Magnolia Cut Off April 9, 2000
Map from East End-Hollis and Roberts
This trip began by driving past the Paw Paw station on what looked like the original main line. Did not know if the route was passable and figured I would need to backtrack out. Soon the new line was parallel with the old line near the first tunnel. The wait wasn't long for this coal car train on a Sunday morning.
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Carothers Tunnel is in a oil painting owned by a bank I worked at. Can't recall the artist, but it is nice when you find a spot that is featured in photos or paintings
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Photos of the Potomac crossings abound, this one has a little different perspective as it was shot standing on a stack of ties. Of course the cliche here is that you are looking though the state of Maryland. Photo is shot in WV, the tunnel goes through a narrow loop of MD, and the light at the end of the tunnel is back in WV. Where is the photo of the famous concrete wall? I figured I would be coming back out the same way I went in and would get it on the return trip. At Magnolia, a public road allows one to exit without returning to Paw Paw, which I did.
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This one is from the other side of the Potomac loop. No luck this time on a train passing in the 15 minutes or so my patience allows to stand in one spot. The story of building the Magolia Cutoff ranks a chapter in the book East End, with many photos of the building of the Magnolia Bridge in this photo. Another day, I tried to get a shot from the other side above the tunnel. After a considerable hike, I ended up at an abandoned WM tunnel.
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Here is another coal car train heading west. This day must have been good for running extras. Stuart Tunnel was named for the chief engineer of the Magnolia Cutoff. After climbing over the short hill above Stuart, I decided to walk the old main line back to Magnolia. Of course I had left my map in the car and did not know the distance. It is a LONG walk back around this particular loop in the Potomac that the tunnel had shortened.
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This shot is from the WM bridge looking upstream at the B&O bridge at Magnolia. The wind was literally almost strong enough to blow one off of here. Again my patience wore thin before a train went by.
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After leaving at Magnolia, roads cross the mountain towards Berkley Spring. The railroad is encountered again at Great Cacapon.
On Columbus Day, another attempt was made to get above the tunnel. After taking another trail that branches off the road to the WM tunnel, one comes out on the ridge high above the the B&O bridges and tunnel at Magnolia. In the half hour or so I was in the area, several trains passed. Here an eastbound freight and westbound coal car train meet on the Kessler Bridge. Although the trees are still green, further up in the mountains several inches of snow was on the ground. Even here, snow could be seen flying high on the side of the mountain across the Potomac.
Closer to the Kessler Bridge near this location a trail veers off that might end up right above the tunnel, but that exploration was saved for another day.
To leave Paw Paw, another trip was taken down the old river line, where the Concrete Wall was passed.
More photos
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