Cumberland & Pennsylvania (Inspiration)

[J3a-614]

Stumbled onto this site on Mout Savage, Md., and the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad that served it.  The C&P was an early shortline (predating the Civil War), that connected with the B&O and the Western Maryland in Cumberland, Md.  Among its notable achievements was that this short line built most of its own locomotives and cars, just like the big Pennsylvania system in Altoona; the last engine would wind up for a while on the Winchester & Western in Virginia.

The C&P was merged into the WM in 1944; Western Maryland Scenic uses part of its right-of-way (3% grade!) and station in the Frostburg area today.

http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org/index.html

These are just two pages from the site; the rest looks well worth exploring.

http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org/c&p/c&p%20shop.htm

http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org/c&p/images/C&P%20LOCOMOTIVES.htm

Enjoy.

[ebtnut]

I might point out, and it becomes obvious if you look through the loco pics, that the C&P kept recycling locomotive numbers.  In some instances they re-used the same number 5 times.  While most of the locos were built at Mt. Savage, there were Baldwins, Winans, and some builders represented.  Mt. Savage was briefly in the commercial loco building business in the late 19th century, and built a number of engines for other railroads, mostly small power, and many of them narrow gauge. 

[pdlethbridge]

With such thick walls, is the shop still standing?

[ebtnut]

A couple of the old shop buildings are still standing.  The WM knocked down the roundhouse when they took over.   The company office building is still occupied by a local company.  BTW, Carstens has a very nice soft-cover book on the C&P for about $12.  The WM closed the Frostburg tunnel in about 1956, and the construction of I-68 cut off access to Frostburg from the south.  In the '60's thru the '80's, the WM gained access to Mt. Savage via the switchbacks from Frostburg.  The George's Creek line was served from the WM main out of Westernport.  That portion still has track, and a new short line, the Georges Creek RR, is hoping to re-open it with help from the state to rehabilitate the track.