Maryland-Pennsylvania 1974-75 (Penn Central, Western Maryland, B&O)

Havre de Grace, Aberdeen, Helmstetter's Curve, Keystone, Somerset.
Donations accepted: gf.me/u/xaz6z4

[@FrehleyFan3988]

Loved the GG-1 that had a PRR stripe still on it

[@daniellaubach7544]

The sound & video quality was fantastic for being shot on what this Super 8 film? Love sounds from the WM/B&O/C&O road power giving their all shoving the freight up the grades! Then seeing the rolling stock not graffiti strewn all over unlike today's freight cars covered with that krap! Keep these videos coming. Love it! 2 thumbs 👍.

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Yes, super 8 sound film.

[@paullapp4144]

How can anybody give this video a =thumbs down" . Watching the old Penn Central and the Wmd and B&O engines go by and all the old box cars and piggy backs. Awesome ..I just loved watching this. I think I felt a lumb in my heart when that old Western Maryland caboose went by.

[@andydundas2443]

I'm just getting back into model railroading again. Trying to set up my layout for around the early-mid 1970s. These old videos are an excellent reference.

[@vondumozze738]

I did most of my train spotting between 1972 and 1979 so this video brings back some great memories for me. This is also one of the only videos I have seen where the helpers cut out.

[@brucybabyy7355]

no kidding i had to replay it 3 times to see what happened .

[@ericschminke8233]

Trains up until cabooses were no longer used had so much more character than today's trains. Seeing the diesels pushing the consist suddenly reminded me of an "I Love Lucy" show where Ricky and Lucy went to a dance with Fred and Ethel. When Lucy asked Ethel what it was like dancing with Fred, Ethel replied that he "huffed and puffed like a locomotive" to which Fred immediately replied "Well a locomotive has to huff and puff real hard when it has to push a heavy load!"

[@PrinceStreet]

I so completely enjoyed this film. I grew up first a model railroader then railfan. My education in trains was through the pages of model train magazines and in the 1970’s it was models of railroading like what’s featured here. Lacking firsthand exposure to this as subject matter...it’s enjoyable to see what inspired so many. I’m looking forward to seeing more from your channel. Thank you.

[@williammorse8330]

there's a touch of sadness here..... the overcast skies, the diverse motive power and the many, many fallen flags.... thanks for the upload... Bill in Bellows Falls

[@AndreiTupolev]

Love the GG-1 and the Metroliners flying through Aberdeen.

[@floppaeditz123]

The GG1 quill and extra blasts at 1:16 are incredible! thank you for uploading!

[@chrishinnant3924]

The horns back then were something else. Back then every time a train came you would hear a different sounding horn, now they all sound the freaking same.

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

Amazing. Three thoughts: 1) The crossing at Aberdeen would have given me the creeps in either an automobile or locomotive, 2) Remember when no two cars on a coal drag looked exactly alike? and 3) Nice to see the helper cut off on the fly.

[@rolpfeiffermuller935]

Thanks airing and sharing the outstanding video.Reminescent of 70' s ' vintage ' existence.Bliss

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Very cool stuff. Seems the WM tried to find a way to stuff an F unit in every consist

[@desertbob6835]

Getting every last mile and drop of oil out of them!

[@sk8sn0surf]

Really Cool Footage! I live in Harford County and see these locations every week and I have always wondered about their past. Awesome Fun Fact - Cal Ripken Jr. was raised 1.7 miles from that station in Aberdeen!

[@TheDaf95xf]

Absolutely fantastic Loved the helpers coming off that coal train 👍🏻 Thanks for sharing Stevie 😎🇬🇧

[@TheRrxing]

WOW! I can’t believe I didn’t “like” this video! This is probably my 5th time watching it. Thanks so much for posting. My brother and I always loved trains. Born 1962 so still had the opportunity to see the last of the A E Unit engines. Love the Leslie A 200 horns. Penn Central, Erie Lackawanna, B&O, and Chessie System is what we saw growing up in Ohio. Sorry for the grammar. On mobile.

[@1978garfield]

Great footage. Thanks for sharing!

