The Winchester and Western Railroad is a
shortline railroad
:''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.''
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that oper ...
operating from
Gore through
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
to
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland,
United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstow ...
. It also operates several lines in
southern New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, connecting to
Conrail Shared Assets Operations
Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail (reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Area ...
at
Millville and
Vineland.
Growth
The company's original line opened in 1917, extending west from Winchester to Wardensville WV, and while the 'Winchester and Western Railroad' operating company went through several reorganizations, it remained independent of larger carriers.
In 1986, it grew suddenly adding newly acquired trackage when
Conrail sold off parts of the former
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
, allowing the W&W to acquire the line from Winchester to Hagerstown, as well as the greater part of the W&W's New Jersey trackage—formerly parts of the Pennsylvania - Reading Seashore Lines and
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...
(CNJ).
A short ex-CNJ branch from
Bridgeton to
Seabrook was acquired later from the
Jersey Southern Railway in 1987.
[Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition, ]Kalmbach Publishing
Kalmbach Media (formerly Kalmbach Publishing Co.) is an American publisher of books and magazines, many of them railroad-related, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
History
The company's first publication was ''The Model Railroader'', which be ...
, 1996, pp. 337-338
The W&W is exclusively a freight line with the majority of its freight supplied by the quarry of its parent company,
Unimin, in Gore. In New Jersey, the W&W also serves Unimin sand interests and some grain traffic.
History
The Winchester & Western was initially incorporated on August 16, 1916 for the purpose of tapping the forests of southeastern
Hampshire County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
and southwestern
Frederick County, Virginia in order to supply railroad ties and timber to the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
.
The idea of building such a conduit to tap these resources had been conceived during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
when the traffic on the railways of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
had been greatly increased. More railroad ties were needed to both construct new railways and maintain the lines already in use. A way to transport the hardwood timbers to the tie mills in Winchester was needed, and so the Winchester and Western was conceived.
The Baltimore & Ohio factored greatly in the W&W's construction and its local subsidiary, Winchester Lumber Company, owned various tracts of mountainous woodlands in Hardy, Hampshire, and Frederick Counties. It sought to build a 40-mile narrow gauge line from Winchester to Wardensville which would bisect the rich timber lands in the possession of the Winchester Lumber Company.
The Winchester Lumber Company sought the services of the Intermountain Construction Company to construct the line, which it then decided to make a standard-gauge instead of a narrow one. Intermountain started the grading of the railroad line from east and west of
Chambersville, located west of Winchester in Frederick County. Because of the numerous supply and machinery shortages caused by World War I, Intermountain constructed the grade of the railroad using
mule-powered scoops,
sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, often metal head, attached to a long handle. The long handle combined with a heavy head allows the sledgehammer to gather momentum during a swing and apply a large force compared to hammers designed t ...
s, and hand-held drills. By August 1917, Intermountain had cleared a flat road for the rail track to
Gainesboro and it began laying the rails and ties. On January 14, 1918 the first income producing train carrying 16,000 rail ties headed into Winchester.
From Gore, the W&W turned southward through
Back Creek valley toward
Rock Enon Springs and ultimately to
Wardensville. On June 14, 1919, a "golden spike" ceremony was planned on the West Virginia/Virginia line near
Capon Springs with only fifteen miles until completion. After politicians from both Hampshire and Frederick Counties delivered speeches, Hugh B. Cline, chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, and Judge F.B. Allen of the Hampshire County Court each hammered a spike. The "golden spike" celebration was then topped off with lunch at the Mountain House at
Capon Springs Resort
Capon Springs, also known as Frye's Springs and Watson Town, is a national historic district in Capon Springs, West Virginia that includes a number of resort buildings ranging in age from the mid-nineteenth century to the early 20th century. ...
in Capon Springs.
On May 25, 1921, the Winchester and Western was finally completed to Wardensville. A celebration was held to honor the W&W's completion and former West Virginia Governor
John J. Cornwell delivered a speech on the positive effect that the railroad would have on the future growth of the region's economy.
John J. Cornwell's brother
William B. Cornwell
William Benjamin Cornwell (November 25, 1864 – April 8, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessperson, newspaper editor and publisher, and railroad and lumber, timber executive in the U.S. state of West Virginia. He was an older brother of writ ...
of
Romney was the president of the Winchester and Western Railroad at the time and had previously been president of the Hampshire Southern Railroad in the
South Branch Potomac River valley in the 1910s.
