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{{short description|Shortline railroad in Western Maryland, U.S.}}
{{other uses|Georges Creek (disambiguation){{!}}Georges Creek}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox rail
{{Infobox rail
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|locale = [[Western Maryland]]
|locale = [[Western Maryland]]
|start_year = {{Start date| July 10, 2006}}
|start_year = {{Start date| July 10, 2006}}
|end_year = Present
|end_year = 2019
|gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
|gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
|old_gauge = <!-- This needs a separate line -->
|old_gauge = <!-- This needs a separate line -->
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}}
}}


The '''Georges Creek Railway''' {{reporting mark|GCK}} is a [[shortline railroad]] in [[Western Maryland]] that performs contract switching and owns a 14-mile line between [[Westernport, Maryland|Westernport]] and [[Carlos, Maryland|Carlos]]. The railroad is headquartered at 119 Pratt St. in [[Luke, Maryland|Luke]] in the former Luke Post Office.<ref>{{cite web| title=Contact Info| url=http://www.wmwestsub.com/connellsvillesub/gckrail_contact.html| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141759/http://www.wmwestsub.com/connellsvillesub/gckrail_contact.html| archivedate=February 8, 2017| website=Georges Creek Railway| accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref> Gerald Altizer and Pat Stakem are the primary partners in the company.<ref name=sawyers>{{cite news |last=Sawyers |first=Michael A. |date=2006-08-04 |title=Trains in Georges Creek |url=http://www.times-news.com/trains-in-georges-creek/article_b17c0d62-30a6-5464-bb30-4148d0b95eee.html |newspaper=Cumberland Times-News |location=Cumberland, MD}}</ref>
The '''Georges Creek Railway''' {{reporting mark|GCK}} was a [[shortline railroad]] in [[Western Maryland]] that performed contract switching, and it owns {{Convert|14|mi|km|abbr=out|adj=off}} of trackage between [[Westernport, Maryland|Westernport]] and [[Carlos, Maryland|Carlos]]. The railroad was headquartered at 119 Pratt Street in [[Luke, Maryland|Luke]] in the former Luke Post Office.<ref>{{cite web| title=Contact Info| url=http://www.wmwestsub.com/connellsvillesub/gckrail_contact.html| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141759/http://www.wmwestsub.com/connellsvillesub/gckrail_contact.html| archivedate=February 8, 2017| website=Georges Creek Railway| accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref> Gerald Altizer and Pat Stakem are the primary partners in the company.<ref name=sawyers>{{cite news |last=Sawyers |first=Michael A. |date=2006-08-04 |title=Trains in Georges Creek |url=http://www.times-news.com/trains-in-georges-creek/article_b17c0d62-30a6-5464-bb30-4148d0b95eee.html |newspaper=Cumberland Times-News |location=Cumberland, MD}}</ref>


Operating since December 2007<ref>{{cite web| title=Georges Creek Railway| url=http://gckrail.com/| accessdate=June 14, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220043646/http://www.gckrail.com/ |archivedate=2014-02-20}}</ref> on [[CSX Transportation]] and plant trackage,<ref name=sawyers/> the firm does contract [[Shunt (rail)|switching]] services for the [[Verso Corporation|Verso]] (formerly [[NewPage Corporation|NewPage]]) Paper Mill in Luke.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4206296| title=Georges Creek 101| website=RR Picture Archives| first=Terry| last=Terrance| date=August 31, 2014}}</ref>
Operating since December 2007<ref>{{cite web| title=Georges Creek Railway| url=http://gckrail.com/| accessdate=June 14, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220043646/http://www.gckrail.com/ |archivedate=2014-02-20}}</ref> on [[CSX Transportation]] and plant trackage,<ref name=sawyers/> the firm did contract [[Shunt (rail)|switching]] services for the [[Verso Corporation|Verso]] (formerly [[NewPage Corporation|NewPage]]) Paper Mill in Luke.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4206296| title=Georges Creek 101| website=RR Picture Archives| first=Terry| last=Terrance| date=August 31, 2014}}</ref>


