Part 5
James M. Alvey, once a
member of the Board of Directors of Emmitsburg Railroad,
had been busy drafting a letter which he sent to each
stockholder advising them that at a February 9, 1940,
meeting action would be taken on the resolution adopted
at the January 15 meeting to abandon the line as soon as
possible. Alvey’s wife, also a former member of the
Board, feeling the end was near for the railroad, had
resigned prior to the January meeting.
As time neared for the
February 9 meeting of the stockholders, the railroad’s
one and only locomotive remaining looked sad as it sat
in the engine shed. Engine No. 8 had been idle for quite
some time. Former employees of the railroad were in the
process of adjusting themselves to other jobs as best
they could. Guy Baker, once station agent, had a mail
contract and was making three daily trips to Thurmont to
connect with the Western Maryland Railway.
Leslie Fox, another
faithful employee of the Emmitsburg Railroad, was
operating a filling station on railroad property
directly in front of tile station. Murry Wantz, an
engineer on the line, had established an automobile
repair shop, also located on railroad property. Engine
No. 8 was owned by Miss Louise Sebold. It was Miss
Louise and her brother-in-law, James Alvey, who in
recent years had been active in the management of the
railroad. When a reporter from the
Baltimore Sun appeared
in Emmitsburg and approached Miss Louise for an
interview, she declined.
It was a sad moment in Miss Lonise’s life for once
railroading gets into your blood, it becomes hard to
remove.
For years tile
Emmitsburg Railroad had played a vital part in the lives
of the citizens who living along the right-of-way.
Trains passing through Motter’s Station area were so
prompt and uniformly on time that tile citizens could
set their watches by the blast of the whistle at any
given point.
Operations of the
Emmitsburg Railroad came to a final halt on May 15,
1940. In August of that same year the seven-mile line
was sold at a public sale. However, it wasn’t until
May 8, 1941, when the Interstate Commerce Commission
approved and authorized official abandonment of the
line. It wasn’t long after the ICC abandonment
authorization was given that the rails were tom up and
sold for scrap. The historic Emmitsburg Railroad was
entered upon tile pages of history.
Today, tile few
citizens still living who were once an important part of
the railroad swell with pride when they read the
railroad mentioned and they recall many fond memories of
railroading in Emmitsburg.
There were on
occasions, a derailment, but no wrecks and not even a
casualty. Many marveled at how quick a matter was
corrected with only primitive tools and gadgets to work
with. Every employee of the railroad was a dedicated
individual. It was railroading at its best and no one
will ever dispute this fact. From the very beginning,
Emmitsburg Railroad provided transportation services for
the area citizens and the Western Maryland Railway was
never considered to be superior to the Emmitsburg Line.
If anyone were to miss
this little railroad, it would have to be the Sisters of
Charity of St. Joseph’s College. They benefited
greatly because the railroad brought them fuel and
supplies. It was the Sisters of Charity who came forward
with a substantial subscription to the bond issue when
the railroad was first established. It was also die
Sisters of Charity subscription that ensured completion
of the line to Rocky Ridge. It was die students of St.
Joseph’s College and those of Mount St. Mary’s
College who used the railroad as a means of
transportation.
Today there is little
or no visible evidence of the once famed Emmitsburg
Railroad, a seven-mile stretch ye of rails between
Emmitsburg and Rocky Ridge, where it made connections
with Western Maryland Railway. There are still a few
residents living today who or recall attending
Emmitsburg Elementary School when the railroad was their
main means of transportation to and from the school.
Although the railroad has vanished from the local scene,
there are many fond memories of railroading in at
Emmitsburg and the major role this little line played in
the economy of the community.
When the official
announcement was made that the Emmitsburg Railroad was
closing for good on May 15, 1940, rail buffs from across
the eastern portion of the United States converged upon
Emmitsburg, hoping to get an opportunity to ride the
last passenger train. Others came just to take a few
pictures of what was left of the seven-mile line and its
equipment.
Area citizens told
stories of the road’s dedicated the employees who
operated the line. Never let it he said that the
community didn’t support this little railroad.
Citizens of the area were always ready and willing to
help when there was a problem. Speaking of problems,
snow was one. Recalling her memories of the railroad,
resident Mary Scott once wrote: "Snow was always a
problem. It seems as if it snowed more in those days and
the winters were longer and colder. It was not unusual
to have a seven to nine inch snow with a repeat
performance several times within a week. "When this
happened," Mary Scott continued, "the snow
would pack, freeze, and form a hard crust. Strong winds
would most always accompany the snow storms. As a result
of the wind big drifts were formed and traveling became
very difficult. "At times such as this, every man
arid boy able to wield a shovel was actively engaged in
shoveling snow. After several such snow storms there was
no way the locomotive’s ‘cow catcher’ could remove
the snow from the tracks.
"There was only
one way to do the job and that was to enlist manpower.
You couldn’t push the snow off the track to the side
of the right-of-way. The side of the track was already a
wall of snow."
Mary Scott remembers
well the winter of 1916 for it was especially a snowy
one, "The train," she recalls, "had been
snowed in for several days and anytime tracks were
cleared and the trains were ready to run, gales winds
caused heavy drifting and the line was closed again.
"I remember Mr. Neil Gelwicks, the engineer, and
Mr. Charles Bowers, the fireman. They had worked until
they were nearly overcome With the cold. They were
brought to our house where my mother helped to thaw them
out by the kitchen stove. She fed them a lot of hot
broth and coffee, and at the same time prepared meals
for the other workmen who were clearing the tracks on an
almost ‘round-the-clock basis."
By the time the
Emmitsburg Railroad ceased operations, the American
railroading system had reached its maturity. The days of
rapid change and pioneer development were constantly
increasing competitive pressure from such freight-moving
facilities as pipelines, trucks and barges,
cargo-carrying aircraft, and such passenger carriers as
the airplane, bus and private motor car.
The railroads found
themselves engaged in an all-out effort to cut costs
while at the same time improving the efficiency and
attractiveness of their operations. In March 1957 — 17
years after time Emmitsburg Railroad ceased operations,
Western Maryland Railway ran its last regularly
scheduled passenger train. Several years later freight
service on the Western Maryland was also abandoned, and
it, too, became a page of history.
Although it has been 52
years since the Emmitsburg Railroad left the local
scene, it is still remembered as an important part of
Emmitsburg’s history, and how it served as a major
link between the community and the outside world. I can
think of no better way to close this series of articles
on the Emmitsburg Railroad than to quote Mary Scott who
summed it up well when she said: "For those of us
who grew up with the Emmitsburg Railroad, it was hard
for one to realize that its time was over. But time
marches on. Our little old No. 6 was replaced by other
means of transportation. An old era had passed from the
scene. From its embers a new one was born."
Read
Part -> 1,
2,
3,
4
Read Phyllis
Hawkins' Stations of the Emmitsburg Railroad
Read
Other articles by George Wireman
Have your own memories of
the Emmitsburg?
If so, send them to us at history@emmitsburg.net