Rails both ways
The Train-Plus-Railbike Day
One mountain corridor, traveled twice: once behind a locomotive, once under your own pedal power. The Queen City Combo packages both legs into a single ticket.
Steam & Rails · 6 min read ·
One Corridor, Two Machines
The rail line between Cumberland and Frostburg carries two kinds of traffic: the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's Frostburg Flyer, and the pedal-powered railbikes run by Tracks & Yaks from 19 Depot St, next door to our inn. Because both use the same track, a clever itinerary emerged — go one direction by train and the other by railbike, so the mountain gets covered twice without repeating an experience. That itinerary has a name: the Queen City Combo.
Same grade, wildly different feel. From a coach seat the corridor is scenery; from a railbike it's terrain — you feel every foot of the descent, hear the woods, and stop where you please for photos.
The Morning Combo: Start in Frostburg
The AM version begins next door to us. You railbike out of Frostburg down the mountain — gravity is your co-pilot — and return aboard the Flyer, arriving back where you started about four hours after you left. Pricing is per bike rather than per person: $169 buys a tandem carrying up to two riders, $299 a quad carrying up to four. For overnight guests this is the low-friction option; roll out of bed, eat, and walk to the outfitter.
The Afternoon Combo: Start in Cumberland
The PM version runs the loop in reverse and begins at the train's home end. Board at 13 Canal St in Cumberland, ride the excursion up the grade — behind steam on weekend dates — and after the Frostburg layover window, pedal a railbike back down to Cumberland. Total outing: about five and a half hours, at the same $169 tandem and $299 quad rates. This one suits travelers based in Cumberland, thru-riders coming off the C&O, and anyone who wants the climb narrated by a locomotive instead of their own legs.
Choosing Your Combo
Both versions cover the same track; the decision comes down to logistics and taste.
- Sleeping in Frostburg? Take the morning trip — it starts and ends at 19 Depot St, steps from your room.
- Coming from Cumberland or finishing a C&O ride? The afternoon departure from 13 Canal St saves you a shuttle.
- Chasing steam? Book a Saturday or Sunday either way — No. 1309 handles weekend trains, diesel covers Thursday and Friday. Verify the current schedule first.
- Bringing three or four people? The quad railbike makes the per-head math friendly: $299 split four ways.
- Want the full day? The 5.5-hour afternoon version is the bigger outing; the 4-hour morning leaves room for more afterward.
What the Corridor Shows You Twice
The landmarks hit differently at each speed. Helmstetter's Curve — the horseshoe bend railroad photographers treat as a pilgrimage site — sweeps past the train window, then later curls under your railbike wheels. The Brush Tunnel goes from a rumble of darkness to a cool, echoing passage you pedal through. The Narrows reads as spectacle from the coach and as geology up close. By day's end you'll know this mountain the way few visitors ever do: from both sides of the machine.
Bookend It with a Bed
A combo day starts early or ends late, and either way a room beside the starting line beats a drive. We're the 1888 railroad inn at 20 Depot St — queens from $79.79 all-in, family-sized rooms with pull-outs at $91.19 — and ride reservations can ride along in the same checkout as your room at tunnelhotel.com/book. More on pairing trains with a stay: tunnelhotel.com/western-maryland-scenic-railroad-hotel.
Beds 300 yards off the trail
All rooms & camping
Tracks & Yaks, right next door
All experiences
Queen City Combo — AM (Frostburg)
Railbike down the mountain in the morning, then ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's Frostburg Flyer back up. Rails both ways.
from $169
Details →Bike Train (Cumberland → Frostburg)
Load your bike on the train up to Frostburg, then ride the GAP back down. Bring your own bike or add a GAP rental.
from $45
Details →Helmstetter Hotshot
Two hours on the rails out to Helmstetter's Curve, the iconic horseshoe bend famous with railfans and photographers.
from $99
Details →Questions, answered straight
Can you combine the steam train and a railbike in one day?
Yes — that's the Queen City Combo from Tracks & Yaks at 19 Depot St, Frostburg. The morning version railbikes down the mountain and returns by train (about 4 hours); the afternoon version boards the train in Cumberland at 13 Canal St and railbikes back down (about 5.5 hours). Either costs $169 per tandem or $299 per quad.
Is the Queen City Combo priced per person or per bike?
Per bike. A tandem railbike seats up to two riders for $169, and a quad seats up to four for $299 — so a family of four pays the quad price once, not four fares. Railbike experiences carry a 5% Tracks & Yaks activity tax, shown as its own line at checkout.
Which Queen City Combo has the steam locomotive?
Either can — what matters is the day of the week. No. 1309 typically pulls weekend Frostburg Flyer trains, while Thursday and Friday runs use diesel. Book a Saturday or Sunday combo, morning or afternoon, and confirm the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's current schedule before your date.
What do you see on the Cumberland-to-Frostburg rail corridor?
The line passes through the Narrows outside Cumberland, rounds Helmstetter's Curve — the famous horseshoe bend — and runs through the Brush Tunnel on its climb to Frostburg. On a combo day you experience all of it twice: once from the excursion train and once from a railbike at pedal speed.
Where should I stay for a train and railbike trip?
The Tunnel Hotel at 20 Depot St in Frostburg sits next door to the Tracks & Yaks launch point and beside the depot where the Flyer lays over. Rooms start at $79.79 a night with tax included, and rooms and rides can be bundled into one booking at tunnelhotel.com/book.