Two rail excursions are scheduled to depart Hagerstown during the height of the autumn color season. They will be operated to Thurmont, Maryland, for that city’s Colorfest celebration on Saturday, October 9th and to Cumberland, Maryland, on October 10th.
October 9, 1999 – Blue Mountain Special
The trip to Thurmont will travel through Smithsburg and Penmar, over the mountain into Thurmont, a very picturesque route that is no longer served by passenger trains. This line was the original main line of the Western Maryland Railway over which it entered Hagerstown in 1872. In its heyday it carried many passengers from Baltimore to the Penmar resort area. The railroad is now owned by CSX Transportation to Highfield (near Penmar) and the Maryland Midland Railroad from that point to Thurmont, and these railroads will operate the trains for the Museum. Rail cars for the trip are being provided by the Maryland Mass Transit Administration. The train will depart from the Museum facility at 8:00 A.M. and arrive in Thurmont at 10:00 A.M.
After the train arrives in Thurmont, passengers will have the option of spending the day at the Colorfest or riding one or two short rail shuttle trips to Union Bridge or Highfield.
The trip to Union Bridge will depart Thurmont at 11:00 A.M. and allow a visit to the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society museum in that city, returning to Thurmont at 1:30 P.M. At 2:00 P.M, a non-stop round trip up the mountain to Highfield and back will be made, covering part of the route followed by the morning train from Hagerstown, primarily for passengers who elect not to take the longer trip.
The return trip from Thurmont to Hagerstown will depart at 4:30 P.M. and arrive in Hagerstown at 6:30 P.M.
Fares for the Hagerstown-Thurmont round trip are: Adult - $35, Senior - $30, and Child (2-12) - $20. Each of the short shuttle trips are sold separately: Adult -$10, Child -$5.
October 10, 1999 – Queen City Express
On Sunday, October 10, a scenic trip along the Potomac River to Cumberland will be operated. The route follows the old Western Maryland Railway, through Williamsport to a junction with the old Baltimore & Ohio main line at Cherry Run, west of Martinsburg, and then along the Potomac River to Cumberland (This route is currently owned and operated by CSX Transportation). The train departs Hagerstown at 8:30 A.M. and arrives in Cumberland at 11:00 A.M.
While in Cumberland, passengers may visit the city for lunch or ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to Frostburg and back. Cumberland food purveyors will have lunch available near the station, and downtown Cumberland is a short walk from there.
The train will return to Hagerstown by 6:00 P.M. with departure from Cumberland scheduled for 3:30 P.M.
Fares for the Hagerstown Cumberland Round trip are: Adult - $39, Senior - $35, and Child $20. Reservations for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad must be made with that organization by calling 800-TRAIN-50 (WMSR fare is not included in the round trip from Hagerstown).
Tickets and Sponsors
Tickets for the excursions are available through the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, 300 S. Burhans Blvd., in Hagerstown, which is open from 1:00 until 5:00 P.M., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Mail, telephone (301-739-4665), and FAX (301-739-5598) orders are possible: cash, personal checks, and VISA/Master Card sales are made by the Museum.
Additional ticket sales points are:
Washington County Tourism, Hagerstown, MD (301) 791-3130
Mainline Hobbies, Blue Ridge Summit, PA (717) 794-2860
N&W Train Shed, Williamsport, MD (301) 223-8801
Catoctin Mountain Trains, Thurmont, MD (301) 694-8332
The excursions are sponsored by the Hagerstown Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, and the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, with the cooperation of the Maryland Mass Transit Administration and the two railroads involved. The Chapter and Museum have been sponsoring these fall excursions since 1990 as a means to raise funds to preserve the rail history of this area. Since the destruction of the Western Maryland roundhouse and shop facility in Hagerstown in early 1999, the Museum has been searching for a larger site on which to expand from its current facility at 300 S. Burhans Blvd. The site will be suitable for construction of a new, larger museum building and a roundhouse and shops to house its collection of artifacts and railroad rolling stock and from which it may operate tourist rail trips in the future.
Additional information available at http://www.trainweb.com/roundhouse