An article in the Baltimore Business Journal dated April 30, 2019, announced the closing of the paper mill in Luke by June 30, which will affect the employment of the GCK's Alco T-6.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2019/04/30/western-maryland-paper-mill-to-close-impacting-675.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2019-04-30&u=yGOE2LeZWovJq9txV0FcRdL81p4&t=1556652857&j=88119151| title=Western Maryland paper mill to close, impacting 675 workers| website=Baltimore Business Journal| first=Ryan| last=Sharrow| date=April 30, 2019}}</ref>
An article in the ''Baltimore Business Journal'' dated April 30, 2019, announced the closing of the paper mill in Luke by June 30, which affected the employment of the GCK's Alco T-6.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2019/04/30/western-maryland-paper-mill-to-close-impacting-675.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2019-04-30&u=yGOE2LeZWovJq9txV0FcRdL81p4&t=1556652857&j=88119151| title=Western Maryland paper mill to close, impacting 675 workers| website=Baltimore Business Journal| first=Ryan| last=Sharrow| date=April 30, 2019}}</ref> Beginning in January 2024, the [[Western Maryland Scenic Railroad]] (WMSR) signed a long-term loan to revitalize and eventually operate GCK as the Georges Creek Division for regular excursion and occasional freight operations.

Dockets numbered 1293X and 1294X and filed with the Surface Transportation Board on February 3, 2020, state, "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC (“Eighteen Thirty”) and Georges Creek Railway (“GCR”) file this Verified Notice of Exemption pursuant to the class exemption at 49 C.F.R. § 1152.50 for Eighteen Thirty to abandon and GCR to discontinue service over an approximately 7.54-mile rail line between milepost BAI 26.00 in Moscow, MD and milepost BAI 18.46 in Shaft, MD, all in Allegany County, MD (the “Line”). No local rail traffic has moved over the Line during the past two years. Any overhead traffic on the Line can be and has been rerouted."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://prod.stb.gov/proceedings-actions/filings/| title=Filings| website=United States Surface Transportation Board}}</ref>


==Acquisition of the Georges Creek Subdivision==
==Acquisition of the Georges Creek Subdivision==
The acquisition of track for the Georges Creek Railway began 2005, the year CSX had begun the process of abandoning their [[Georges Creek Subdivision]], following two washouts along the right-of-way and the loss of its customers. In December 2005, the deed for the northern 8.54 miles of track from Morrison, Maryland to Carlos, Maryland was transferred to WMS, LLC which would go bankrupt a year later due to investor difficulties. The following year, the Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC and Georges Creek Railway, LLC, filed to acquire and operate the line as [[Railroad classes|Class]] III common carriers, having purchased the line out of bankruptcy court.<ref name="FD_35436_0">{{cite web| last1=Director Of Proceedings| title=DUNCAN SMITH AND GERALD ALTIZER-CONTINUANCE IN CONTROL-EIGHTEEN THIRTY GROUP, LLC AND GEORGE CREEK RAILWAY, LLC Notice Of Exemption| url=http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/51d7c65c6f78e79385256541007f0580/0372f0dd76b81a0b852577cf0051b863|website=Surface Transportation Board| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208202216/https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/51d7c65c6f78e79385256541007f0580/0372f0dd76b81a0b852577cf0051b863| archivedate=February 8, 2017| accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref>
{{other uses|Georges Creek (disambiguation){{!}}Georges Creek}}
The acquisition of track for the Georges Creek Railway began 2005, the year CSX had begun the process of abandoning their [[Georges Creek Subdivision]] due to two washouts along the right of way and few customers. In December 2005, the deed for the northern 8.54 miles of track from Morrison, Maryland to Carlos, Maryland was transferred to WMS, LLC which would go bankrupt a year later due to investor difficulties. The following year, the Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC and Georges Creek Railway, LLC, filed to acquire and operate the line as [[Railroad classes|Class]] III common carriers, having purchased the line out of bankruptcy court.<ref name="FD_35436_0">{{cite web| last1=Director Of Proceedings| title=DUNCAN SMITH AND GERALD ALTIZER-CONTINUANCE IN CONTROL-EIGHTEEN THIRTY GROUP, LLC AND GEORGE CREEK RAILWAY, LLC Notice Of Exemption| url=http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/51d7c65c6f78e79385256541007f0580/0372f0dd76b81a0b852577cf0051b863|website=Surface Transportation Board| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208202216/https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/51d7c65c6f78e79385256541007f0580/0372f0dd76b81a0b852577cf0051b863| archivedate=February 8, 2017| accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref>


