Pinkerton Trio Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The part of the Great Allegheny Passage rail to trail that winds its way through Somerset County, follows the route of the old Western Maryland Railroad. The railroad meets the Casselman River at Meyersdale and follows it until the Casselman merges with the Youghiogheny River and Laurel Hill Creek at Confluence.
Approximately 12 miles north of Confluence lies the small town of Markleton. Markleton was a “company town”. It was home to a big pulp mill and the town grew around the mill.
A mile and a half south of Markleton on the trail is the Pinkerton Low and Pinkerton High Bridges and Pinkerton Tunnel. The way the Casselman flows around Pinkerton Hill and how the railroad was laid, you would go over the low bridge, through the tunnel, and over the high bridge in about than one-third of a mile. The B&O railroad (now CSX) also runs through the same area, through another tunnel that is still in use today.
In 1879, the B&O tunnel collapsed in a fire and a temporary track called a “shoofly” was laid. The “shoofly” was used until 1885 when the B&O rebuilt their tunnel. The Western Maryland finished it tunnel in 1911. The tunnels created a unique work environment for track workers. The sound of a “ghost” train could be heard in your tunnel because the real train was literally only a few feet away in the other tunnel.
To see the Pinkerton Trio, park at the Markleton Trailhead at N39 51.610' W079 13.648'. The trailhead is on Markleton School Road about 3 miles from Route 281 south of Somerset. You will come to the low bridge first with the tunnel in front of you. The tunnel is sealed off with metal beams as the ceiling is partially collapsed. You can look through some of the wider gaps in the barrier to see the inside of the tunnel. (Update: The Pinkerton Tunnel has been repaired and you can now travel through the tunnel. This actually makes the height difference between the low bridge and high bridge more spectacular since you can now actually see from one bridge to the other and see how close they actually are.)
The Pinkerton Tunnel Bypass is on the old B&O “shoofly”. It is about a mile long and it will bring you back to the other side of the tunnel.
Last will be the high bridge. You will have to experience why it is called the high bridge.
If you have some extra time, there is a path to the right just past the low bridge. This path leads to the big rock formation next to the river. This is a nice place to sit and listen to the river as it rolls past.
This cache is bike friendly and might be the preferred transportation for some young “cachers”. However, you will have to stash your bikes walk to the actual cache site. Beware of muggles. There are many who enjoy this section of the rail trail. Also you can possibly be seen at the cache site from the trail.
You might encounter wildlife like snakes and such, so be careful. Hunters will come to the area during hunting season; make sure to wear at least 250 square inches of florescent orange then. Cache is in a ammo can.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
(1) Vs lbh cnff zvyr 52, lbh jrag gbb sne.
(2) Ol ebpx naq gerr
Treasures
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