I have once again found myself taking part in yet another night photo session, this time, and for the first time, with live steam courtesy of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, with visiting steam also from Gramling Locomotive Works. This night photo session was one of two put on during the Wheels of Steel festival put on by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Located in Cumberland Maryland, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) began operations in 1988, and began using steam in 1992 with former Lake Superior and Ishpeming #734. the line runs from Cumberland up to Frostburg where a small depot is located. The scenic railroad is run on the trackage left over from the former Western Maryland Railway, which was absorbed into Chessie system in 1973. The railroad also features a bike trail that parallels the tracks to Frostburg, which is open to the public.
The City of Cumberland itself has been referred to as the “Queen City”, as it was once the second largest in the state of Maryland. Not far from the border with Pennsylvania, the city has a population of around 21,000.. Besides the scenic railroad, the town also hosts a museum dedicated to the history of the area, which is right across from the scenic railroad station, and a number of small businesses spread out throughout the city.
Should you be a railfan and have the opportunity to travel to Cumberland, I would highly recommend doing so, as not only is the scenic railway in town, Cumberland is also the base of operations for CSX’s Cumberland yard and diesel shops, as well as being the starting point for trains climbing over CSX’s infamous Sand Patch grade, making Cumberland a hot spot for rail activity. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any shots of this action as nearly all of my time went towards the night photo session.
This was the first night photo session where I used digital photography, in conjunction with film, using the Mamiya C330. I was surprised, although it makes sense, that I only shot two rolls of film during this event. It was during this event that I realized that while I will never stop using film, the amount of film that I shoot from here on out will be much less than it was before. Digital photography has made it much easier for me to produce content on a much larger scale, which helps me to better learn and experiment with different techniques. For me, this brings to a close an era in my life in which film was the only format I used, one that has lasted nearly a decade. While it is strange to say that, I look forward to the future, in which I can focus all of my film photography towards making the best results possible, and using digital photography as my test bed from now on. So while my film output will be less than before, I hope to greatly increase the quality of the film I shoot.
Speaking of ending eras, if you’re a fan of steam, making a trip to Cumberland may be of greater importance now than in previous times. After the 2015 season comes to a close, The WMSR will be taking #734 out of service for its mandated FRA 15 year inspection. Currently, the WMSR is restoring C&O 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive for use on its railway, but it is undetermined as to when it will be in service, although the locomotive has been found to be in good condition.
I haven’t developed my film yet, but once I do I will post the results here, along with the rest of my photo’s taken during this session.
100 Speed 
Looking forward to your film images!