On May 15, 2015, Eighteen Thirty Group with the Georges Creek Railway, LLC filed a notice of intent to acquire 5.4 miles of rail line from CSX: 4.8 miles of the Georges Creek Subdivision between Barton and Westernport, and 0.6 miles of the Thomas Subdivision.<ref>U.S. Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C. (2015-05-15). "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC–Acquisition Exemption–Lines of CSX Transportation, Inc." ''Federal Register,'' {{Federal Register|80|28046}}.</ref> The GCK entered an agreement with Eighteen Thirty Group to operate on these lines.<ref>{{cite web| author=Georges Creek Railway, LLC.| date=2015-05-01| url=http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/6084f194b67ca1c4852567d9005751dc/c2c038e2f4da009485257e3800561d83/$FILE/238301.pdf| title=Verified Notice of Exemption of Georges Creek Railway, LLC| website=Surface Transportation Board}} Notice filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Docket No. FD 35928.</ref> This acquisition brought the entirety of the former Georges Creek Subdivision under the control of GCK.
On May 15, 2015, Eighteen Thirty Group with the Georges Creek Railway, LLC filed a notice of intent to acquire 5.4 miles of rail line from CSX: 4.8 miles of the Georges Creek Subdivision between Barton and Westernport, and 0.6 miles of the Thomas Subdivision.<ref>U.S. Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C. (2015-05-15). "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC–Acquisition Exemption–Lines of CSX Transportation, Inc." ''Federal Register,'' {{Federal Register|80|28046}}.</ref> The GCK entered an agreement with Eighteen Thirty Group to operate on these lines.<ref>{{cite web| author=Georges Creek Railway, LLC.| date=2015-05-01| url=http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/6084f194b67ca1c4852567d9005751dc/c2c038e2f4da009485257e3800561d83/$FILE/238301.pdf| title=Verified Notice of Exemption of Georges Creek Railway, LLC| website=Surface Transportation Board}} Notice filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Docket No. FD 35928.</ref> This acquisition brought the entirety of the former Georges Creek Subdivision under the control of GCK.


As of March 2016, several right of way improvement projects have been undertaken, but the washouts have not been repaired, keeping the line north of the village of [[Moscow, Maryland|Moscow]] inoperable.
Several right of way improvement projects had been undertaken since March 2016, but the washouts were not repaired, keeping the line north of the village of [[Moscow, Maryland|Moscow]] inoperable.


