In the 1890’s, interest began to form in a trolley system to service the Georges Creek area. In 1893, the Lonaconing and Cumberland Electric Railway was incorporated. This was followed by the incorporation of the Frostburg, Eckhart, and Cumberland, the Lonaconing, Midland, and Frostburg, and the Westernport & Lonaconing by 1901.

In 1901, work started from Frostburg towards Cumberland. By 1902, the line stretched from Frostburg down the Georges Creek to Lonaconing. The first passenger run was made on April 24, 1902. At Cumberland, an interchange was made with the Cumberland Electric Railway, a local city service. There was a ticket office and terminus at Baltimore and Centre Streets. Hourly service was provided. The Cumberland and Westernport Electric Railway was formed by merger in 1906. An extension of the system to Salisbury, Pa., and to Keyser WV were considered, but never built. Miners specials ran down the Georges Creek, to provide transportation for the different shifts.

The trolleys also carried the mail and parcels over their 27 miles of standard gauge track. The growth of freight and express service lead to the use of a freight-only trolley, making two trips per day.

Mostly Brill equipment was used, with some Southern cars being acquired later in the operation. There was a coal burning 500 kilowatt power station and a car barn at Clarysville, serviced by C&P. There was an auxiliary 400 kw power station at Reynolds.

By 1924, the private automobile was making inroads on ridership of the traction line. The operation was sold to Cities Service, who replaced the trolleys with buses and freight trucks by 1925. This scenario was repeated countless times across the United States, as the General Motors-backed Cities Service phased out electric trolleys in favor of diesel trucks and busses.