FAST FREIGHT ROLLING

[Music] [Applause] a flag of 31 Stars symbol of a young and vigorous country younger and sovereign than the years of many of its own citizens bursting boundaries at both ends rolling Westward from the Atlantic across the Mississippi a new world of opportunity for those with the vision to grasp it and the strength to hold on a proud people straining to span a continent this was the USA 100 years ago Young America in the 1850s a new nation on the Move building developing expanding a century ago and the horse was still the chief means of transportation along country lanes and by wagon over rutted roads that made Freight haulage an occupation of many hazards but a new means of Transport had already made its appearance on the American scene and given promise to American Commerce and Industry of Greater speed safety reliability and economy in passenger travel and Freight shipment the cry Was Heard throughout the land in state legislatures in town meetings from Factory owners Merchants Farmers give us railroads connect us by rail with other cities other states and regions beyond the mountains that cry Was Heard loud and often in Carol County of the state of Maryland and on May 27th 1852 a charter was issued by the Maryland assembly to the Baltimore Carol and fr Railroad Company changed the following year to Western Maryland no Railroad in America had a more humble beginning 9 miles of track one squeaky wood burning engine two or three wooden cars difficulties in corporate financing but the men in whose Minds the new railroad took shape and the men who took on the burdens of management through the years that followed those men rought well they made their Road an integral part of the territory it served a civic-minded taxpayer in the communities along its lines weaving the growth of the railroad into the development of the region itself pushing its lines Westward to open new areas of settlement and to meet new demands for fast Freight transport by rail the Heritage those men left lives on in the more than 850 Mi of main track that today is the Western Maryland Railway an important class one trunk line starting at Baltimore Eastern Terminus and rolling Westward with Branch line to York Hanover and Gettysburg in Pennsylvania through Hager toown to Cumberland in Western Maryland branching at Cumberland Southwest to Elkins and Webster Springs West Virginia and Northwest to connelsville Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh originating a multi-million dollar Freight traffic within its own territory and through its principal connections with other major roads linking the Atlantic Seaboard with the middle west the Great Lakes area the South and Southwest this then the growth of the Western Maryland from a short local line on the fringes of Baltimore to a major road hauling a significant share of the nation's Commodities and vast quantities of foreign merchandise and raw materials shipped to Baltimore and other Eastern port for Trans shipment Inland USA its Western Terminus anchored in the heart of the nation's richest coal mining region Western Maryland's principal cargo has always been bituminous coal seven different grades and sizes from the so-called bug dust to large lumps 4 billion tons enough to last 100 years at the present High rate of Supply this is the estimate of coal sources along the roads lines in West Virginia Maryland and Pennsylvania closer to the Atlantic Seaboard than any other fields of comparable size hundreds of cars always at hand a fleet of heavy duty engines all slanted toward one objective high-speed transport of coal making Western Maryland one of the most important coal carrying roads in the country start of a freight operation without parallel in American railroading Western Maryland's across Mountain Hall from the heart of the West Virginia coldfield from Laurel Bank to Summit near Spruce West Virginia Western Maryland cold trains cross the alagan at an elevation of over 4,000 ft the highest mountain Crossing by a standard gauge railroad east of the Rockies level terrain out of Elkin and approaching Blackwater Canyon five ,000 tons of coal on roof here is one of the toughest climbs in the country the famous 3.8 Black Fork grade 17 gruelling miles using six 8 up to 10 heavy duty locomotives one to every 10 loaded coal cars on a stretch of track that is a notable achievement in railroad construction and locomotive power Thomas West Virginia top of the run and from here on easy rolling into Cumberland while engine helpers return to pick up another coal load headed up the Black Fork grade moving toward Cumberland meeting point for coal trains from the Fairmount mines via connelsville and the burgu mines via Elkins to be classified for the run to hagertown and now rolling out of Cumberland eastbound for Hager toown and the Great Atlantic Seaboard markets by a high-speed service that ranks with the best in the country for this type of car rolling into hagertown gateway to the South and the Hub of the entire Western Maryland system site of the road's main repair shops and classification yards work area for more than 3,000 Western Maryland employees over these tracks through these yards roll thousands of tons of freight from every part of the country destinations east west north and south USA Commodities of every possible description rooted from connecting lines all converging on Hager toown carrying coal iron ore and other minerals grain and steel finished and semi-finished Factory products foreign merchandise in infinite variety a never-ending flow of freight traffic that makes hagertown one of the crucial railroad centers of the nation the service yard at hagertown where skilled technicians and mechanics are always on the job inspecting checking testing to make sure that all Western Maryland rolling equipment is in tiptop condition at all times at the end of every trip and before the start of a new run a thorough washing to emerge and span and ready to roll for fast Freight operations eastbound from hagertown part of western Maryland's great Fleet of diesel engines representing the ultimate in highspeed power efficiency and economy [Applause] on our way again eastbound out of hagertown through the heart of Maryland to the city of Baltimore headquarters and Main Terminus of the Western Maryland Railway the Port of Baltimore largest bulk port in the United States and second only to New York in volume and diversity of export and import tonnage handled with plans in work for its further expansion as a merchandise as well as a bulk port this is Port Covington Western Maryland's 185 Acres of shipping and rail facilities an integral part of the Port of Baltimore