==Abandonment and rail conversion==
==Equipment roster==
Dockets numbered 1293X and 1294X and filed with the Surface Transportation Board on February 3, 2020, stated, "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC (“Eighteen Thirty”) and Georges Creek Railway (“GCR”) file this Verified Notice of Exemption pursuant to the class exemption at 49 C.F.R. § 1152.50 for Eighteen Thirty to abandon and GCR to discontinue service over an approximately 7.54-mile rail line between milepost BAI 26.00 in Moscow, MD and milepost BAI 18.46 in Shaft, MD, all in Allegany County, MD (the “Line”). No local rail traffic has moved over the Line during the past two years. Any overhead traffic on the Line can be and has been rerouted."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://prod.stb.gov/proceedings-actions/filings/| title=Filings| website=United States Surface Transportation Board}}</ref>
The Georges Creek Railway currently owns 11 diesel engines, two ex-[[Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad|MPA]]/[[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] [[Hopper car|hoppers]], and one bay window [[caboose]]. The caboose, numbered 67 and in derelict condition, wears the reporting marks VGNX of the Eastern Virginia Railroad Historical Society.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=756957| title=Pictures of VGNX 67| website=RR Picture Archives}}</ref> The GCK's engine roster is enumerated in the table below.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Altizer| first1=Gerald| title=George's Creek Railway Roster| url=https://xa.yimg.com/df/WesternMarylandSurvivors/George%26%2339%3Bs+Creek+Railway+Roster?token=-Vyl11epfrWx5nA_lvlnMT_1L3WBVoMVH2UBJZNtZ_5BXkialjKDcRMIrh6fHQc8ZEJaka-e_zThiDPCtj_iuK_t0FW4_BAb6RYNHrw65VGAdTGXSIjL1za3hKYnFREBPWjf5EwzcCAzzdqe&type=download| url-status=dead| website=Yahoo Groups| accessdate=3 March 2016}}{{dead url|date=July 2020}}{{unreliable source|date=July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last1=Craig| first1=R.| last2=Gunnoe| first2=Chase| title=George's Creek Railway Motive Power| url=http://www.thedieselshop.us/GCKRwy.HTML| website=The Diesel Shop| accessdate=3 March 2016}}</ref>


An article in the ''Cumberland Times-News'' dated November 27, 2020 stated, "Allegany County officials approved an agreement last week with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to move forward on plans to construct a hiking and bicycling trail in the Georges Creek area. The project would involve construction of a trail extending 7.5 miles from the Great Allegheny Passage in Frostburg along Georges Creek railroad lines to Barton." The article also stated, "[T]he rail lines through Georges Creek are owned by the Eighteen Thirty Group, which obtained them from CSX Transportation.... [T]he Eighteen Thirty Group has expressed interest in transferring rights to Allegany County with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources stepping forward to remove the tracks and install the trail."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.times-news.com/news/local_news/county-moving-forward-on-trail-project/article_1dad4e22-2f58-11eb-8c94-7366c470c3a2.html|title = County moving forward on trail project| date=November 27, 2020 }}</ref>
{|class = "wikitable"

! Number
This action would replace the track the Georges Creek Railway has filed to abandon with a trail. This portion of the GCK has not seen a train in decades and is heavily covered in tree and brush growth. [[Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited]], which purchased the recycled-content bleached kraft pulp mill in Fairmont, West Virginia, was reportedly interested in buying the Luke plant in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/nine-dragons-paper-recycling-mill-west-virginia-resolute/|title=Nine Dragons purchases West Virginia mill}}</ref> An article dated January 19, 2021 on the website of WCBC Radio stated in part "that a firm is close to finalizing an agreement to purchase the Luke Mill and its wood yard. The firm, known as Whiskey River, would establish a lumber related business at the mill, which was shuttered by Verso Corporation in May of 2019."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbcradio.com/?archiv=purchase-of-luke-mill-appears-imminent|title=Purchase of Luke Mill Appears Imminent &#124; WCBC}}</ref>
! Model

! Type
By the end of 2021, the Luke Mill site remained dormant and there was no report of its purchase by any company. An article dated May 13, 2022 in the ''Mineral News and Tribune'' stated that mill's equipment and assets would be sold at a three-day auction starting on June 1, 2022. Capital Recovery Group, described as "a private equity firm that creates liquidity for its clients through expertise, innovative solutions and access to worldwide markets," according to the company’s website, had become the new owners of the former mill property.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wvnews.com/mineralnews/company-to-sell-off-luke-mills-assets/article_8a8ac97e-d304-11ec-b4bb-a37d26ea3933.html | title=Company to sell off Luke mill's assets | date=May 13, 2022 }}</ref> The auction of the equipment and assets leaves little likelihood the site will ever reopen as a paper mill again, and rail service to the former mill remains unnecessary.
! Propulsion

