Western Maryland Railroad Right-of-Way, Milepost 126 to Milepost 160 is a historic section of the

Western Maryland Railway The Western Maryland Railway was a small American Class I railroad (1852–1983) that operated in 3 Southern United States, Southern US States, Maryland (Western Maryland, Western Region), West Virginia (Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Easte ...

(WM) in

Allegany County, Maryland Allegany County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 68,106. Its county seat is Cumberland, Maryland, Cumberland ...

, and Morgan County, West Virginia. It is an abandoned section of the right-of-way between milepost 126 at the intersection of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal and Long Ridge Road, Woodmont, and milepost 160 just west of Maryland Route 51, North Branch. It closely parallels the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

and the C&O Canal, which runs along the north bank of the river, and includes three tunnels. Seven miles of the roadbed are in West Virginia near Paw Paw. WM completed the line between Hagerstown and

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River, Cumberland is a regional business and comm ...

in 1906. It was abandoned by the Chessie System in 1975. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

acquired the roadbed in 1980 for the C&O Canal National Historical Park. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1981. Towns it is listed in include North Branch, Oldtown, Little Orleans and Woodmont, Maryland, and Jerome, West Virginia.

References

External links

*, including photo from 1981, at Maryland Historical Trust * Buildings and structures in Allegany County, Maryland Western Maryland Railway Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia Buildings and structures in Morgan County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Morgan County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Allegany County, Maryland Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia {{MorganCountyWV-NRHP-stub

See also

References

External links