Western Maryland Scenic to expand through lease of short line

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has signed a long-term lease to acquire the Georges Creek Railway, a dormant short line in Maryland’s southwestern Allegany County, which the railroad plans to use for “passenger and potential freight opportunities,” according to a press release.

The newly acquired line will be known as Western Maryland Scenic’s Georges Creek Division, and will be structured as a separate business managed by WMSR. Western Maryland Scenic Executive Director Wesley Heinz said the agreement follows more than two years of discussions with Georges Creek owner Eighteen Thirty Group, which purchased the line out of bankruptcy in 2006. The railway ceased operations in 2019 following the closure of a paper mill it served in Luke, Md.

The Georges Creek line is a former CSX branch, and Heinz said CSX and some businesses have occasionally approaches Western Maryland Scenic about the possibility of providing limited freight service.

“CSX has been courteous enough to identify opportunities for WMSR, and the Georges Creek Division could help us fulfill these requests,” Heinz said. “Our staff has spent countless hours imagining a revitalization of the railroad line and how WMSR can use their vision to bring economic development to the Georges Creek valley through tourism and rail services.”

The new property also gives Western Maryland Scenic greater opportunities for expansion in the wake of growth that has seen it go from more than 47,000 passengers in 2021 to almost 75,000 in 2023.

“The WMSR doesn’t own the railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg,” Heinz said. “The ability to expand our schedule is limited in its current configuration. The Georges Creek Division initiative allows the Scenic to craft our future as we see fit. The small towns along the ‘CRIK,’ with their charm and Americana, provide a broad canvas for our staff to create new experiences for all visitors to enjoy.”

Heinz said he and Eighteen Thirty Group owner Duncan Smith share a passion for history and seeing local communities continue to develop.

“Our first order of business will be to attend to the overgrowth of vegetation along the right-of-way, identify safety needs, and communicate with the community leaders along the ‘CRIK’ on how the WMSR can encourage and diversify tourism throughout the valley,” Heinz said. “There is a strong desire for bike trails to accompany the railroad alongside the Georges Creek. WMSR feels we are in an excellent position to create the partnerships needed to replicate the success of the much larger Great Allegheny Passage. The small-town communities along Georges Creek can benefit from WMSR’s desire to be a key economic driver in the region.”

The line, originally the former Cumberland & Pennsylvania, was purchased by the Western Maryland Railway in 1944. CSX operated it until 2005, when it ceased operations because of a combination of washouts and declining traffic.

Separately, the railroad announced on Facebook that it would need additional diesels for the Georges Creek Division and has purchased a pair of former Western Maryland GP9s.