Maryland Railway

Mission: To preserve an extensive collection of Western Maryland Railway artifacts and to provide educational programs and activities relating to railroading. The Western Maryland RailwayHistorical Society, founded in 1967, established a museum in Union Bridge in the building that once served as the Western Maryland Railway company's main office. Built in 1902, the two-story facility is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Major museum exhibits include the caller's boards from Hagerstown and Ridgely.

Clifford Cole Bruck Sr., a retired Western Maryland Railway executive and longtime opera buff, died Wednesday of complications from Parkinson's disease at the Presbyterian Home of Maryland in Towson. The longtime Guilford resident was 93. Mr. Bruck was born in Baltimore and raised in Forest Park. After graduating from Forest Park High School in 1932, he earned a bachelor's degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1936. Mr. Bruck also attended the University of Maryland School of Law at night, earning a degree in the 1960s.

Early in the afternoon of Sept. 23, 1930, Patrolman Walter P. Kohler was standing at Calvert and Franklin streets when suddenly he heard a volley of shots coming from a fifth-floor office in the Standard Oil Building at 501 St. Paul St.Racing into the building, past stunned office workers, the policeman broke into the office of Maxwell C. Byers, 52, president of the Western Maryland Railway, and made a startling discovery.Byers had been shot to death and was lying on his back near the door with his hands flung over his head.

Raymond Frederick Martin, a retired railroader and lifelong rail fan, died Monday of a massive heart attack at Carroll Hospital Center. The longtime Taneytown resident was 73. Mr. Martin, known as Fred, was born in Hagerstown. His father was a Western Maryland Railway freight conductor. He was raised in Baltimore's Walbrook neighborhood and graduated in 1951 from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School. He served in the Army as a tank mechanic in Germany from 1958 to 1960. In 1953, Mr. Martin began his railroad career with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a car inspector in the railroad's Locust Point Yard.

For years the Western Maryland locomotive sat unused, its puppy dog face - windshield eyes and a light-bulb nose - slowly but surely rusting away. Four years of dedicated volunteer work brought the classic 1952 freight engine back to life, its personality and inner workings restored. During the weekend, it had its debut as the striking black-and-yellow showpiece of the Western Maryland Railway's 150th anniversary celebration. Once again the workhorse had a job to do: pulling hundreds of train lovers up and down a mile of track in Baltimore.

When Western Maryland Railway Historical Society signed a contract to buy the Union Bridge train station a few weeks ago, it was a dream come true for the 1,100-member organization."

Richard Edward Costello Sr., a retired sales manager for the old Western Maryland Railway, died of congestive heart failure Saturday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 84 and lived in Timonium. Born in Baltimore and raised on Linwood Avenue, he was a 1941 graduate of Mount St. Joseph High School, where he played baseball and soccer. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II aboard the USS Akutan, a ammunition transport vessel. After the war, he joined the Western Maryland Railway as a stenographer.

UNION BRIDGE -- All aboard as the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society will celebrate its 25th anniversary this weekend in Union Bridge.In honor of the society's silver anniversary, more than 130 members and their families will enjoy activities scheduled through Sunday.Dennis Wertz, the society's president, said the festivities will begin with registration at 1 p.m. Friday at the community center in Union Bridge.At 7 p.m., there will be slide shows and other presentations about the railway, Mr. Wertz said.

Edward A. Weinel, an accounting supervisor with the Western Maryland Railway who was known for his Christmas train gardens, died of heart failure Saturday at Pickersgill Retirement Community in Towson. He was 96, and formerly a longtime resident of Govans. A Baltimore native, Mr. Weinel joined Western Maryland Railway in the late 1920s. Although laid off at times in the Depression era, he worked 40 years for the railroad before retiring in 1972. Mr. Weinel's railroad interests dated to 1912 when, as a 5-year-old, he received his first model train - a German-made set. As he grew older, he built train sets to include highways and drive-in theaters, all of which he would share in displays for the community.

When Western Maryland Railway Historical Society signed a contract to buy the Union Bridge train station a few weeks ago, it was a dream come true for the 1,100-member organization."

