For over a century, the Helmstetter family has farmed the land on Cash Valley Road near Cumberland, Maryland. John Helmstetter is the third generation of the family to operate the farm.
The centerpiece of the farm was the large barn located near Western Maryland Railroad's famous Helmstetters Curve. The barn has been featured in countless photos taken from the early days of steam through recent railfan specials. On July 9, 2009, a fire swept through the historic structure. Fourteen cows and John's best friend, his border collie Teddy, perished in the blaze. John was injured trying to save his animals.
One of the most famous pieces of railroad in the eastern United States bisects the Helmstetter Farm (see below), and railroad enthusiasts have chartered "photo freights" to capture a piece of railroad history. John Helmstetter has made considerable contributions to the success of these events by:
In other words, all we had to do was ask John, and it was done.
Friends of John Helmstetter have helped establish a fund to aid John in getting back on his feet. His surviving cattle need shelter and food, and John lost many pieces of equipment in the fire.
The John Helmstetter Farm Fund has been created as a central point for collecting donations to assist John. No donation is too little or too large. Use the button at the right to make a donation today!
Want to pay by check?
Make checks payable to "John Helmstetter Farm Fund" and send to:
John Helmstetter Farm Fund
c/o M&T Bank
118 Baltimore Street
Cumberland, MD 21502
"Photo Freights
on the Western Maryland" is a 90 minute DVD video covering six
special
freight
train runs on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The Western
Maryland folks set the consists with vintage freight and hopper cars to
simulate working freight trains of the 1950's. The trains looked
sensational on their runs up the face of the Allegheny Mountains
between Cumberland and Frostburg Maryland.
The sleet and snows of January 1999 gave us some unusual footage
complete with the excitement and unpredictability that comes with
winter railroading. We included many scenes with Engine 734, a Baldwin
2-8-0 Consolidation with her drivers slipping in the sleet and snow. We
also found ourselves in snow with bright sunny skies for many of the
scenes. The winter footage gave us spectacular stack plumes from the
engine. There is also a sequence after the pilot truck derailed which
stopped us in our tracks near the end of a shooting day.
We've intercut the footage to show you each location with a coal train
shot in 1997, then the train set up as mixed freight in the sleet and
snow of 1998 and finally the mixed freight in the summer of 1998. Each
scene begins with U.S. Geological Survey maps giving you the location
and approximate camera positions. The train backed down from Frostburg
so all run-bys occurred with 734 chugging uphill for the best
action.
The Western Maryland Railroad pushed west from Cumberland in 1910. On its way up the mountains outside Cumberland it gained elevation on a long curving fill. This fill ran directly through the Helmstetter farm, creating the most famous location on the Western Maryland, Helmstetter's Curve. It became a favorite location for railroad photographers for decades.
This historic piece of trackage is now operated by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Note the barn at the right (This print is available as a Limited Edition Print option above)
