Hancock Station - Hancock Maryland - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This marker was placed by the Western Maryland Rail Trail and depicts the history of the Hancock Train Station of the Western Maryland Railroad that once stood where the trailhead is now.

Marker Text Reads:
The Cumberland Extension of the Western Maryland Railway reached Hancock by December of 1904. The Hancock Station was a combination passenger and freight station that was constructed in 1904–1905. Passenger service was discontinued in the early 1950's. The freight agency operated at the station until March 12, 1976. The building burned on May 28, 1983. A train wreck occurred just west of the station in May of 1911 when engine 629, pulling a freight train, collided head-on with a work train pulled by engine 74. A newspaper article claimed that "Both engines derailed and fifteen to twenty cars were piled up, many of them being reduced to kindling wood. The enginemen and firemen of both trains jumped when it was seen that a collision could not be averted." Only the brakeman of engine 629 was seriously injured.

Group that erected the marker: Western Maryland Rail Trail URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Church Street WM Rail Trail (Hancock Trailhead) Hancock, MD United States of America 21750

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