Richard Edward Costello Sr., a retired sales manager for the old Western Maryland Railway, died of congestive heart failure Saturday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 84 and lived in Timonium. Born in Baltimore and raised on Linwood Avenue, he was a 1941 graduate of Mount St. Joseph High School, where he played baseball and soccer. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II aboard the USS Akutan, a ammunition transport vessel. After the war, he joined the Western Maryland Railway as a stenographer.

Laura L. Stauffer, a retired railroad assistant purchasing agent and longtime West University Parkway resident, died Saturday of complications from a broken hip at Keswick Multi-Care Center. She was 91. Laura Lyons was born and raised in Chaneyville, Calvert County, the daughter of a tobacco farmer. She was a graduate of Anne Arundel County's Southern High School and completed secretarial training at Eaton and Burnett Business College in Baltimore. In 1944, Mrs. Stauffer began her career as a stenographer with the Western Maryland Railway in Baltimore, and later worked for the C&O/B&O Railroad and successors Chessie System and CSX. For the last eight years of her career before retiring in 1977, she was an assistant purchasing agent dealing in petroleum products.

Rene Jacques Gunning, a retired railroad lawyer and active volunteer, died of heart disease and pancreatic cancer Sunday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The longtime Roland Park resident was 83. Mr. Gunning was born in Baltimore and raised on Kendall Road. He was a 1938 graduate of Loyola High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Loyola College in 1942. During World War II, he served as a naval communications officer in North Africa, and after the war remained in the Naval Reserve until retiring in 1982 as a lieutenant commander.

A lifelong fascination with trains took Paul Denton on an extended journey, from managing traffic at a New Jersey glass plant to running a Carroll County-based rail company. After working for more than four decades in the transportation industry, Denton reached his last stop: retirement. Denton stepped down on June 30 as president and chief executive officer of Maryland Midland Railway Inc. after spending 20 years with the Union Bridge-based company. With his career of 44 years over, Denton said his dreams have been accomplished.

There are few places in Carroll County that don't have train tracks running through them. From Sykesville to Taneytown, Mount Airy to Hampstead, Keymar to Woodbine and sites in between, the blast of a diesel horn can be heard for miles as trains rumble through crossings. Railroading in Carroll has a colorful history. Stories abound about train wrecks, military troops passing through, fires, presidential visits and movie stars making films at stations. The train was so important that Sykesville, in recent years, decided to focus on its railroading heritage as part of its downtown revitalization.

Edward A. Weinel, an accounting supervisor with the Western Maryland Railway who was known for his Christmas train gardens, died of heart failure Saturday at Pickersgill Retirement Community in Towson. He was 96, and formerly a longtime resident of Govans. A Baltimore native, Mr. Weinel joined Western Maryland Railway in the late 1920s. Although laid off at times in the Depression era, he worked 40 years for the railroad before retiring in 1972. Mr. Weinel's railroad interests dated to 1912 when, as a 5-year-old, he received his first model train - a German-made set. As he grew older, he built train sets to include highways and drive-in theaters, all of which he would share in displays for the community.

David L. Eckman is a former railroader with an interest in writing. Richard D. Hawkins is a former printer with an interest in railroads.Together, as volunteers, they edit the Blue Mountain Express, the quarterly glossy magazine of the 1,050-member Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Inc. of Union Bridge.The two have co-edited the magazine since the 1991-1992 winter issue."They're a couple of very dedicated fellows," said Stanley Johnson, chairman of the society's board of directors.

When Western Maryland Railway Historical Society signed a contract to buy the Union Bridge train station a few weeks ago, it XTC was a dream come true for the 1,100-member organization."

For years the Western Maryland locomotive sat unused, its puppy dog face - windshield eyes and a light-bulb nose - slowly but surely rusting away. Four years of dedicated volunteer work brought the classic 1952 freight engine back to life, its personality and inner workings restored. During the weekend, it had its debut as the striking black-and-yellow showpiece of the Western Maryland Railway's 150th anniversary celebration. Once again the workhorse had a job to do: pulling hundreds of train lovers up and down a mile of track in Baltimore.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Rock stars are supposed to be tough, rebellious and weathered. And many are. But perhaps no group has been as resilient as Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Having seen their share of tragedy, from a plane crash that killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and three others to a car crash years later that paralyzed guitarist Allen Collins, they've endured, matured and continued to be a group to be reckoned with. Saturday, Lynyrd Skynyrd performs at Pier Six Concert Pavilion, President Street and Eastern Avenue.