The P&WV Hi-Line

[Glenn Blum]

This is a modern question of the W&LE but I had read that the W&LE has trackage rights to Cumberland Maryland. Is this over the "SAND PATCH section of the B&O?

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[Longview Station]

Glenn:

The modern W&LE has trackage rights between Connellsville Pennsylvania and Hagerstown Maryland via Sand Patch and Cumberland. It also had trackage rights over CSX from Connellsville to New Stanton, Pennsylvania that date (1975) to the WM being absorbed into Chessie.

I don't think any N&W/NS crews actually operated over Chessie to Hagerstown, as it was a means to protect overhead freight traffic coming off the P&WV to points east. The N&W cured that problem when it transferred the P&WV lease to the modern W&LE and diverted all Hagerstown traffic off the P&WV and onto their own main track.

However, the modern W&LE I was told did operate 2 or 3 crews over CSX to New Stanton in the early 1990's before the CSX line went to Carload Express...nowadays the SWP.

These days W&LE Crews operate into Everson on the SWP via the new connection at Mile Post 5, a distance of about 2 miles. The connection at Mile Post 5 is a modern connection constructed several years back, that followed in the foot prints of a former connection built there at Mile Post 5 in 1930 when the P&WV constructed one between the PRR at Owensdale (Mile Post 5) and the P&WV so they could route P&WV work trains over the PRR to aide in the construction of the new 40 mile P&WV Extension into Connellsville.

W&LE crews for years operated over Chessie to Hagerstown taking grain from Ohio for feed mills near Harrisonburg, Virginia. The W&LE crews of course had Chessie Pilots for a time, then a former Chessie Engineman came to work for the W&LE and who was qualifed on the Chessie. The W&LE was starting to make progress in having their own employees qualified on Chessie but the grain business was lost and for the most part, W&LE crews no longer run to Hagerstown.

(That run I would of loved to have)

VW