[@wurlitzer1538]

This is awesome. I've always wanted to hear what a real WM freight sounded like working that grade out of Cumberland and I finally can. Thanks for posting!

[@bigbrianDASHncDOTcom]

Wurlitzer 153 that looks like QUITE a grade too! Any idea what the percent of the grade is?

[@jml8975]

@@bigbrianDASHncDOTcom The max grade on the Connellsville extension was 1.5%. It was better constructed than the B&O line.

[@adamcounterman7028]

according to wsmr.com its maxes out at 2.8%

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

I'm so glad I've seen the 1st and 2nd Gen diesel era (the Best for me, variety and RR liveries ), for me started about 1966' as a young kid going out with my older Brother and Father. Great times : ) And there is always the time warp of NY/PA and the Awesome Alco roads with 1st/2nd Gen units !!!

[@austinyingst5902]

Me, too.

[@lukemeyers8028]

Love and miss the Western Maryland AKA The Wild Mary. I grew up in York Pennsylvania in witch the WM served .. Until Chessie gobbled it up then CSX and finally short lined to Emmons Railroad Group aka YorkRail. Thanks for sharing this!

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Nice to see the GG1's

[@chris928901]

I love how they used to cut the helpers off on-the-fly...totally wouldn’t stand today 😆

[@allgr8429]

Great catch of the helpers detaching from the caboose on the fly. That last Geep in the helper consist was missing its Chessie cat on its nose.

[@stevemccall3383]

IIRC, the B&O Geeps were ran long hood forward, they placed the Chess C on the end running forward

[@alanhill8617]

I love this video... It was so nice to see all of the different road names on the graffiti free freight cars and you definitely would not see any open air car carriers in today's world!!!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Epic thrash at 3:35. Interesting lashup too with an F unit B unit stuck in the middle

[@ConrailQ6759]

This is some superb video. I know B&O had controlling interest in the Reading but seeing a GP35 at the summit of Sand Patch was something else. Amazing stuff all around. Glad it has the sound too.

[@1990sRailfan]

That's awesome stuff right there. All of it! I never knew the Metroliners had the same horn as the later SPV-2000s (or very similar).

[@coasternamegenerator5611]

They had Leslie s37 and s55 bells as horns, honked together. They commonly were fouled, like you hear here.

[@fakecumberland]

You had me at Helmstetter’s Curve.

[@jerrysinclair3771]

drop signal @ 5:25...nice catch. great history lesson today.

[@jbscornerstore]

Used to live in HdG, right around the corner from that bridge

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Would loved to have seen that train at 3:41. Grinding it out at full blast making 10mph at best. #1 vs. gravity-what a show.

[@fakecumberland]

Strange to see grade crossings on the NEC!

[@rixxroxxk1620]

Love the Metroliner horns!

[@patrickm.8425]

I was 8 years old, I wanna go back!!

[@MegaZsolti]

Four gate automatic railroad crossing at Aberdeen, interesting. Also, it's kind of strange to put the cantilever with the lights behind the gates.

[@rorymacve]

Fantastic video of a unique part of American railroading history! :D I was just wondering, would it be possible for me to use this footage as part of an upcoming documentary I'm creating about the history of the Budd Metroliner?

[@thirdgengta]

Fascinating!

[@Industrialmodels2]

Hey you were with emery during the march 75 trip......I recognize the footage :)

[@mikeytrains1]

Industrialmodels-Movie Hub Emery... Gulash?

[@kelvintorrence5994]

I like That dismount those c.o. and b.o. helpers did on that coal train. Does any 1 know what hill they where pushing up.

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Allegheny Mountains.

[@SilverBulletOBW]

Looks like Sandpatch / Eastern Continental Divide

[@choirboyfromhell1]

Awesomeness

[@jimjohnston3188]

With all due respect to those who rail fan and love the modern diesels, I just think the old F units and SDs and GPs had more style and elegance, not to mention a caboose at the end.

[@jake531ful]

How true !