! Manufacturer
== Western Maryland Scenic Railroad stewardship ==
! Location
In January 2024, following more than two years of negotiations, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) of [[Cumberland, Maryland]] announced their long-term lease of the Georges Creek Railway from the Eighteen Thirty Group.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 2024 |title=Western Maryland Scenic to expand through lease of short line |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/western-maryland-scenic-to-expand-through-lease-of-short-line/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115182006/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/western-maryland-scenic-to-expand-through-lease-of-short-line/ |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Media}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 2024 |title=WMSR Leases Georges Creek Line With Hopes to Run Passenger, Freight Trains |url=https://railfan.com/wmsr-leases-georges-creek-line-with-hopes-to-run-passenger-freight-trains/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115191131/https://railfan.com/wmsr-leases-georges-creek-line-with-hopes-to-run-passenger-freight-trains/ |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Railfan & Railroad |publisher=Carstens Media}}</ref> With vegetation growing over the Georges Creek right-of-way, the first task the WMSR intends to accomplish for the railway is to thoroughly investigate the safety improvements required for the rail infrastructure, and they plan to create a trail that would accompany most of trackage to satisfy local bicyclists.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":0" /> The railroad’s eventual goal is to operate the short line as a separate business entity from the main WMSR operations called the Georges Creek Division, and the planned operations will consist of regular tourist excursion trains and occasional freight trains that would interchange with CSX, and the railroad estimates that the operations will boost local economic growth.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":0" />
! Status
! Heritage
|-
| GCK 25
| [[EMD GP9|GP9]]
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[Westernport, Maryland]]
| Active
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 25
|-
|-
| GCK 39
| [[EMD GP9|GP9]]
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[Westernport, Maryland]]
| Under Restoration
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 39
|-
|-
| GCK 101
| [[ALCO T-6|T-6]]
| [[Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[American Locomotive Works]]
| [[Luke, Maryland]]
| Active
| [[Pennsylvania Railroad|PRR]] 8427
|-
|-
| GCK 144
| [[ALCO S2|S2]]
| [[Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[American Locomotive Works]]
| [[Capreol, Ontario]]
| Stored
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 144
|-
|-
| GCK 153
| [[ALCO S-6|S6]]
| [[Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[American Locomotive Works]]
| [[Syracuse, New York]]
| Stored
| [[Southern Pacific|SP]] 1064
|-
|-
| GCK 154
| [[ALCO S-6|S6]]
| [[Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[American Locomotive Works]]
| [[Barton, Maryland]]
| Stored
| [[South Buffalo Railway|SBRR]] 42
|-
|-
| GCK 303
| [[ALCO FA|FA2]]
| [[Cab unit|Cab Unit]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[American Locomotive Works]]
| [[Barton, Maryland]]
| Stored
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 303
|-
|-
| GCK 7436
| SD38P
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[Westernport, Maryland]]
| Stored
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] [[EMD SD35|SD35]] 7436
|-
|-
| GCK 7471
| SD40M-2
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[Westernport, Maryland]]
| Active
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] [[EMD SD40|SD40]] 7471
|-
|-
| GCK 7445
| [[EMD SD40|SD40]]
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[East St Louis, Illinois]]
| Stored
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 7445
|-
| GCK 7496
| [[EMD SD40|SD40]]
| [[Road switcher|Road Switcher]]
| Diesel-electric
| [[Electro Motive Division]]
| [[Roanoke, Virginia]]
| Stored
| [[Western Maryland Railway|WM]] 7496
|-
|}


== See also ==
== See also ==
{{Portal|Trains}}
{{Portal|Trains}}
* [[Georges Creek Railroad]] (1853-1863)
* [[Georges Creek Railroad]] (1853–1863)
* [[George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad]] (1876-1917)
* [[George's Creek and Cumberland Railroad]] (1876–1917)


