B128


B128



This section of the abandoned Western Maryland is under a study to be considered as a possible railtrail. May hikers and supporters of the proposed railtrail want to see this section made into an extension of the Western Maryland Rail Trail. This part of the WM leaves Sideling Hill Creek and hugs the hillside parallel to the canal and up on a ledge at many places before turning right and boreing thru 4,350ft. Indigo Tunnel. A few sections of the trail today suffer from rockslides and simple erosion from rain fall and small mountain streams.


Looking west on the WM. The rock cliffs on the right are very impressing. Some of the formations are really amazing, towering high above the trail. (11-06-04)

Looking east on the right-of-way at a spot where a large rock has fallen down from the mountain. (11-06-04)

This old photograph taken on May 15, 1950 shows WM 4-8-4 Potomac no.1411 laying on its side down in the C&O Canal. When this wreck happened the locomotive was only 3 years old when it hit a rock slide and derailed into the canal. As you can see from the photo above this one, rocks still slide off the mountain along this stretch of roadbed. I took the second photo from the C&O Canal towpath one one of my hikes while in Boy Scouts. This photo is perhaps the same concrete wall and location as the wreck photo. (Ray Wongus Collection of the WMRHS)

Looking west again along the WM and at another section of rcks where a small water fall is dripping down. The trail here has considerable water damage, aparently when it does rain water really flows off the mountain here. (11-06-04)

Found the old post that once held the "PEARRE ONE MILE" sign. Behind the post a long retaining wall is visible in this post. Here's a copy of what the sign once looked like. (10/22/04)

Looking west and east at WM's B128 milepost. I previously found the milepost in the summertime but due to the large amount of overgrowth a photo is hard to capture. In these photos taken in the fall more of the trail is visible and even the C&O Canal and Towpath on the right. (11-6-04)

Here is a stone retaining wall that held the WM against the side of the mountain and out of the canal. There are many walls like this one east of Indigo Tunnel and just west of Sideling Hill.

Walking west on the WM during the C&O Canal Associations Annual Fall Heritage Hike. (11-06-4)

After exiting the cut the WM rejoins the canal to run parallel until the WM disappeares into Indigo Tunnel. (11-06-04)

Further west from the bridge the right-of-way begins to be wedged up on a shelf hugging the mountain and above the canal. The WM passes through this small cut just west of the Sideling Hill Creek bridge. (10/22/04)


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