Bridge Over Troubled Waters

My buddy and I tried to plan some flexibility into our semi-annual long weekend railfan expeditions. We'd always have a backup destination. If non photogenic weather was predicted for our primary target, we'd divert to somewhere else.

Shepardstown, West Virginia was one of those alternate destinations. Shepardstown was home to this wonderfully photogenic high bridge over the Potomac River, 50 miles or so west of Washington DC. It was a place that required patience, though, as its photo merits were contradicted by its lack of train action. This was on the line between Hagerstown, Maryland and Roanoke, Virginia, and used jointly by Conrail and the Norfolk Southern Railway to bypass the congestion around DC. Even so, the line wasn't busy, and we planned an extended stay when we came here. At least there was a place to hang out - a park was right on the bluff of the West Virgina side, which provided a clear view of the bridge, and lots of grass and shade trees to lounge under.

One year we had planned on driving west, into Ohio. As the time for our departure got close, the forecast called for torrential rains over the Buckeye State and western Pennsylvania. The forecast map showed clear weather around DC, so we headed south instead. And rain it did further west - take a look at the mud swollen river under the train. The water was much higher than we had seen it on previous trips. There was a road that ran nearly at water level on the other side of the river - it was completely inundated this time.

An added bonus to Shepardstown was finding the Rumsey Monument (in the park we hung out in) and learning a little known factoid of American history. According to the monument, James Rumsey was the inventor of the steamship and demonstrated it in the Potomac River here, some 20 years before Robert Fulton launched his in New York harbor..