Map of Maryland Logging Railroad. From Tall Pines and Winding Rivers, Benjamin F.G. Kline, Jr. 1976>
Along Bear Creek
Near the end of the 1800's, big time timbering came to Garrett County. Heavy activity centered along the North Branch of the Potomac, along Savage River, around Jennings on the Casselman and two of the largest Kendall operations, Crellin and Friendsville on the Yough. The Preston Railroad served the long lived mill at Crellin. Extending into the Cheat River drainage, the line reached 42 miles from the mill to near St. George, WV. The mill was once served by logs floated down the Yough with the aid of splash dams, Silver Lake was the largest. One can still see some of the logs that sank (they are cut square on both ends) in the river. After the mill ended production in 1925, the railroad continued to serve Kray coal mines around Crellin and was finally out of operation in 1960 (within my dim memory). Besides the Kendalls, several other company operated out of Friendsville and Kendall, on the Yough, at the northern end of Garrett County. This area was connected to the B&O with a line called the Confluence & Oakland. The above photo shows the Meadow Mountain Lumber Company's Climax. The stand of spruce on the high plateau atop Meadow Mountain was reported to be awesome. After timbering, the slashing caught fire and, according to my grandfather, smoldered for years. This photo is from Tall Pines and Winding Rivers, an excellent book on Garrett County Logging by Benjamin F.G. Kline, Jr. The photo is attributed to Totten Kimmell, a contract logger of the era.
Preston Railroad Shay
Trains have always attracted sightseers and the Preston Railroad was no exception. Here the Shay locomotive is inspected by a group of tourists that include Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and John Burroughs. Setting was near Lead Mine, WV. From Tall Pines and Winding Rivers, photo credited to Michael Koch