Throughout the 1920s beginning in May 1921, the Winchester and Western was primarily a bustling freight line with limited passenger service. The W&W's first passenger car (or railbus) was literally an automobile bus placed on rails. The railbus made two round trips daily between Winchester and Wardensville with 17 intermediate stops along the way. The most popular of these intermediate stops was at
Capon Springs Station where passengers would arrive to dine or vacation at the Capon Springs Resort. Three automobile "railbuses" later made the two round trips between Winchester and Wardensville. Besides Wardensville and Capon Springs, major passenger and freight stations were constructed at Gainesboro and Gore. The W&W's own terminal was located at the Baltimore & Ohio Station at Kent and Piccadilly Streets in Winchester.
While freight traffic was the main business of the W&W, the residents of the Winchester area frequently chartered trains for pleasure trips to not only Capon Springs, but for scenic excursions and picnics at
Capon Lake on the
Cacapon River.
Later in the 1920s, the line was constructed further past Wardensville on three narrow-gauge spurs known as the Lost River Railroad. The use of these spurs and the mainline itself dwindled by the early 1930s as the
Great Depression took its toll on the region's economy. Freight traffic to and from Wardensville declined and the line was trimmed back to Capon Springs Station in 1934 due to the exhaustion of the region's timber reserves. That same year, passenger service to Capon Springs ended, and the track was cut at Rock Enon Springs. The W&W further trimmed back its line during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in 1944 when it was cut at Gore. Because of Gore's active Unimin sand quarry, the Winchester and Western Railroad remains active between Gore and Winchester. Today, in the Winchester area, the Winchester and Western is affectionately referred to as the "Ol' Weak and Weary" because of its limited use. (Who calls it this?)
In recent years, the Winchester and Western has seen a revival of sorts. In 1986, it purchased the
Conrail (formerly Pennsylvania RR/Penn Central) "Winchester Secondary" line from Winchester to Williamsport, Maryland. In 1987, it purchased three shortlines in southern New Jersey. The company now has two divisions; the "Virginia Division," and the "New Jersey Division." Both serve Unimin interests, as well as other freight. Both have connections with the two eastern mainline railroads,
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
and the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (3 ...
. In September 2019 the business was purchased by
OmniTRAX.
Winchester & Western Railroad sold
'' Railway Gazette International'' September 11, 2019
Course
From the B&O's old central station in downtown Winchester, the Winchester and Western Railroad ventures south and then follows Abram's Creek west out of the city. From there, the W&W travels northwest, eventually parallelling the Northwestern Turnpike
The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 18 ...
(U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
) where it goes through Hoop Petticoat Gap along Gap Run at Chambersville, today known as Round Hill. Still heading in a northwest direction with the Northwestern Turnpike, the W&W departs from the turnpike and follows Hogue Creek Hogue Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 15, 2011 tributary stream of Back Creek in Frederick County, Virginia. Hogue Creek rises on Great North Mountai ...
north, southeast of Hayfield. The W&W continues north until it intersects with the North Frederick Pike (U.S. Route 522
U.S. Route 522 (US 522) is a spur route of US 22 in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Highway travels in a north-south direction, and runs from US 60 near Powhatan, Virginia, to its northern terminus at ...
) and enters the community of Gainesboro. The line then curves southwest into the Back Creek valley. At the southern edge of Bowling Green Ridge, the W&W crosses the Northwestern Turnpike one last time and follows Back Creek south to Gore. From Gore, the line heads south along Mine Spring Run where it currently ends at the sand mine.
This list includes all of the communities and stations that have been served at one time by the original Winchester and Western Railroad. The towns are listed from Winchester to Wardensville:
;Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost count ...
* Winchester
* Chambersville
* Hayfield
* Indian Hollow
* Gainesboro
* Gore
* Rock Enon Springs
;Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 23,093. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia, Romney, West Virginia's oldest town ( ...
* Shiloh
* Capon Springs Station
* Capon Lake
* Intermont
;Hardy County, West Virginia
Hardy County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,299. Its county seat is Moorefield. The county was created from Hampshire County in 1786 and named for Samuel Hardy, a distinguished Vi ...
* Wardensville
References
External links
Virginia Railroad Association: Winchester & Western RR
Winchester & Western RR Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winchester Western Railroad
West Virginia railroads
Virginia railroads
Maryland railroads
New Jersey railroads
Transportation in Frederick County, Virginia
Transportation in Hampshire County, West Virginia
Transportation in Hardy County, West Virginia
Transportation in Washington County, Maryland
Hagerstown, Maryland
Railway companies established in 1916
Railway companies disestablished in 1930
Railway companies established in 1940
American companies established in 1940
OmniTRAX