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.thedieselshop.us/GCKRwy.HTML Georges Creek Railway locomotive roster]


{{Maryland railroads}}
{{Maryland railroads}}
Line 180: Line 65:
[[Category:Maryland railroads]]
[[Category:Maryland railroads]]
[[Category:Spin-offs of CSX Transportation]]
[[Category:Spin-offs of CSX Transportation]]
[[Category:Companies operating former Western Maryland Railway lines]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 2007]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 2007]]
[[Category:Transportation in Allegany County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Transportation in Allegany County, Maryland]]

Latest revision as of 02:31, 22 August 2024

For other uses, see Georges Creek.

Georges Creek Railway
Overview
HeadquartersLuke, Maryland
Reporting markGCK
LocaleWestern Maryland
Dates of operationJuly 10, 2006 (July 10, 2006)–2019
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length14 miles (23 km)

The Georges Creek Railway (reporting mark GCK) was a shortline railroad in Western Maryland that performed contract switching, and it owns 14 miles (23 km) of trackage between Westernport and Carlos. The railroad was headquartered at 119 Pratt Street in Luke in the former Luke Post Office.[1] Gerald Altizer and Pat Stakem are the primary partners in the company.[2]

Operating since December 2007[3] on CSX Transportation and plant trackage,[2] the firm did contract switching services for the Verso (formerly NewPage) Paper Mill in Luke.[4]

An article in the Baltimore Business Journal dated April 30, 2019, announced the closing of the paper mill in Luke by June 30, which affected the employment of the GCK's Alco T-6.[5] Beginning in January 2024, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) signed a long-term loan to revitalize and eventually operate GCK as the Georges Creek Division for regular excursion and occasional freight operations.

Acquisition of the Georges Creek Subdivision

[edit]

The acquisition of track for the Georges Creek Railway began 2005, the year CSX had begun the process of abandoning their Georges Creek Subdivision, following two washouts along the right-of-way and the loss of its customers. In December 2005, the deed for the northern 8.54 miles of track from Morrison, Maryland to Carlos, Maryland was transferred to WMS, LLC which would go bankrupt a year later due to investor difficulties. The following year, the Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC and Georges Creek Railway, LLC, filed to acquire and operate the line as Class III common carriers, having purchased the line out of bankruptcy court.[6]

On May 15, 2015, Eighteen Thirty Group with the Georges Creek Railway, LLC filed a notice of intent to acquire 5.4 miles of rail line from CSX: 4.8 miles of the Georges Creek Subdivision between Barton and Westernport, and 0.6 miles of the Thomas Subdivision.[7] The GCK entered an agreement with Eighteen Thirty Group to operate on these lines.[8] This acquisition brought the entirety of the former Georges Creek Subdivision under the control of GCK.

Several right of way improvement projects had been undertaken since March 2016, but the washouts were not repaired, keeping the line north of the village of Moscow inoperable.

Abandonment and rail conversion

[edit]

Dockets numbered 1293X and 1294X and filed with the Surface Transportation Board on February 3, 2020, stated, "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC (“Eighteen Thirty”) and Georges Creek Railway (“GCR”) file this Verified Notice of Exemption pursuant to the class exemption at 49 C.F.R. § 1152.50 for Eighteen Thirty to abandon and GCR to discontinue service over an approximately 7.54-mile rail line between milepost BAI 26.00 in Moscow, MD and milepost BAI 18.46 in Shaft, MD, all in Allegany County, MD (the “Line”). No local rail traffic has moved over the Line during the past two years. Any overhead traffic on the Line can be and has been rerouted."[9]

