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Western Maryland Timetables (August, 1952)

Published: February 28, 2024

Below is WM's public timetables highlighted in the August, 1952 issue of The Official Guide Of The Railways.  This period represented the railroad's peak era.

Established in 1852, the Western Maryland Railway (WM) played a critical role in the development of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railway serving towns across Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. WM is particularly known for its passage through challenging terrains, characterized by steep grades and numerous bridges.

Its central transportation hub lay at Cumberland, Maryland, enabling connections to other major railways like the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) and the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O).

Early purchases by the Fuller Syndicate and then final acquisition by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it eventually became part of the Chessie System, later consolidated into CSX.

The railroad's most notable engineering accomplishment was the 1911 completion of its Connellsville Extension, a mainline linking Cumberland and Connellsville, Pennsylvania.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the WM was the three-pronged "fireball" logo. Adopted in 1939, the design is still recognized today as a symbol of a railway that surmounted monumental operational challenges on a daily basis.

Despite its dissolution in 1983, the legacy of Western Maryland Railway continues to endure, featured prominently in museums, model railroads and in preserved segments like the Great Allegheny Passage trail.

Public Timetables (August, 1952)