charlie.  I managed to find a shot of those 2 ex-WM MOW cars on the rear of #88 at McGuires,WV.  The 40' Materials Box Car is WMX 3053 and I believe that the ex-Troop Kitchen Car is WMX 3008.  I'm pretty sure that the WMX 3008 is preserved at the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum.  Now I wish that I had taken individual roster shots of these 2 cars.  Come to think of it, I wish that I had taken many more photos of freight cars back then, but that would have been a little more costly in the days before the digital revolution.

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Very nice series of photos. Thank you for letting us see them. Would you happen to of taken any pictures between Clarksburg and Parkersburg?
JB

Fantastic photo series along with the details that accompany them. Amazing how much has changed in four decades.

Thanks for posting this wonderful set of images.  You did well to catch that volume of trains on the West End, perhaps having someone along named Luckey had something to do with it.  In my couple of trips to the West End in that era, the train volume was not that high and the wait between trains could be many hours.  If you saw more than four or five trains in daylight, that was a good day.    

Fantastic photos!!!!

Awesomely Fantastic!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

Great series!  Looks like that was a highly productive trip.
GK

Nice.  I was living in California during this action but these photo's make me wish I could have watched these trains back then too.  Some great trackside drama!

Cheers, Jim