An article in the Cumberland Times-News dated November 27, 2020 stated, "Allegany County officials approved an agreement last week with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to move forward on plans to construct a hiking and bicycling trail in the Georges Creek area. The project would involve construction of a trail extending 7.5 miles from the Great Allegheny Passage in Frostburg along Georges Creek railroad lines to Barton." The article also stated, "[T]he rail lines through Georges Creek are owned by the Eighteen Thirty Group, which obtained them from CSX Transportation.... [T]he Eighteen Thirty Group has expressed interest in transferring rights to Allegany County with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources stepping forward to remove the tracks and install the trail."[10]

This action would replace the track the Georges Creek Railway has filed to abandon with a trail. This portion of the GCK has not seen a train in decades and is heavily covered in tree and brush growth. Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited, which purchased the recycled-content bleached kraft pulp mill in Fairmont, West Virginia, was reportedly interested in buying the Luke plant in 2021.[11] An article dated January 19, 2021 on the website of WCBC Radio stated in part "that a firm is close to finalizing an agreement to purchase the Luke Mill and its wood yard. The firm, known as Whiskey River, would establish a lumber related business at the mill, which was shuttered by Verso Corporation in May of 2019."[12]

By the end of 2021, the Luke Mill site remained dormant and there was no report of its purchase by any company. An article dated May 13, 2022 in the Mineral News and Tribune stated that mill's equipment and assets would be sold at a three-day auction starting on June 1, 2022. Capital Recovery Group, described as "a private equity firm that creates liquidity for its clients through expertise, innovative solutions and access to worldwide markets," according to the company’s website, had become the new owners of the former mill property.[13] The auction of the equipment and assets leaves little likelihood the site will ever reopen as a paper mill again, and rail service to the former mill remains unnecessary.

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad stewardship

[edit]

In January 2024, following more than two years of negotiations, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) of Cumberland, Maryland announced their long-term lease of the Georges Creek Railway from the Eighteen Thirty Group.[14][15] With vegetation growing over the Georges Creek right-of-way, the first task the WMSR intends to accomplish for the railway is to thoroughly investigate the safety improvements required for the rail infrastructure, and they plan to create a trail that would accompany most of trackage to satisfy local bicyclists.[14][15] The railroad’s eventual goal is to operate the short line as a separate business entity from the main WMSR operations called the Georges Creek Division, and the planned operations will consist of regular tourist excursion trains and occasional freight trains that would interchange with CSX, and the railroad estimates that the operations will boost local economic growth.[14][15]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Contact Info". Georges Creek Railway. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Sawyers, Michael A. (August 4, 2006). "Trains in Georges Creek". Cumberland Times-News. Cumberland, MD.
  3. ^ "Georges Creek Railway". Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  4. ^ Terrance, Terry (August 31, 2014). "Georges Creek 101". RR Picture Archives.
  5. ^ Sharrow, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "Western Maryland paper mill to close, impacting 675 workers". Baltimore Business Journal.
  6. ^ Director Of Proceedings. "DUNCAN SMITH AND GERALD ALTIZER-CONTINUANCE IN CONTROL-EIGHTEEN THIRTY GROUP, LLC AND GEORGE CREEK RAILWAY, LLC Notice Of Exemption". Surface Transportation Board. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  7. ^ U.S. Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C. (2015-05-15). "Eighteen Thirty Group, LLC–Acquisition Exemption–Lines of CSX Transportation, Inc." Federal Register, 80 FR 28046.
  8. ^ Georges Creek Railway, LLC. (May 1, 2015). "Verified Notice of Exemption of Georges Creek Railway, LLC" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. Notice filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Docket No. FD 35928.
  9. ^ "Filings". United States Surface Transportation Board.
  10. ^ "County moving forward on trail project". November 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Nine Dragons purchases West Virginia mill".
  12. ^ "Purchase of Luke Mill Appears Imminent | WCBC".
  13. ^ "Company to sell off Luke mill's assets". May 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c "Western Maryland Scenic to expand through lease of short line". Trains. Kalmbach Media. January 15, 2024. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "WMSR Leases Georges Creek Line With Hopes to Run Passenger, Freight Trains". Railfan & Railroad. Carstens Media. January 15, 2024. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
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