In 1851, the year before the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's mainline reached Wheeling, WV, the B&O's owners sponsored the chartering of a new railroad that was planned to be a vital link between the B&O's mainline and the Gateway of the West, St. Louis Missouri. Construction of this new line, chartered as the Northwestern Virginia Railroad, began in 1852 and lasted over five years, with an estimated construction cost of more than 5 million dollars. When the N.Va RR was opened on May 1st, 1857, the 103 mile line extended west from the B&O at Grafton to the Ohio River at Parkersburg, WV, where trains crossed the river via barges and connected with the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad at Belpre, Ohio.
Eventually absorbed by the B&O, the Northwestern Virginia Railroad, later the Parkersburg Branch as it would come to be known, became a busy section of the B&O St. Louis mainline following the Civil War. This high volume of traffic continued well into the next century and in the early 1950s, the Parkersburg Branch was upgraded with the removal of many of its tunnels to gain better clearances, allowing the addition of trains that included cars with large dimensions. Very little online traffic ever originated between Clarksburg and Parkersburg, resulting in a dependence on the east-west through traffic. It would be this type of traffic that would experience a serious decline during the late 1950s and 1960s, when America was switching from the rails to the interestates for the long haul of freight. By the early 1980s, traffic levels had fallen to an all time traffic low, resulting in rumors that the St. Louis mainline had been ranked at the top of the Chessie System's 'hit list'. It should have then been little surprise, even though it really was, when CSX announced in May of 1985 that the St. Louis mainline would be downgraded, resulting in the abandonment of the line between Cincinnati and Clarksburg. Less than a month later, Jacksonville carried through with its announcement and re-routed all of the through St. Louis and Cincinnati trains over Sand Patch to the north. The final train between Grafton and Parkersburg was a Grafton Heritage Festival excursion that made the roundtrip on September 1st, 1985, ending an era that had lasted just over one hundred and twenty eight years.
Interestingly, the Parkersburg Subdivision's rail remained down until 1989 when CSX pulled the section up between Wilsonburg and Walker, WV. The remaining active portion of the Parkersburg Subdivision between Short Line Junction and Grafton was renamed the Bridgeport Subdivision later that year. Fortunately traffic levels had risen following the re-routing of two mixed freights over the Clarksburg - Grafton section in 1987, with the only traffic between then and the Branch downgrade coming from an every other day local. In January of 1989, an embankment collapsed beneath a coal train using the roughly parallel MR Subdivision between Fairmont and Haywood, WV, resulting in CSX closing MR and rerouting all of its traffic via the Bridgeport sub to Grafton. An interesting sidenote to the early 1990s was that Union Pacific reportedly approached CSX about moving UP's new intermodal trains between St. Louis and the eastern seaboad. A very curious situation must have developed when the upper management asked the operations personnel what the new dashed lines between Clarksburg and Cincinnati on the planned route denoted... Union Pacific took the contract else where and the rest of the abandoned Parkersburg Branch now hosts weekly bikers and walkers.
Today's twenty one mile Bridgeport Subdivision is once again considered a mainline in CSX's operations. From Berkeley Run Junction in West Grafton, the double track subdivision heads west towards Clarksburg, West Virginia, passing over the short but steep Brydon Hill at Brydon, West Virgina. At RS Tower, the two track mainline is reduced to a single track main between there and MO Tower in Clarksburg. From the former tower location, the railroad winds west to Bridgeport and climbs upgrade towards Tunnel No. 1 at Lodgeville, WV. On the other side of the 3236 ft tunnel, the railroad emerges at Columbia and returns to double track a short distance later at the eastern end of the Clarksburg Yard, MO Tower. Two industrial tracks diverge from the main between Columbia and MO, one serving the Clarksburg Technology Park and the Grasselli Industrial Track serving a plant at Anmoore. From "MO", the yard continues through Clarksburg to the present location of MD Tower, which controlled the interlocking at the western yard leads, inaddition to the now abandoned WVa&P Subdivision that headed south to Weston at that location. The Bridgeport Subdivision's double track comes to an end a half a mile farther west at J Tower with the actual end of the subdivision located at Short Line Junction, where the Short Line Subdivision and former Parkersburg Branch joined.
