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Towers that still have "armstrong" levers like Calumet Tower
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<P>Some more information about towers and Martinsburg:</P> <P>In addition to our own Miller Tower, railfans might be interested to know that two Armstrong towers that are still in service are at Hancock, W.Va. (about 30 miles from Martinsburg to the west on U.S. 522 north of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and just south of I-70 at Hancock, Md.) and at Keyser, W.Va. (actually between the towns of Keyser and Piedmont, which are about 30 miles south of Cumberland, Md., and about 2 hours driving time from Martinsburg). Another still-manned tower is an electro-pnuematic installation at Brunswick, Md. (10 miles or so east of Harpers Ferry, and served by MARC commuter trains). In addition to these, our own NA cabin still stands, out of service, awaiting demolition (which for some reason has not yet taken place--get your pictures while you can).</P> <P>Martinsburg also has two restored railway stations. The main one is a former hotel that predates the Civil War, and is served by MARC trains and Amtrak's Capitol Limited. The other is on the former Cumberland Valley Railroad (Pennsylvania Railroad after 1922, later Conrail, and now Winchester and Western), and is currently in use by a local engineering firm. </P> <P>We must mention that Martinsburg would make a good staging point for a rail enthusiast. In addition to the attractions mentioned above, and the heavy CSX freight traffic implied with this location, it should also be mentioned that Martinsburg is less than 20 miles from Shenandoah Junction, W.Va. (Norfolk Southern's Shenandoah Valley Line crosses CSX's main at this point, and has been featured as a Trains Magazine Hot Spot); 25 miles south of Hagerstown, Md., the site of CSX and NS yards and an interchange point; and 25 miles north of Winchester, Va., the headquarters of the Winchester and Western (which runs black and yellow GP-9's in a paint scheme reminiscent of the old Nickel Plate, and which has its offices in a stone B&O station). As mentioned in an earlier post, Martinsburg is about 65 miles from Washington, D.C., and the northeast corridor, and is reachable by train. </P> <P>Historic rail facilities are around, too. These include a steam locomotive in a park (Western Maryland No. 202, a 4-6-2, at Hagerstown) and displayed cabooses (at the Martinsburg Roundhouse Center, at a park in Clearbrook, Va., and at a campground called Candy Hill in Winchester, all ex-B&O). Four tourist railroads are within 90 minutes travel time from Martinsburg; these are the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad at Cumberland, Md., the Potomac Eagle at Romney, W.Va., the Gettysburg Scenic at Gettysburg, Pa., and the narrow-guage East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company at Orbisonia, Pa. The Western Maryland Scenic and the E.B.T. are steam-powered, and the E.B.T. will be having its annual fall spectacular around Columbus Day next month. Also at Orbisonia is the Shade Gap Electric Railway; other trolley and rail museums are at Baltimore (B&O Railroad Museum and Baltimore Streetcar Museum) and Wheaton, Md. (National Capitol Trolley Museum). Further afield are the Strasburg Rail Road, Cass Scenic Railroad, Steamtown National Historic Site, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. </P> <P> </P>
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