At the entrance to the Thurmont Trolley Trail, beside the brick substation on East Main Street, sits a striking artifact from Maryland’s electric railway era – Hagerstown & Frederick Freight Motor #5, affectionately known as Old #5. Though now stationary, the railcar once rumbled along the same corridor a century ago, carrying freight between Frederick and the mountain towns of Northern Frederick County. Today, it stands as a tangible link between Thurmont’s present and its industrious past.

Built in 1920 at the Hagerstown & Frederick Shops, Old #5 was part of a small fleet of electric freight motors designed to haul light cargo along the company’s 87-mile network. Measuring roughly 40 feet in length, the car was constructed of heavy timber with steel reinforcements and equipped with twin electric traction motors. Unlike passenger trolleys, freight motors had no seats for travelers.

During its service, Old #5 helped sustain the local economy by linking Thurmont’s merchants and farmers with the markets of Frederick and Hagerstown. The Hagerstown & Frederick freight division operated both day and night, often coupling with passenger cars or running on special schedules to deliver goods along the line. In the 1920s and 1930s, the company’s electric freight was considered a modern marvel – faster and cleaner than horse-drawn wagons and more efficient for short-haul deliveries than the early motor trucks that were beginning to appear on Maryland’s roads.

By the mid-twentieth century, however, the rise of automobiles and improved highways made electric freight service obsolete. The Hagerstown & Frederick Railway gradually cut back operations. Old #5 continued to operate briefly after being officially retired in the mid-1950s. Like many decommissioned rail cars, it was sold and repurposed, eventually being used as a shed on private property. For decades, it sat quietly in rural Frederick County, one of the few remaining pieces of the once-extensive Hagerstown & Frederick Railway system.

In the early 2000s, members of the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway Historical Society located Old #5 and arranged for its preservation. Through a partnership with the Town of Thurmont, the car was transported back to the community it once served. Resting now beside the former substation, the car has found its permanent home at the head of the Thurmont Trolley Trail. In 2017, the H&F Historical Society advised the town on selecting historically accurate paint colors for the restoration and oversaw the installation of protective barn-style doors to protect the aging interior from weather damage.

While #5 no longer carries freight, its purpose has shifted from transport to storytelling. It reminds visitors of the ingenuity that once powered small towns like Thurmont, the volunteer spirit that restored its legacy, and the enduring bond between community and history.