[@jacksonslaterelevatorraila6444]

EPIC PC salute and electric engine

[@classic59100]

That crossing signal is still there, cash vally road crossing, western md scenic rr operates an excursion train in milder months

[@spaceghost8995]

I just bicycled the Great Alegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. Is some of this train footage now the bike trail? How much of it? I saw Aberdeen and obviously that is nowhere near the trail.

[@jeffreyhall5369]

I throughly enjoyed this..love to see the chessie system

[@raywills4709]

BRING BACK THE F UNITS!! Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@b3j8]

I can't imagine anybody wanting to go around those gates at Aberdeen. But I'm sure there were fools that did!

[@rickpa79]

they did and it sucked! bug on a windshield is the best description

[@mikelafountain5620]

Amazing by this time most GG1s were pushing 30+ Years old on average.....

[@raxxtango]

metroliners are hauling..at least 70. wonder how many people were killed trying to beat those trains.

[@davidvanschaick5565]

Good Stuff !

[@MichiganRailProductions]

Great video! This seems to be live audio, am I correct?

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Correct. Super 8 sound movies.

[@MichiganRailProductions]

Rare to come across! Nice job!

[@markcinque106]

Michigan Rail Productions Very nice!

[@Modellbaustammtisch]

@@RailroadMediaArchive Looks like it's been shot with 24 fps, amazing! I just love Super 8 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Super 8 is 18 fps. This was transferred to Hi8 videotape (29.97fps) in the 90s I'm guessing using some sort of pulldown method. I didn't do any pulldown removal for this video.

[@cbalducc]

I wonder how fast freights would run on the NEC?

[@drby0788]

55 to 65 mph typically

[@shooshieroberts3913]

Why are the hammer strikes instantaneous, rather than delayed? Is the sound original, or is it added later from stock audio?

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

It's original, but due to framerate conversion from film to videotape the timing might be a bit "off".

[@drby0788]

"Youre no daisy...no daisy at all!."

[@daniellaubach7544]

The passenger runs on the now Northeast Corridor man they were flying. Sad to see the Pennsy's marroon & gold pinstripes fade into the basic black of the PC!

[@geezersgarage8181]

Looks like a GTO at 2:29 moving left to right.

[@drby0788]

Looked like a dodge, or a Chrysler to me. That long ass front end lol

[@cbalducc]

When was the railroad at Helmstetter’s Curve single-tracked?

[@squirrelguy2195]

mid 1950s I believe. The Western Maryland upgraded the line to Centralized Traffic Control, thus reducing the need for two tracks.

[@mvg2x34]

How is this not high speed rail? Some of those trains are going at least 75 mph. Do people realize we measure in miles not kilometers per hour? 75 mph is 120 kph. I think french TGV averages 200kph. We were pretty close.

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

17:50 WM 7449 still runs to this day.

[@bensmall6548]

I’m assuming this crossing was removed in the 80s. Also when did freight trains stop running here?

[@JoshJFit]

Ben Small yes in 1982 is when the bel air avenue crossing was closed. The overhead walkway at Aberdeen is where the crossing once stood. NS still runs freight on that part of the corridor buts mostly at night w/ the occasional daytime appearance.

[@rustyshackleford9115]

Cool beans

[@trevorjosephmedia1550]

3:42 is this Helmstetters curve??

[@wurlitzer1538]

Trevor Brown Yup, back in the days of the real WM!

[@dennis-ul5ht]

Speaking of the real WM...have you seen the videos of Elkins in the late '80's???...

[@jamielacourse7578]

Those GG1s look like they were designed by a '40s comic book artist.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Raymond Loewy, who was pretty much the comic book artist of his day

[@jamielacourse7578]

Thanks! That was just a random query- I had no idea.

[@coasternamegenerator5611]

8:22 umm, okay then

[@DaleCorn]

James P Gallagher?

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Yes, he took these.

[@mauricelong4678]

Where the oil tanker train car

[@tommyhunter1817]

Them old wishbone signals……

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

All of the railroads in the Northeast Corridor were taxed to death by the liberal welfare Warfare State and unlike companies that could pick up and move they were stuck there. I remember on the Long Island Railroad they repainted a bridge and they got hit with a 256,000 beautification tax.