Since the unfortunate demolition of the 1871 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Queen City Hotel and Station in 1972, this is the only remaining train depot in a city that prospered as a major railway transportation hub. The Western Maryland Railway (WMR) was formed in 1853 to rival the B&O, which arrived in Cumberland in 1852. The WMR ran north and west from Baltimore along the Pennsylvania border yet failed to reach Cumberland until 1906. With limited passenger service, it hauled coal and freight between West Virginia and Baltimore with a line to Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Known as “Wild Mary,” the rail line earned a reputation for extremely fast, efficient, and high-quality service.
The expansive three-story building housed both station and company offices, banked into the hillside, with the covered train platform to the west and business offices to the east. In 1968 it was acquired by the Chessie System (which owned the B&O and the C&O Canal) but closed in 1976. It was rehabilitated as the headquarters of the Canal Place Preservation Authority and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. A steam-powered, engine-driven train makes daily runs from here to Frostburg. Sited at the northern terminus of the C&O Canal, the station also welcomes hikers along the towpath as part of the Canal Place Heritage Area created in 1993.