Knobley Tunnel — Attraction in Cumberland

The Knobley Tunnel was built by the Western Maryland Railway and opened in 1906. Located just inside WV off the west end of a massive bridge over the Potomac River called “Crossing #9” (the railroad’s ninth bridge over the Potomac on its Baltimore–Pittsburgh line), it bores through its namesake mountain (whose ridgeline parallels the river) to the small town of Carpendale, where the railroad once had a major yard and junction at which trains could turn north into Cumberland and continue on to Pittsburgh or south towards Keyser and the coal mines.

The last train ran through the tunnel in 1995, after which the rails were pulled up. In 2011, the tunnel and bridge became part of a short (0.8 mi) rail trail called either the Carpendale Trail or the Knobley Tunnel Trail, depending on who you ask. On its eastern end, the trail connects to the C&O Canal towpath, where—strangely—there is no marker or sign; look for the gravel trail that takes off towards the river next to the old RR overpass at Mile Marker 183. On its western end, the trail peters out in a nondescript neighborhood in Carpendale—a mere shadow of its former bustling self after the railroad closed up shop and abandoned everything—making it essentially an out-and-back affair.

Sadly, the tunnel has been closed for a few years now (as I write this in Feb 2023), awaiting repairs to a collapsed timber ceiling support. The trail is still open from the canal across the bridge as far as the tunnel’s eastern portal, though, where a fence blocks entry. About all you can do is gaze though the bore and perhaps linger to enjoy the frigid air pouring out of it, which is welcome and refreshing on a hot day.

Don’t let this deter you, because the bridge is impressive in its own right. Look over the edge at the piers and notice how they were built wide enough to accomodate a second track, which never happened despite someone’s grand plans, the Western Maryland surviving not even 75 years before it was lost to the annals of history when its route was made redundant after a merger with the famous B&O, whose parallel, straighter route with fewer bridges and tunnels survives today (including a large yard in Cumberland) as CSX RR.

When I rode through the tunnel a few years ago before the closure, it was dark (some of the security lamps had been busted out) and there were massive water leaks, making it quite an adventure without a headlamp. It’s also very cold and kind of spooky. My daughter got scared and turned around, so it’s not the greatest for kids or the faint of heart. If you are an industrial & civil engineering history buff like me, though, it is definitely worth a detour from a trip along the canal or from a visit to downtown Cumberland and the scenic railway, the latter being about 2 mi away up the towpath. Hopefully the Town of Carpendale can get a grant to fund the repairs and...

I love this treasure in my own backyard, but I’m devastated that it’s been closed for a couple of years now because its been in bad condition since it collapsed in the middle back in 2019, and it’s a real danger to the community. They also had issues with the homeless population and drug addicts going in there to use and or sleep. It is my hope they’ll open it again soon. My mom did write someone she’s connected with politically to try to see if we can find a solution to reopen the...

Cool but closed unfortunately. No...