Through the years, John Helmstetter has been a true friend of railfans and historians. His farm occupies one of the most famous photo locations in the Eastern United States, “Helmstetter’s Curve.” The May 2010 issues of Trains Magazine features photos of the curve from the 1970s, when Western Maryland redball freights thundered by, and today’s steam-powered excursion trains run by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
A farm steeped in history
Helmstetter’s Curve is located five miles west of Cumberland, Md., along the main line of the former Western Maryland Railway. Today, 16 miles of the railway’s climb through the Alleghenies remains active, as part of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, which runs steam-powered excursions out of Cumberland to Frostburg, Md.
Set inside a sweeping horseshoe curve, John Helmstetter’s barn is a highlight of the trip for riders. On occasion, independent trip organizers will arrange chartered photo freights, giving ticketholders the opportunity to disembark at the curve and capture timeless scenes of Western Maryland Scenic 2-8-0 No. 734 pulling freight trains up the curve’s 1.5 percent grade, framed by the heavy timber barn built by John Helmstetter’s father over 100 years ago.
John himself has contributed to the success of these photo freights by allowing large trees and brush to be removed from the hillsides near the tracks, returning the photo location to its 1940s appearance. He would use his tractor and brush hog to manicure the railroad right-of-way and adjacent fields, sometimes miles from his property. On trip days, John would position farm equipment at strategic locations to create timeless scenes, and often posed with his tractor, pick-up truck, or a pitchfork.
On the night of July 9, 2009, a tragic fire destroyed John’s barn. The most likely cause: arson! John was injured as he tried in vain to free his livestock from the burning structure. Lost in the fire were 22 cows, some farm equipment, and John’s longtime companion, Teddy, his black-and-white border collie who helped him work the farm. John was devastated and seriously considered giving up his lifelong profession as a farmer (he is the last full-time farmer in Allegheny County, Md.). While the rubble was still smoldering, John’s neighbors and relatives brought in hay to feed the rest of his herd and began removing twisted steel pipe and the charred remains of the heavy timbers.
Two trip organizers step up
Word of the fire spread quickly throughout the railfan community. Many people wanted to help. Carl Franz of Gaithersburg, Md., and Bill Larduskey of Baltimore immediately stepped forward. Together, they had run over 30 photo specials on the Western Maryland Scenic and had formed a close friendship with John over the past 12 years. They realized that they were in a unique position to lead the response effort, thanks to their large mailing list of trip past patrons who would be eager and willing to assist John. Together they formed the Helmstetter Farm Fund Committee, along with Steve Barry of Railfan & Railroad Magazine. They set up a bank account in John’s name and created www.helmstetterfarm.org.
Realizing that cash donations alone would probably bring in only a modest amount, they turned to what they knew best, photo freight charters. Their initial goal was modest: help John get back on his feet. They contacted Frank Fowler, superintendent of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. He and his staff were very supportive of the committee’s goals and agreed to run a photo special on Nov. 9, 2009. The railroad made a significant contribution to the cause by offering to run the trip at a discounted fee.
By setting a higher than normal ticket price and by taking more patrons than in the past, the committee hoped to raise $10,000. In addition, the Web site accepted cash donations, sold 12 x 18-inch color photos, and offered copies of the DVD “Photo Freights on the Western Maryland.” The response to their e-mails, phone calls, and Web postings was strong and immediate – so much so that when sales passed the 100 mark, the committee had no choice but to call Mr. Fowler and ask for a second trip on Oct. 19. The new goal was now $20,000.
Meanwhile, John’s nephew, Matt Stahlman, was investigating options for a new barn. The logical replacement was a single-story pole barn. But the thought of a $30,000 concrete slab, poles, and a roof was, to say the least, devastating to John. Then Matt talked to an Amish barn builder, Henry Brenneman of Salisbury, Pa., and the concept of building a two-story Amish barn emerged. Thanks to articles in the Cumberland Times-News, the Farm Fund began receiving donations from people in the Cumberland area. One person said: “I don’t know John, but he seems like a great guy. Here is $100, from one farmer to another.”
A sawmill and other companies offered materials and services at cut-rate prices. As planning progressed, what was once a dream began to seem like a possibility. To turn possibility into reality, Franz and Larduskey scheduled a third photo charter for Oct. 26. When ticket sales slowed to a trickle, they “re-invented” the trip, using the slogan: “Pole Barn or Amish Barn, You Decide.” As additional incentives, there would be eastbound runbys in the morning (most trips run westbound-facing all day) and pusher service at Frostburg, Md. The new concept worked and the trip quickly sold out.
Recreating history
With the excursion dates approaching, it was time to tackle a recurring problem at the curve: the wild and rapid growth of trees and brush (Franz calls it “thorn locust). The brush and surrounding weeds grow like they’re on steroids, and clearing out the terrain is a nasty job. It had been four years since the last brush clearing (arranged by Franz), and the thorn locust on the steep slopes of the fill that forms Helmstetter’s Curve was so high that No. 734’s passing could only be seen by her smoke plume.
