Big Pool Junction - Big Pool, Maryland - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The eighteen miles of rails between Hagerstown and Big Pool were the busiest of the Western Maryland Railway. It was here in 1892 that a connection was made with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad across the Potomac River at Cherry Run, West Virginia. The Big Pool Train Station was constructed in 1892. By the turn of the century other structures were added including a siding, a storage building and company houses.

In 1904 the building of the Cumberland Extension began at Big Pool. The Western Maryland reached Hancock by December of that year and Cumberland by March two years later. In 1906 a coal chute 758 feet long and 37 feet high was constructed to empty coal from the trains coal cars into the steam engine's tender. A water tower was also built to fill the steam engine with the water that would be converted to steam. A freight station and a train order office were also located here. The train order office operated until March 1, 1977.

Group that erected the marker: Western Maryland Rail Trail Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Western Maryland Rail Trail Big Pool, Maryland United States of America 21711 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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