Eastern Railroad Discussion > Hagerstown Branch

Does anyone have any photos of CSX's Hagerstown Branch between Weverton, MD. and Hagerstown, MD. (either abandoned/still active)?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/11 18:29 by sandpatch25.

Are you referring to the Western Maryland Lurgan line? Not sure what the Hagerstown Branch is. Conrail had the Hagerstown Secondary.

Royce

There was a B&O branch that ran north from Weverton, MD (just west of Brunswick) to Hagerstown, but it was abandoned and pulled up over 20 years ago. There is still about a 100 foot section in place, as well as the switch, at Weverton where the road to the C&O Canal crosses the CSX main. The rest of the right of way is now a hiking and biking trail.

>Are you referring to the Western Maryland Lurgan line? Not sure what the Hagerstown Branch is. Conrail had the Hagerstown >Secondary.

Good question, I am talking about the right-of-way the connected Weverton to Hagerstown. It was originally owned by the B&O and Chessie System.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/11 18:26 by sandpatch25.

seaboardc30-7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was a B&O branch that ran north from
> Weverton, MD (just west of Brunswick) to
> Hagerstown, but it was abandoned and pulled up
> over 20 years ago. There is still about a 100
> foot section in place, as well as the switch, at
> Weverton where the road to the C&O Canal crosses
> the CSX main. The rest of the right of way is now
> a hiking and biking trail.
Maybe a short ways...............But Mother Nature has reclaimed most of the former ROW except for a few miles from Hagerstown to a scrap metal operation. I believe it was abandoned around 1983. Would have been nice to run MARC trains to Hagerstown. Chessie tore a lot of track up in the early/mid eighties that would be beneficial today



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/11 07:23 by cowensub.

try these sites: http://www.abandonedrails.com/Weverton_to_Roxbury
http://www.samlindsey.com/excursions/Weverton_B-O.asp
http://wikimapia.org/7351343/B-O-Railroad-Weaverton-to-Roxbury-Abandoned
http://www.railroadsignals.us/md/hag/index.htm

Is the high bridge over Antietam Creek still standing?

A few days ago I had to detour because of an accident on I70 east. I exited at Sharpsburg pike and hung a left on Poffenberger. In a mile or so on this road, I crossed a rail line. It looks somewhat dilapidated. Most likely this would be the line to Weverton. There is nothing else out in that area that this would go to. The map shows it ending at Roxbury road. That would be at the MCI (prison) area. Not sure why it would go there.

Royce



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/11 10:03 by roycee.

>Is the high bridge over Antietam Creek still standing?

Yes and no! The only reason why I know this is because my family and I have kayaked on this section of Antietam Creek. The answer to your question is that the abutments are still intact but nothing else. I would have loved to have seen what the bridge looked like when it was still in use and, also, Western Maryland RR, as well. However, unfortunately, I am only twenty-five years old, so I was not able to experience this.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/11 10:12 by sandpatch25.

sandpatch25 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >Are you referring to the Western Maryland Lurgan
> line? Not sure what the Hagerstown Branch is.
> Conrail had the Hagerstown >Secondary.
>
> Good question, I am talking about the right-of-way
> the connected Weverton to Hagerstown. It was
> originally owned by the B&O and Chessie System.


It was known as the Washington County Branch. It connected at Weverton *which has a section of track still in place* and ran up to Hagerstown and connected with the Western Maryland at Security just east of town. The rails at Security now lead to a scrap yard and follow along Eastern Blvd until just north of MD 64. The is another scrap yard located south of Hagerstown as well but the line is severed between Security and Memorial Blvd where the now Antietam Industrial Track which served the old Passenger depot in town is used to connected with the CSX *WM* Yard on the west side of Hagerstown.

Trego near Rohrersville between MD 67 and MD 34 had up until last August the old station building. It was torn down after a storm made the dilapidated building lean severely over the roadway. The old RoW along that section is very noticeable for a few miles along the road.

cowensub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was a B&O branch that ran north from
> Weverton, MD (just west of Brunswick) to
> Hagerstown, but it was abandoned and pulled up
> over 20 years ago. There is still about a 100
> foot section in place, as well as the switch, at
> Weverton where the road to the C&O Canal crosses
> the CSX main. The rest of the right of way is now
> a hiking and biking trail.
Maybe a short ways...............But Mother Nature has reclaimed most of the former ROW except for a few miles from Hagerstown to a scrap metal operation. I believe it was abandoned around 1983. Would have been nice to run MARC trains to Hagerstown. Chessie tore a lot of track up in the early/mid eighties that would be beneficial today

Cowensub is correct, you can hike the roadbed up from Weaverton for a short distance (maybe a mile or so)...it's in pretty good shape but not a prepared trail like the C&O Canal towpath. I've tracked much of the line toward Hagerstown; the roadbed is very obvious and pretty well preserved--but much of it apparently has been returned to (or claimed by) adjoining property owners.

--Mike

It seemed like to me that several years ago, the remaining abandoned section of the B&O Washington County Branch between Roxbury and Weverton was bought by the State of Maryland. Today, I looked this up on Maryland Real Property Search. And yes, at least 73.6 acres was bought by and currently owned by Maryland Natural Resources referencing Rails To Trails in 1991 from CSX. This many acres divided into say a 35-40 ft right of way would equal the abandoned several miles. I remember B&O geeps pulling locals from Brunswick into downtown Hagerstown around 1970 when I was a youngster. The book "Impossible Challenge" has an excellent history on this line.

Carl M
Clear Spring, Md

Good information to know, Carl, thanks. When I followed the line a few years ago it definitely was not a trail, but maybe one day it will get there. The route does intersect the Appalachian Trail.

--Mike

Talking to a friend that lives near the line, I think NIMBY(not in my back yard) opposition has kept it from being a trail to this point. But, its "OK" for the locals to use it for their own recreation.