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The Emmitsburg Railroad Part 6
George W. Wireman
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Pictured is one of the early locomotives of the Emmitsburg Railroad. This is a class 4-4-0 steam locomotive and was in service with the Western
Maryland Railroad before seeing action on the Emmitsburg Railroad.
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On the morning of September 11, 1897, a large crowd had gathered on the front steps of the Frederick County Court House in Frederick, Maryland. They
were there for a very specific reason…a public auction. Up for sale was the little Emmitsburg Railroad, located in the northern-most part of Frederick County. The public auction was
the result of the railroad's failure to pay any interest over a seven year period on a bonded debt of $121,850.00.
As the auction got underway, it was noticed that a specific group of people were interested in the railroad and took an active part in the bidding.
When the auction was over, the Emmitsburg Railroad had indeed been sold. It was purchased for the sum of $29,500.00 by a syndicate representing the bondholders. Plans were
immediately set in motion and formulated to reorganize.
The first board of directors under the reorganization were James A. Elder, William G. Blair, Vincent Sebold, William A. Himes, Dr. J.B. Bauner, and
James H. Nusseor.
Records of a meeting dated July 20, 2890, showed the following officers of the Emmitsburg Railroad: James H. Elder, President; William A. Himes, Vice
President; Dr. J.B. Brauner, Secretary; William G. Blair, Treasurer; and Vincent Sebold, Counsel.
It might be well to point out here that James Elder lived but a short time following the reorganization and at the annual election of officers on
November 3, 1898, William Himes, a resident of New Oxford, PA became president of the Emmitsburg Railroad. Vincent Sebold, who would guide the railroad for many years, was elected
General Manager.
Under the new management, and from the earnings of the railroad, the entire 7-mile line was progressively rebuilt. Wooden bridges were replaced with
new iron structures. The light rail was replaced with 60-pound steel rail and new ballast was laid, dressing up the roadbed.
But this wasn't all! New motive power was purchased and what was rolling stock the railroad owned, was renovated. The depots were completely rebuilt.
To better serve the customers of the Emmitsburg Railroad, a new grain elevator and coal shutes were constructed at the south end of the community.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind, this little seven-mile railroad faced a bright future. All employees, from the top office down, were truly
dedicated to their jobs and each took great pride in their work. In addition to all the improvements mentioned above, the railroad proudly announced that it was in a position to
begin paying a small dividend of 2 percent to its stockholders.
In 1906, the original Charter of the Emmitsburg Railroad was amended by the Maryland State Legislature. This enabled the railroad to extend its line
in any direction it wished. This amendment also gave the officials of the railroad authority to buy, lease or even consolidate with any other company it so desired. And to top it
all, authority was granted to the railroad to operate by steam or electric.
When these requests were originally made to the Maryland Legislature, the officials of the Emmitsburg Railroad were seriously considering a proposal
to extend their line from Rocky Ridge to the community of Woodsboro.
The reason for wanting to extend their line to Woodsboro was that it would give them the opportunity to make connections with the Pennsylvania
Railroad. Under the amended charter the Emmitsburg Railroad was free to extend their line to Woodsboro, but for some reason, the extension never materialized.
Minutes of the December 14, 1908 meeting of the Emmitsburg Railroad showed that the Christmas spirit prevailed throughout the railroad. A motion was
made and passed to give each regular employee two tons of coal for Christmas. Those employees who worked on a daily basis received one ton of coal.
It was during the Christmas holidays in Emmitsburg in 1908 that word was being circulated that the community was planning a big homecoming
celebration scheduled for July 1909. The city officials and the residents of Emmitsburg knew one thing for certain, regardless of the type of celebration, the Emmitsburg Railroad
would play a major role in making any event a big success.
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