West Virginia: 1980-2006

In the early Conrail days, power was still stationed at Charleston although by the mid 1980s that ended as the local switching quickly evaporated. A very poor quality b/w shot(and camera) but probably one of the earliest rail photos I took. Thirty years later, the buildings remain but all the trackage seen here is gone....it is now covered with asphalt.

A B&O local runs south from Point Pleasant through Apple Grove with a small cut of cars. The Ohio River line still carried Huntingtol-Wheeling trains in this era.

B&O "torpedo" as power on the 1982 New River Train

Back in the heyday of the New River Train before it simply became a glorified Amtrak trip. The #765 puts on a skyward spectacle as she decelerates to a stop in Charleston. It is wonderful that this fine machine is running again a quarter century later for younger generations to see grace the rails

The dead line at the Huntington Shops...a kid in a candy store kind of day.

Photo run-by at Thurmond on 1989 New River Train. It is unfortunate that CSX didn't keep these units for use on its OCS train. Repainted in the scheme of a predecessor,it would have been a great PR coup much as the NS OCS is today.

Bridge across Buffalo Creek just west of the old Buffalo Creek & Gauley connection. View is towards Clay. Even at this date, it had been a decade since trains last used this bridge. Originally Coal and Coke,later the B&O Grafton-Charleston line that remained intact until 1981.

A picturesque setting with the former B&O crossing of the Birch River at its confluence with the Elk River. Rail and nature in splendid harmony.

While boarding another excursion, caught the NRT NKP #765 in the dawn light.

Are the old ghosts still aroused by the shrill of the Shay whistles ?

Heavy duty caboose built to withstand the force from helper locomotives. Static display at Grafton

Except for the new number, it's still the same. Four axle EMD power still common on coal trains during this era.

Mother and slug set in the ill-fated and short lived "Stealth" scheme. Not the most photogenic (and safety conscious) paint by any means

Thirty years later, the "Sunburst" scheme is reemerging on this former B&O GP30

Almost two decades later, even the early 1990s seem like the "good old days". So much has changed.

The GP39 was common in the coalfields during the prime of its career.

The B&O heritage is still quite apparent on this CSX caboose at Ravenswood

A mother and slug set switch cars at the South Charleston terminal.

The switcher at Port Amherst Industries in July 2003

A long string of empties pass the Charleston Amtrak station.

Still sporting Conrail blue and used in MOW service

Once teeming with rail activity, the old warehouse district has been reduced to a single customer....and car.

Coal empties diverge onto the east leg of the wye to the Coal River Sub

Throughout the years, Dickinson Yard has always been a haven for unique power. This day was no exception.

Eastbound grain moves through the eastern end of the coal laden yard

The roadbed of the Coal and Coke Rwy---later the B&O--- through the heart of town. Trackage removed in 1981