Keep left of Fence: Brush Tunnel Westbound. It's a small sign, but a serious warning. The 914 ft. long Brush Tunnel is the one place on the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail where the trains and the pedestrians don't co-exist very well at all. The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's big Consolidation #734 is a stoker-equipped, fire-breathing monster, and when she's on the westbound run, as seen here, she belches enormous amounts of black smoke and cinders. Woe to anyone who happens to be in Brush Tunnel when she makes her entrance. Not only do they risk being burned by hot cinders, but it can be downright difficult to just breathe. The acrid exhaust gasses and steam often persist for several minutes after she's gone. There's also another issue that's not so obvious to the walkers and bikers....tell me if you think the 734's engineer and fireman can actually see anything ahead of them! Being on the wrong side of the steel fence will probably not be good for one's continued good health. Fortunately, they don't call her "Mountain Thunder" for nothing. You can usually hear the train pounding up the hill and blowing for the crossings as she does. If folks would just shut off their IPODs and cell phones, its pretty easy to avoid having a close encounter with a fire-breathing monster in the darkness under Piney Mountain.
