your video reminded me the time when i learned to drive, in the army, on a russian truck ZIS, with 3 axles, 2, 4 or 6x6, with a boxgear with 12 gears, none synchronized, so we had to use double-clutching to change gears up or down, with air brake system... it was in 1972...Merry Christmas!
I lived in Maryland for 41 years and this driver drives too fast in the snow. It is a wonder that he has not had an accident. Even when it is dry weather he drives too fast.
YES-that's the Ma & Pa to your left on the other side of the fence! And, as weird is this i gonna sound, that driveway across the way ISN'T the ROW! Actually that row of trees was planted on the true ROW! That driveway isn't it; if you look hard you'l notice that there would be a 'kink' in the track if it had to shift from in front of the station to line up with that driveway. When I was there last year I looked hard at it just to be sure! Also, old pix I've seen show a straight track crossing Hydes Rd without any kink. The Ma & Pa was curvy, but not kinky!
oh good! I should have remembered 'Hydes Road', I'm sure you would have known the spot if I had told you that! I go to this spot often when working. I will have to pay attention more , next time I'm there. Yes, the driveway thing does seem weird. Very weird. Conventional wisdom is that larger trees don't grow directly on the abandoned row's, because as they get too big, the man-made ballasted grade isn't secure enough to support them, and they more easily blow over.
BaltimoreAndOhioRR In the Ma & Pa's case, being originally built as narrow-gauge, their ROW was never that substantial or heavily graded as the big guys (B&O, Chessie, CSX etc) so trees-whether deliberately planted or springing up naturally-won't have much trouble taking root so blowing over isn't that big of a threat. There are parts of the ROW in Harford County almost totally forested over! For example-east of Forest Hill station the line is almost totally undescernable due to all the trees! When I rode the line in PA in 2008 it was easy to see that the line was constructed as lightly as possible due to Ma & Pa's ongoing $$ problems. It's the lack of heavy grading that made the line grow over somewhat more quickly after abandonment than other lines. I graded my HO layout more substantially than Ma & Pa-and I had a Ma & Pa line on my layout (of course)!
bullfrog1954 of course haha! Yes, that does make sense. I have not heard about your explanation, but it make perfect sense. I have read about my theory, and seen it firsthand - on the oml and met., many of the original rows are easily discernable in the woods, and I've seen the larger trees that have fallen, with their root ball filled with black soil and ballast rocks. But sure, it makes sense a smaller rr like m&p would pretty much be built right upon the existing packed earth with as little manipulation as possible. That also explains why the m&p seems so hard to follow - it just disappears in large chunks!! unlike most of the 'big' lines.
BaltimoreAndOhioRR You're right-it disappears in large chunks for sure! Example: York to Felton PA abandoned 1984; track yanked up 1986-88; ROW undescernable by early 90s! Managed to grab some pix before abandonment, and good thing-went up there recently and couldn't find it!! It's as if someone highlighted the ROW with their mouse then clicked 'delete!' Disappeared that quick! Word has it a hike/bike trail is planned for York-Red Lion but they gotta find it first! I'll be scanning the negatives of my 80s photos and post them when I can.
