Cumberland Subdivision

For the line in Kentucky and Virginia, see Cumberland Valley Subdivision.

For the railroad line in New England, see Mountain Division.

The CSX Cumberland Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia. The line runs from Brunswick, Maryland, west to Cumberland, Maryland, along the old Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road (B&O) main line. At its east end, the Cumberland Subdivision becomes the Metropolitan Subdivision; at its west end at Cumberland, Maryland it becomes the Cumberland Terminal Subdivision. It meets the Shenandoah Subdivision at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the Lurgan Subdivision in Cherry Run, West Virginia.

Cumberland Subdivision
Cumberland Subdivision on the Magnolia Cutoff in Magnolia, West Virginia, facing west towards Cumberland. In the distance is Magnolia Bridge and Graham Tunnel.
Overview
Status	Active
Owner	CSX Transportation
Locale	West Virginia, Maryland
Termini	Cumberland Harpers Ferry
Service
Type	Freight rail
System	CSX Transportation
Operator(s)	CSX Transportation
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map MP Cumberland Terminal Subdivision 173.4 Mexico 172.4 North Branch Potomac River MD WV 170.6 Patterson Creek 163.8 Greenspring South Branch Valley Railroad 162.4 South Branch defect detector 162.3 South Branch Potomac River 158.1 Okonoko 147.9 Paw Paw 147.7 Carothers Tunnel 146.1 Potomac River WV MD 145.8 Graham Tunnel 145.4 Potomac River MD WV 145.3 Magnolia 144.5 Stuart Tunnel 143.7 Hansrote 142.0 Randolph Tunnel 141.6 Doe Gully 134.9 Sideling Hill 133.5 Great Cacapon defect detector 132.9 Great Cacapon 128.8 Sir Johns Run 126.7 Ambrose 125.1 Grasshopper Hollow 125.0 Siding 123.1 Hancock 122.9 Berkeley Springs Industrial Track 120.7 Red Rock 118.6 Harley Michael 117.4 Sleepy Creek defect detector 116.3 Sleepy Creek 113.6 Cherry Run to Lurgan Subdivision 111.6 Back Creek 108.2 Newkirk Fill North Mountain 105.0 Cumbo Industrial Track 103.7 Pearson Yard 102.2 Dry Run 100.9 Connection with W&W RR 100.37 W&W RR 99.9 Martinsburg 99.8 Frog Hollow Industrial Track 98.3 Kelly Island Industrial Track 95.6 Van Clevesville defect detector 92.9 Kearneysville 91.8 Rutherford 88.9 Shenandoah Junction NS Hagerstown District 87.9 Duffields 86.2 Reedson 81.8 Harpers Ferry 81.6 B&O Potomac River Crossing WV MD 81.37 Shenandoah Subdivision 81.3 Harpers Ferry Tunnel 80.5 Sandy Hook 78.8 Weverton Metropolitan Subdivision

History

Magnolia Bridge over the Potomac River

CSX Locomotive waiting in the Cumberland Subdivision Yard

The Cumberland Subdivision was opened in 1842 as part of the B&O's main line.

In 1914 the Baltimore and Ohio RR opened the Magnolia Cutoff, a more direct route through mountain ridges, running 14 miles (23 km) between Hansrote, West Virginia and Paw Paw, West Virginia. The project included construction of four tunnels, two bridges, and many deep rock cuts. The B&O continued to use the original route along the Potomac River, called the "Lowline," until 1961.

In 1987 the subdivision and the rest of the B&O system were merged into CSX.

Current operation

The Cumberland Subdivision supports freight and passenger traffic, with frequent runs of intermodal, autoracks, coal unit trains, mixed freights, oil trains, and Amtrak's Capitol Limited in both directions. The MARC Brunswick Line commuter trains stop at Martinsburg, WV, Duffields, WV, Harpers Ferry, WV, and points east in Maryland, terminating at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

See also

• List of CSX Transportation lines