Chapter Meeting – March 16, 2022

MARCH 16 SOCIAL MEETING of the WM Chapter NRHS will be held at 7 PM on Wednesday evening in the Cumberland Railroad Museum at 17 Howard Street, among the shops at Canal Place in Cumberland MD. Admission is free and open to the public. Nearest parking is available in the area beneath the Interstate Route 68 bridge on the north side of Howard Street, opposite the historic Footer’s Dye Works building. Parking space is free on a first-come basis. Be careful when crossing Howard Street because motor vehicles do not always fully stop at the bottom of westbound Exit 43B ramp. WM Chapter Meeting Program Chairman Jeff Geiger will show the 89-minute video program, Cass & Mower Logging Trains, on the 55-inch 4K Ultra HD screen mounted on the west wall of the Cumberland Railroad Museum. Viewers will see geared steam locomotives power trains up steep mountain grades to lofty Bald Knob, which has the summit elevation of 4,842 feet, making it the third highest point in the Mountain State. Unforgettable scenes capture the trains operating in spring, autumn and winter, including shots filmed in blinding blizzards. Seen in action will be Western Maryland Shay No. 6, the largest and last Shay engine, on the
Durbin Branch. The spectacular event is the traditional all Shay steam engine race near the Cass station. This video program includes 15 minutes of footage showing actual logging operations of the Mower Lumber Company, such as using log loaders and skidders, log trains being loaded, switched, dumped, and logs being dragged by a continuous chain into the sawmill. Don’t miss out on this very informative and interesting event.
PREVIEW OF APRL 20 SOCIAL MEETING, which will feature an informative talk by Wesley Heinz, general manager for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. He will discuss the return of the 2-6-6-2 Mallet-designed, articulated, compound steam locomotive 1309 to operating condition, as well as highlights of the 2022 excursion train season that will begin regular trips from Cumberland to Frostburg and back. More details will be published in the April 2022 issue of The Automatic Block.