Railfanning from Hancock to Great Cacapon

To get to our next stop on our tour, which is Hancock, take CR 10 (Householder Road) west from Cherry Run. This will turn into CR 1 (River Road). River Road closely follows the tracks. (And I do mean close!) I would not advise stopping and setting up all day to take pictures along this road. It is better for chasing trains, especially the slower-moving coal trains. The reason that the tracks are so far apart here is that there used to be 3 tracks through this area. Hancock is the site of a large yard, a branch to Berkeley Springs, and HO tower. The tower controls a mainline interlocking, entrances to the yard, and the switch to the Berkeley Springs branch, by means of Armstrong levers. HO tower is slated to be closedin July 2001. The best railfanning here can be had either next to the tower or on the other side of the yard in the gravel lot.

The next little spot that would be neat to take pictures at is Sir Johns Run. To get to "the Run," take Route 522 south to Route 9 in Berkeley Springs. This will be at the first stoplight you come to. Turn right and take Route 9 up Warm Springs Ridge. Go past Berkeley Castle and go around the bend in the road. You will soon see CR 3 (Sir Johns Run Road) and you should turn right on this road. Go about 3 miles and you will soon be in the village of Sir Johns Run. Go a little further and onto a private driveway. The owner does not mind too much if you just take pictures, just, DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY!!!, and don’t litter. Sir Johns Run used to be the location of a coaling tower for the steam engines and it still may be standing.

Next is a place called Prospect Peak; "Panorama" by the locals. To get here, take CR 3 back to Route 9, and then turn right at the stop sign. Continue west on 9 until you see two vending machines and a clearing on the right side of the road. Pull into the clearing. This is the only place that you can see Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, at the same time. You will also see the tracks and the river down below.

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