Franz and Larduskey sent out a plea for brush cutters to come to the rescue-and they did. Volunteers spent over 50 man-days cutting trees with chainsaws and clearing brush with loppers and hand saws. A few people went above and beyond: Charles and Sandy Sloane and their sons, Andy, Jerry, and Jeff of Boyds, Md., accounted for 40 percent of the brush-cutting effort. Even more remarkable, they had never even been on a previous photo special. Don Leone of Glen Rock, Pa., spent two long days with his tractor and brush hog demolishing 20-foot-tall trees and dense thickets in a flash as he mowed many of the fields used for photo runbys. Without Don and his brush hog, these and many previous photo specials on the Western Maryland Scenic would not have been possible.
The first two trips ran under beautiful sunny skies, and by the second trip, the foliage was at its peak. On the third trip, Nov. 9, riders watched as about 20 Amish men cut boards and made prefabricated components in order to raise the new barn in a single day. The cutting was done with steady hands and gas-powered chainsaws! The Farm Fund Committee gathered everyone in front of the emerging barn and presented John Helmstetter with a giant ceremonial check for $40,001. The $1 signified that the fundraising effort was still in progress-as it still is, today. As of Feb. 1, 2010, the total raised exceeds $42,000.
The “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” sent a video crew to document the Nov. 9 ceremony. The news crew captured the check presentation and several of the photo runbys, and interviewed members of the Farm Fund Committee, the railroad, and John Helmstetter. The story aired as “The American Spirit” segment on the New Year’s Day, 2010, broadcast of the CBS Evening News. Watch the clip.
On the morning of Thursday, Nov. 12, over 120 Amish men arrived in school buses at the Helmstetter farm. They raised the new barn in less than eight hours, thanks to three days of prefab work. Like the Golden Spike ceremony of 1869, we held a “Golden Nail Ceremony” as John hammered in a symbolic gold last nail to secure the door latch.
It cost slightly less than $1,000 to bus the Amish workers from Pennsylvania to John’s farm, and the labor cost for the one-day barn-raising was $2,000! Needless to say, John gave them much more than they requested. (As a point of comparison, a contractor subsequently installed rain gutters and downspouts on the barn. The bill for that work alone came to $3,000.)
New barn, new opportunities
The opportunity for railfans to see the new barn first-hand came on Jan. 29, 30, and 31, 2010, when Franz conducted three winter photo freight specials. Seeing the gleaming structure made everyone proud to be part of the effort to help John Helmstetter.
Sunday, Jan. 31’s trip was unforgettable, thanks to a combination of bright sun, blue sky, fresh snow, still air, and cold temperatures-all of which produced spectacular photographs with 734 creating fantastic smoke plumes. (Riders no doubt are already selecting images for future photo contests and their 2010 Christmas cards.)
While the new barn represents a major accomplishment, John still needs our assistance as he faces the task of replacing his livestock and damaged farm equipment.
In response to those ongoing needs, the Farm Fund Committee is offering for sale six different 12 x 18-inch color photographs (not inkjet prints), as well as a new Blue Ridge Productions DVD “Photo Freights on the Western Maryland – Helmstetter’s Barn Edition.” The DVD includes 90 minutes of photo freight specials on the Western Maryland Scenic. Some of it is new material shot this past fall on the three fundraising trips. This includes new locations as well as shots of 734 making eastbound runbys, and pusher sequences near Frostburg. The Helmstetter’s Barn Edition retains all of the exciting snow footage of the original version. It also has two bonus features: a 24-minute segment devoted to building John’s new barn, and an excellent time-lapse sequence photographed by Bill Larduskey. It shows the seven-hour barn raising event compressed to just 150 seconds. You can see a low-resolution version of Bill’s time-lapse video on YouTube.
To purchase a copy of the new DVD, purchase a color print, or to make a credit card contribution to help John, please visit www.helmstetterfarm.org.
John’s cattle now have a very nice home for the winter season and John has a new young border collie. Like his predecessor, he too, is named Teddy. John is in great spirits, and his ever-present broad smile has returned. And thanks to improvements in the new barn that make tending the herd easier, John is reconnecting with friends and family. “He is becoming a social butterfly,” said his nephew Matt. “He has been out to dinner with friends and relatives more in the past month than he had in the past five years.”
So, the next time you ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to Frostburg, or drive down Cash Valley Road, take a good look at John’s new red barn. Hopefully, it will bring a smile to your face knowing that the railfan community helped make it happen! We salute all of you who have contributed to this remarkable accomplishment.
If you’ve ever dreamed of running a steam engine at high speed, sign up for one of the four scheduled “Wolsztyn Experience” trips this summer, and make your dream come true. The week-long trips run in May, June, and July 2010. The first trip of the season includes the May 1 parade of steam, featuring 19 working steam engines from five different countries. To find out more, call 240-720-8686 or e-mail: cmfrr@aol.com.
For more photos of Helmstetter’s Curve, in Western Maryland days and today, pick up the March 2010 issue of Trains Magazine, on sale now.
CLAY MORITZ, a longtime railfan and photographer, is a supervisory systems accountant with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics in Washington, D.C. For the past 21 years he has served as editor for Potomac Rail News, the newsletter of the Potomac Chapter, National Railway Historical Society.
CARL FRANZ is a retired U.S. Government imaging systems engineer and a lifelong railfan photographer. In the past 35 years, he has organized over 140 steam photo freight trips on eight different U.S. tourist railroads. His current passion is arranging tours with the “The Wolsztyn Experience,” a British nonprofit organization that offers training sessions to visitors who want to operate and fire high speed steam locomotives in passenger service.
