Thomas Subdivision

{{Short description|Railway line in Maryland and West Virginia}}

{{more sources|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = Thomas Subdivision

| color =

| image =

| image_width =

| caption =

| type = Freight rail

| system = CSX Transportation

| status = Active

| locale = West Virginia, Maryland

| start = Keyser

| end = Bayard

| stations =

| open =

| close =

| owner = CSX Transportation

| operator = CSX Transportation (1986-Present)

Chessie System (1973-1986)

Western Maryland Railway (1905-1983)

West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway (1880-1905)

| linelength = 44.2 mi

| tracks = 1

| gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}

| electrification =

| speed =

| map = {{Thomas Subdivision}}

| map_state =

}}

The Thomas Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia. The line runs from Rawlings, Maryland, to Bayard, West Virginia, for a total of {{convert|44.2|miles}}. At its east end the line continues west from the Mountain Subdivision and at its west end the line comes to an end.{{cite web|url=http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/TM-Thomas_Sub|title=TM-Thomas Sub |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=The RadioReference Wiki |publisher=RadioReference.com LLC |location=San Antonio, TX}}{{cite web |url=http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/CSX/CSX%20ETTs/CSX%20Huntington%20Div%20East%20ETT%20%231%201-1-2005.pdf |publisher=CSX Transportation |location=Jacksonville, FL |title=Huntington East Division Timetable |date=2005 |via=Multimodalways Project (Dover, OH)}}

The line was built by the West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway (WVC&P) in the 1880s, and originally ran between Cumberland, Maryland and Elkins, West Virginia. The WVC&P was later merged with the Western Maryland Railway (WM) in 1905. The WM abandoned portions of the line between the 1930s and 1970s.{{cite book |last=Salamon |first=Stephen J. |last2 = Hopkins |first2=William E. |title=The Western Maryland Railway in the Diesel Era |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWdrAAAACAAJ |location=Silver Spring, MD |publisher=Old Line Graphics |year=1991 |pages=92ff |isbn=1-879314-07-X}} The WM was merged into the Chessie System in 1973, and the latter merged into CSX Transportation in 1980.{{Cite web |date=2006-06-02 |title=CSX merger family tree |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/csx-merger-family-tree/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410211129/https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/csx-merger-family-tree/ |archive-date=2021-04-10 |website=Trains}}