West End of Fairplay/B143.6 West End of Fairplay/B143.6










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West of Paw Paw the canal rejoins the canal and runs parallel all the way to Oldtown. Here the WM right-of-way west of the Fairplay passing siding curves around a short bend along a hill. The right-of-way was cut out of the hill and the canal is directly at the bottom of the railroad right-of-way. During construction of the WM in 1905, sections of the canal nearby had to be moved and rebuilt to make way for the new railroad. (4/12/92)

This retaining walls displays the year the wall was constructed being built in 1905. Stacked crossties give the retaining wall some further height. (4/30/97)

A large section on the right-of-way has washed out here just west of Fairplay. The cut in the second photo is also just west of Fairplay. (April 2003)

Looking west into a small cut at the west end of Fairplay. Behind me the tracks split into two tracks. The second track was used as a passing siding and later downgraded to a storage track in the later years. (April 2003)

This telephone box photographed in August 1994, once marked the West End of the Fairplay Siding. Train crews waiting here for an approaching train, would call the dispatcher for clearence onto the main track after the train passed. Later I returned in 1997 and the telephone box had been ripped off its pole. I hope a trail gets built so historical items such as this can be saved and restored for others to see and know there purpose.

Looking west from where the two tracks converged into one. Almost all of the crossties are still in the ground along the siding. (April 2003)

I took this photo from atop the bank looking east towards the siding. Their is a photo of a westbound freight taken from the same location in the Western Maryland in the Diesel Era book. Things have really changed, you can make out the general layout and siding but the trees have overtaken the WM pole line in todays photo. (April 2003)

In this photo looking west nearing the end of the siding you can really see the crossties that were once part of the siding and later storage track. Chessie left the srossties down I believe at every siding when they pulled up the rails after the May 1975 abandoment date. This area was also the location for the westbound hot box detector signal. The signal was located on the right of the track. (April 2003)



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