Transportation Options on the Frontier: The Railroads, Canal, and Roads of Cumberland, Maryland (Western Maryland)

This book is about trains and railroads, canals and roads, and the industries that relied on them. It spans more than a 265 year period, from 1854 through the current day. The discussion is centered geographically on the City of Cumberland, Maryland, in Allegany County, near the western end of the State. Cumberland is called the Queen City of the Alleghenies. This discussion does not focus on the equipment or operations of any one particular railroad. Many different forms of locomotion are discussed. Why Cumberland? Besides being my home town, the answer is found by looking at a topological map. There are many ways into the town. In the early 19th century, on the way from the Eastern seaboard to the Ohio River, there were not too many choices. The routes had already been surveyed, in part by a young Virginian in the employ of Lord Fairfax. His name was George Washington, and he would figure prominently in the history of the region, and the country. Heading west from Cumberland, the choices were to continue to follow the Potomac River Valley to the south, or to use the natural gateway of the Narrows, and the water level route of Wills Creek. The National Road, built in 1807 pushed over the mountains, but the resultant grades limited the weight of the freight traffic that could be carried, and the traveling speed The choices delineated by Washington and other early surveyors and explorers are as valid today as when they were made.