Charlton/B97.3

Charlton is a small rural town along the CSX tracks today. This was once a busy place during WM days. Charlton had a two track main line and two tracks that once served a grain service here which although closed, can still be seen today. Charlton was once the site of a branch line. This branch line was known at the Williamsport Nessle and Martinsburg Railway and was completed on June 7, 1915. The line left here and curved away toward the Potomac River where it crossed on a bridge to reach a quarry in West Virginia. The line was surveyed in to Martinsburg and on to Charles Town W. Va. where it would have crossed the mountains and wound up in Potomac Yard. The quarry closed in the early 1930's and the bridge was washed away in 1936. For a time, the WM still had hopes of keeping this vision and kept 1 man employed to walk and hammer at the right of way to keep the charter alive! Later on June 25, 1937 the Williamsport, Nessle, and Martinsburg RY was abandoned. Notice the old railroad grade as it leaves Charlton and winds down to the river. View Larger Map

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(Randy Anderson Collection)

These two locomotives were doublheaded when the boiler explosion occurred on No. 509. The locomotive was later repaired and back in service.

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This is a chart for Ashton , as it must ahve been a place of business for the WM at one time. Ashton Road crosses here and is seen in te photo below.

Train D721 is seen crossing Ashton Rd. between Big Spring and Charlton on July 27, 1996 at 1:40pm. Notice the crossbucks still read "2 TRACKS".

Charlton Station.

A eastbound coal train with pushers roar down a slight grade through Charlton as pick up speed before atacking "The hill".

Westbound D721 is having a time pulling its train up out of the Potomac River Valley as it grinds through Charlton.

CSX D721 west at Charlton many years after the above photos. I happened to see this train heading down Williamsport Hill at Newgate from the I-70 bridge as I was heading to Big Pool to wait for train Q016. Happy catch to see the train and hurry to charlton to have less than a mintute to spare before D721 appeared around the corner and the crossing lights started flashing. (photo taken on December 29, 2018 at 1040 am)

CSX D721 is seen again heading west at Charlton. Today we see the train on a rainy January 6, 2019 at 1232 am.

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This is the bridge and quarry of the Williamsport Nessle & Martinsburg Railway across the C&O Canal and Potomac River. The Williamsport, Nessle, and Martinsburg RY line came off the WM mainline at Charleton and crossed the Potomac at a place known as Miller's Bend. The line ran southward for about a mile then switch backed into the quarry. You can still see this quarry by looking across the river and the bridge piers along the canal. (Nessle Quarry tipple photo, Randy Anderson Collection)

A letter to the President of the WMRY explaining how trains switched Nessle's Quarry and suggestions for improvements. (Dave Cline Collection)

The above four and below image are from Harry Spade. These are photos from his families collection taken in the Nessle Quarry location.

Amos Spade and Wilbur Moats posing for a photo on the hopper car. (thanks to Harry spade for photo)

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