covered peers and warehouses with Docking space for 23 ships at one time locomotive repair shops a roundhouse and car repair yards a 4 million bushel grain elevator a huge 2500 car radio controlled yard with 75 M of track all this and more within walking distance of downtown Baltimore the sights and sounds of a busy marine terminal in motion the Dynamics of world Commerce Western Marin men and machines at work the meeting of trains and ships exchange of Aros all part and parcel of Port Covington telling the world that things are moving and moving fast a glance at the yellow manifest sheets in the freight agent's office and the story is told in all its exotic flavor Cork and olives from Spain Jude and burlap from India wines from Italy rubber from Malaya coffee from Brazil tea from the Orient these are some of the Commodities to be rooted throughout America via Western Maryland and connecting lines Western Maryland's great ore Pier with cranes unloading 2,000 tons of ore an hour as much as 15 Tons at each bite double today's tonnage in the next year or two triple and perhaps quadruple present day tonnage in the years ahead this is the promise of increase in Western Maryland's iron or Hall as new resources are developed in Venezuela Labrador and Liberia a large share of it shipped to port cumington to be trans shipped to Sparrows Point Pittsburgh Youngstown Wheeling Johnstown Cleveland and other steel centers via Western Maryland Railway and connecting [Music] lines the company's coal Pier at Port Covington with two two enormous dumpers capable of loading two ships at the same [Music] time end of the line by rail for this cold tonnage marked for Trans shipment by a freighter to other lands or by way of barges down the harbor to Sparrow's Point to be Coke a spectacular operation in split-second timing the load coal car is lifted turned then load 60 seconds to push pull lift and unload more than 70 tons of coal all by automatic electric control 60 cars an [Music] hour grain from the west and the Great Lakes area by way of connelsville wheat corn oats rye and barley as well as boatloads from the Chesapeake Bay Country and the Carolinas brought for cleaning mixing and storage to Western Maryland's huge grain [Music] elevator 56 million bushels of grain trans shipped in a year a nine times annual turnover by ocean Freighters to Europe Asia and South America another operation by Western Maryland in serving shippers on lines car barges two at Port Covington two at Sparrow's Point one at Wagner's point and one at Cabin Branch averaging about 400 cars a day in and out or coal Steel petroleum and general Freight Commodities continuing our survey of Western Maryland's General fast Freight traffic originating on line points a return trip to the hagertown Chambersburg York [Applause] area factories turning out finished and semi-finished products of all kinds wood and paper three of the largest cement plants in the country Limestone and other useful minerals tools and Machinery of every description light and heavy industry food processing plants all this and more along Western Maryland lines in this sector of Pennsylvania and Maryland many of these Western Maryland shippers demand rail haulage for products of great size and weight to serve such special needs the company designs and builds special cars to fit specific industrial requirements in the heart of this great industrial area not far across the Maryland Border in Pennsylvania we tread on Hallowed Ground for here American history was made on these grassy slopes men of the South and Men of the north fought and the fate of the nation hung in the balance this is Gettysburg site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War today a National Shrine Abraham Lincoln came here to speak four months after that fateful battle he arrived at this station by way of a railroad that today is part of the Western Maryland system Legend has it that he wrote his speech the Gettysburg Address while on rout it is one of the great speeches of History never to be forgotten while civilization endures what American school boy does not know those inspiring opening and closing lines 4 score and7 years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation cons received in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal we here highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the People by the people for the people shall not perish from the Earth today this station at Gettysburg stands exactly as it did in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln walked across its platform but elsewhere along Western Maryland lines the years have brought great changes to match the Temple of the times in day-to-day living and in today's means of transportation by rail constant inspection and betterment of track and roadway continuous purchase of new locomotives and Freight cars of latest design and construction special training of Personnel in the handling of General Freight merchandise in loading unloading and on Route maintenance of high-speed schedules all along the lines east and west bound these are some of the factors that have earned for Western Maryland its high place in the minds of American shippers concerned with speed safety and reliability in the transport of their Commodities the commercial pattern that Western Maryland presents to American business today is drawn in heavy Black Ink the economic picture of a healthy growing railroad with a fleet of over 200 new and top conditioned locomotives more than 12,000 Freight cars of every description and purpose seap Port facilities that rank with the best in the country through its connections with other roads at connelsville the shortest route to the Eastern Seaboard from Pittsburgh and the middle west a short route to Philadelphia New York and New England through its connections at Shippensburg serving the heaviest traffic centers of the nation thus making its strategic location as a Bridge Road one of its most valuable assets a proud backward glance at its first 100 years of existence is a common carrier and then a steady confident facing up to the years ahead moving on to a second century of service to the immediate region traversed by its lines and to the nation whose Goods roll over those lines east west south and Northbound via seven major connecting roads this then is the Western Maryland story a story rooted in the historical traditions of a young and vigorous country a story of management imagination and flexibility taking new directions in the cross Cur Curr of American Commerce and Industry setting new standards of service reaching toward new achievements in the forward March of American Enterprise and