Nostalgia & History > Western Maryland classic

I’m not quite gonna say this Western Maryland unit is an ugly duckling. But it does have that kind of odd appeal to it. The color scheme has never been one of my favorites. And that chopped nose makes it look like some “Kilroy was here” graffiti peeking over a wall some place. But with all that put together I have to admit: a classic is a classic... :^)

1. WM 20 leads a quartet of Alco FAs running lite near Williamsport, MD in October of 1970.
Photographer is unknown. Copy slide formerly from the late Tony Fey collection.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/24 05:54 by santafe199.

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Even as a WM fan, I never cared for those homely chopnoses. The windshield looks like it's too high up for the crew to see out of when seated, so what was the point?

Great set of power.
JB

Great colorful photo.  I think the thing that's always looked 'off' about the WM chopnoses to me is the complete lack of a headlight structure above the windshield, as with just about all other GP7/9 chopnose programs (IC Paducah, BN, Conrail, CNW, Santa Fe, etc)

I'm not sure if having it there would help or hinder in the event of a collision, but seeing just the thin sheet metal in front of the crew seems so minimal, at least to me.

Rich

I absolutely love the photo and I truly miss those golden days of the Western Maryland Railway, a well maintained and operated road.  They truly kept their equipment in first class condition all the way until Chessie took the daily operations over.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Great scene - I believe the WM only had four ALCO FA's, and the unknown photographer caught all of them here behind the chopped nose Geep. WOW!
Bob

Neat, funky catch! Those chopnose jobs sure are weird. Probably cheaply done, but if it worked...

refarkas Wrote:
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> Great scene - I believe the WM only had four ALCO
> FA's, and the unknown photographer caught all of
> them here behind the chopped nose Geep. WOW!
> Bob

That and the 304 being the only one in the Circus Colors makes it even better. Great shot.  Ben

Agree that the chop nose gives WM 20 an "ugly duckling" look.  She later got Chessie paint with WM sublettering and a rather famous set of numerals, becoming WM 5632.  As for the FAs, all four were rebuilt as Long Island Rail Road power cars or cab cars if you prefer.  WM 301-304 became LIRR 609. 610, 607 and 608 respectively.  Here is LIRR 608, the former WM 304, laying over at Ronkonkoma NY with a couple of C420s for company.  Slide mount says DEC 72.

mike woodruff
north platte ne

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Lance - thanks for the great WM scan.  It was unusual to see all four of WM's FA units together.  This is a helper set for Williamsport Hill.  My presumption is that this power set ran lite westbound from Hagerstown to the crossover at Pinesburg (west of MP 95), and is now moving east on the eastbound main to couple to the rear of a a train that is stopped with its head end at the Williamport depot (near MP 93).  The eastbound grade on Williamport Hill was as high as 1.08%.  I wonder if the unknown photographer hung around to catch photos of the train departing Williamport.  It would have been quite a show, and good going-away shots of those FA's. 

I would have to agree that the WM's down-home low nose conversion looks a bit homely.  Do those Geeps look better than a BL2?  Talk about an ugly duckling lash up, a BL2 with a low-nose WM Geep.  It could have happened on the WM, but I've never seen a pic, since the WM's BL2's generally worked the hump at Hagerstown with a slug by the time the Geeps got the low nose converstion.  

Steve Salamon
Valley City, OH    

  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/24 11:19 by cr7998.

One fine looking outfit to me! I think without the dynamic brakes our friend #20 has smooth lines. The red/white scheme helps make it a decent looking geep in my humble opinion. And besides it's what's under the long hood that matters! 

More headroom for the head.  Gerry
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GN599 Wrote:
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.... And besides it's what's under the long hood that matters!