Western Maryland, Hagerstown, MD
February 21, 2000
Roundtable
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Gregory Dahbura writes on 11/24/03:
CSX has recently purchased some land off Wayne Avenue in Chambersburg and is planning to build a large intermodal terminal. The goal is for it to be done by late 2004. To my knowledge, they will start construction once one more farm is purchased. They are said to add a single intermodal train in each direction to begin with and possibly more afterwards. The trains will run from LA via Chicago. Trains will run up the Lurgan sub through Altenwald, Quinsonia, Conboy, and Wingerton. It appears the tracks will be upgraded. It is unclear whether the newer cutoff will be used again or whether the second track from Northern Ave. in Hagerstown to Waynecastle will be reconnected since the second tracks was removed at select Hagerstown grade crossings. The signals MAY also be turned back on depending on how much traffic goes to Chambersburg. Currently D707, Monday-Friday is the only traveller of this line going in both directions and consisting usally of a GP40-2 and GP30/35 slugset and a cut of 5-10 box cars and tank cars with an occasional covered hopper or two bound for Paramount. EVERY now and then a SD40-2 or SD50 will lead this train but it is rare. The Paramount elevator receives one or two covered hoppers at a time seasonally and a few times a year, a tank car. CSX has been storing cars on the disused for revenue service second track. In early 2002, several miles of railbox box cars were brought in by slugsets. By early summer they were gone. CSX stored so many they used all but 50 or so feet of the disconnected second track. They made the mistake of storing cars as far as Northern Avenue. A Country Club and large neighborhood is on one side and a new neighborhood is one the other. Locals were very mad. Slugsets gradually took away those boxcars easing the complaints. CSX has never since gone into Maryland to store cars. In January 2003 they brought in a cut of 100 empty autoracks and dumped them north of Waynecastle. The head end power was majestic as the pretty dull line saw a CSX SD40-2, CSX C40-8W and a UP C36-7. The train thundered through and then backed on the old 2nd main. Since then a cut of old ribbed sided grain cars has taken their space. I'm not sure if they were taken away. As of early October 2003, they were still there. The last two storage moves have not entered Maryland, likely due to local complaints. An another note, the Conservit spur from Hagerstown to Roxbury is very interesting. There are short MofW sidings east of Hagerstown's city park, and north of Oak Ridge drive. One industry south of Oak Ridge drive has a connected spur but the spur is dormant. Conservit sees a push-pull train of slugsets on both ends. Up to 12 cars can go on this turn. CSX operates 2-3 times a week. CSX has decent rail on this line but some really dangerous grade corssings and steep grades limit speeds to 5-10 MPH. CSX's crossings either have just cross bucks or very old lights with the exception of two crossings. The spur off this branch to the former First-Urban recycled paper mill has been improved slightly but still can not handle traffic. The mill is expected to reopen very soon, and the line has been cleared of brush and new rails and ties are on property awaiting intallment. Talk of commuter service to D.C. goes on as usal over this line, but it is doubtful as south of Roxbury everything is gone including several large bridges. I will email you sometime this week about the Hanover sub, Lurgan sub west of Hagerstown, the NS lines and the W&W.
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