Cumberland Subdivision
Railroad line in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland
title: "Cumberland Subdivision" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["csx-transportation-lines", "transportation-in-cumberland,-md-wv-pa", "rail-infrastructure-in-maryland", "rail-infrastructure-in-west-virginia", "baltimore-and-ohio-railroad-lines", "transportation-in-hampshire-county,-west-virginia"] description: "Railroad line in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Subdivision" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Railroad line in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Cumberland Subdivision |
| image | CSX Cum-Sub 145-MAGNOLIA-CPL-brackets-winter.jpg |
| caption | Cumberland Subdivision on the Magnolia Cutoff in Magnolia, West Virginia, facing west towards Cumberland. Magnolia Bridge and Graham Tunnel in background. |
| type | Freight rail |
| system | CSX Transportation |
| status | Active |
| locale | West Virginia, Maryland |
| start | Cumberland |
| end | Harpers Ferry |
| open | |
| owner | CSX Transportation |
| operator | CSX Transportation |
| tracks | 2 |
| gauge | |
| map | |
| :: |
| box_width = | name = Cumberland Subdivision | image = CSX Cum-Sub 145-MAGNOLIA-CPL-brackets-winter.jpg | image_width = | caption = Cumberland Subdivision on the Magnolia Cutoff in Magnolia, West Virginia, facing west towards Cumberland. Magnolia Bridge and Graham Tunnel in background. | type = Freight rail | system = CSX Transportation | status = Active | locale = West Virginia, Maryland | start = Cumberland | end = Harpers Ferry | stations = | open = | close = | owner = CSX Transportation | operator = CSX Transportation | linelength = | tracks = 2 | gauge = | electrification = | speed = | map = | map_state =
The CSX Cumberland Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation (CSX) in the U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia. The line runs from Brunswick, Maryland, west to Cumberland, Maryland, along the old Baltimore & 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.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/MagnoliaCSX2007.jpg" caption="Magnolia Bridge over the [[Potomac River"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/CumberlandSubdivision.JPG" caption="CSX Locomotive waiting in the Cumberland Subdivision Yard"] ::
The Cumberland Subdivision was opened in 1842 as part of B&O's main line. In 1914 B&O opened the Magnolia Cutoff, a more direct route through mountain ridges, running 14 mi between Hansrote, West Virginia and Paw Paw, West Virginia. The project included construction of four tunnels, two bridges, and many deep rock cuts. B&O continued to use the original route along the Potomac River, called the "Lowline," until 1961.
In 1987, CSX absorbed the subdivision and the rest of the B&O system.
Current operation
The Cumberland Subdivision carries freight and passenger rail traffic, with frequent intermodal, autorack, coal unit, mixed freight, and oil trains, plus Amtrak's Floridian in both directions. MARC Brunswick Line regional passenger trains stop at Martinsburg, Duffields, and Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, then continue east through Maryland to Washington Union Station.
References
References
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20030120051108/http://www.trainweb.org/csxtimetables/Baltimore/Cumberland.html CSX Timetables: Cumberland Subdivision]
- "CU-Cumberland Sub - the RadioReference Wiki".
- http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/CSX/CSX%20ETTs/CSX%20Baltimore%20Div%20ETT%20%234%201-1-2005.pdf CSX Baltimore Division Timetable
- "PRR Chronology, 1842 }} {{small".
- High Iron Online. {{usurped
- Rail Nutter News. [http://railnutternews4.tripod.com/MagnoliaMountainRails.html "Magnolia Cutoff."] Accessed 2010-11-17.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::