Knuckles Cut/B153

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Hiked from Spring Gap to Oldtown one February day and discovered a very long and deep cut. It's the most impressive cut I've seen on the WM. Did some looking into the cut and found a name on an old WM timetable form 1959. It named a telephone booth so many few west of "Knuckles Cut". Looking for a photo of a train passing through the cut, I'm sure there is one out there. The photos below may be a little dark. It was a cloudy and cold winter day. I plan to go back and ride this section again in the spring. View Larger Map

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A pair of FA2's bring a train west out of Knuckles Cut and by the 153.5 semaphore. The westbound signal for this train is the 153.0 at the eastern end of the Knuckles Cut.

This is the western end of Knuckles Cut looking east in December 1997. (photo by Brian Paulus)

Down in the cut looking west ans east. (10-10-03)

I climbed up on top of the cut to take some photos of the rocks. The first photo is looking west and the second is looking east. Keep in mind you are viewing the top of trees that grow in the cut. The cut is very deep. (10-10-03)

As I returned to Spring Gap after biking to Oldtown, I stopped down in Knuckles Cut to take a photo beside this large bolder that broke loose and had fallen landing where the track would have run. This rock would have definetly derailed at train. (2-4-03)

Knuckles Cut looking west in August 1974. A train had derailed as seen, but was stopped in time. That signal is 153.0. (photo by Jim Paulus) The second photo was taken near the same location but this time in 2003. I could not find any trace of the signal base or the B153 milepost. (10-10-03)

Between Spring Gap and Oldtown the WM ran right beside the C&O Canal as the majority of the West Sub did. Here the WM crosses a hollow on a fill 1 1/2 miles west of Oldtown. Here the canal is very wide, this part of the canal was big enough to turn canal boats, perhaps the boats also stopped here at night. This a big fill along the WM would have been a great photo location. Knuckles cut is directly to the left. (10-10-03)

Looking east atop the fill just east of Knuckles Cut. Here the trail is in very good shape. (10-10-03)

As the WM ran west leaving Oldtown behind the railroad passed through this long but shallow cut. The cut is curved but opens up to a long straight-of-way if you are heading west. Knuckles cut would be the next opsticle. (2-4-03)

Looking east from in the cut west of Oldtown. Just ahead the railroad crosses Gravel Run Rd. (10-10-03)

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