Two daily mixed freights, Q316 and Q317, use the sub, inaddition to several coal trains heading to or from the power plants on the Ohio River and Consolidated Coal's Robinson Run mine on the Short Line Subdivision. Following the Conrail split on June 1st, 1999, new coal trains were routed over the Bridgeport line, mostly Florida bound loaded coal trains originating in the MGA Mine District to the north, although these are very rare. Added to this through traffic are several industries located on the line, Fourco near Rosemont and UCARB at Anmoore to name a few. In the late 1990s, CSX began simplfying the old CTC system with the replacement and removal of some of the old B&O signals, inaddition to single tracking the previous double tracked section between Lodgeville and MO Tower in 1993. Helpers are another interesting aspect of the Bridgeport Subdivision, with heavy westbound trains, mainly coal drags, requiring additional power to make the short but steep grades at Brydon and Lodgeville. This helper is usually applied near Grafton and can consist of whatever units are available, depending on the train's needs. As a final note in the Parkersburg Subdivision drama, the remaining stub of the old line between Short Line Juntion and Wilsonburg was removed in 1999, following reports of a new coal mine reopening near there. Hope is not totally given up though, because in this age of mega mergers, Union Pacific might very well take over CSX and rebuild the old St. Louis mainline between Clarksburg and Cincinnati... CSX is almost assuredly kicking themselves for tearing the mainline out and although Sand Patch is swamped with traffic, there's currently not enough Cincinnati and St. Louis through trains to to replace the bikers with freights on the Branch.
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The Bridgeport helpers, #2669, #2676 and #8467, lead a Robinson Run Turn east towards Grafton north of Wesbter on October the 9th, 1999. The train is running on the westbound main due to the uncrewed Q316 sitting to the left on the eastbound.
Video Capture Still: Taken in the summer of 1985, this is a sight no one probably ever see again. Led by 4 Chessie GP-40s, the Wilmingtion - St. Louis trailer jet blasts west though Webster.
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Photo by Jerry Doyle. A Robinson Run Turn, N052, is heading west to the Consol 95 Mine with a train of empty Detroit Edison hoppers as its lead units approach the Rt 119 road bridge at Webster, WV.
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Q316 breaks the early morning silence as the crew opens the throttle up just west of Webster at Sensils Curve on March 25th, 1999.
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Two CSX SD70MACs and their westbound train of empty hoppers are strung out on the shelf above the Flemington Road as train approaches Halfway Road Crossing between Flemington and Briden. This U878-04 is headed for Consol's Robinson Run Mine on March 4th, 2000.
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Conrail SD70MAC #4138 and renumbered mate #779 are pulling Q316 around the S curve in Flemington, WV. Until the late 1970s, a short branch headed south from here along Simpson Creek to serve several coal mines near Bear mountain.
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The late summer daylight is rapidly fading as a Robinson Run Mine Turn heads west towards Rosemont, WV. Inaddition to the two units in the lead, this empty hopper train has a two unit helper set on the rear, the Robinson Run Helper, that will stay on all the way to the mine and back.
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Photo by Jerry Doyle. The Fourco Turn is backing up the Fourco Industrial Track just north of the main track switch. Fourco Turns are a daily job out of Grafton, usually being called in the early morning hours to work the glass plant and other industries farther west around Clarksburg.
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GP 38-2 #2661 is being pulled west on the rear of a Robinson Run Turn as it passes through the timetable location of Delton. This helper is somewhat typical of Robinson Run Turns, ranging from a lone four axle to two big MACs.
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Photo by Chris Strogen The snow is coming down as three lite locomotives head east to Grafton through Bridgeport. These units had cutoff from their train in Clarksburg Yard, due to the amount of snow above the rails.
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The Bridgeport Helper is about to pass underneath the Interstate 79 bridges as the two SD70MACs head back east to Grafton at Lodgeville. #709 and #743 had shoved a T980 AEPX drag over the grades at Brydon and Lodgeville, before cutting off at the eastern end of Tunnel No.1 on the latter grade.
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Photo by Chris Strogen. CSX #2096 and a second unit, both still wearing Chessie colors, heads out of Tunnel No.1 near the Columbia signals in August of 1993. This westbound train, commonly know as the Haywooder, is heading for the power plant at Haywood, WV, on the Shortline Subdivision. The rusty No.1 main on the left was later removed from MO Tower to the Lodgeville.
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A westbound Robinson Run Turn has just knocked down the Columbia signal on the Dispatcher's board as the two ACW44s pull the train out of Tunnel No.1 in the background. Directly behind the photographer is a junction where a short spur diverges from the main track to serve the Life Science Center in the Clarksburg Technology Park.
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CSX #96 has just crossed over from the single main track onto the old #1 main at "MO Tower". The "MO" signals control the east end of the three track East Clarksburg Yard, along with the interlocking at the east end of the double main track through Clarksburg.
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Back in the days when northern West Virginia had the St. Louis mainline, manifest freights were a common sight. In the early summer of 1985, B&O #3776 heads up an westbound manifest as it passes through Clarksburg.
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With snow flurries and sub artic temperatures on this late November day, the B711 switcher has been tied down on 1 MO in the Clarksburg Yard. On such a day, christmas cookies go well with freezing weather :)
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Photo by Chris Strogen. The daily westbound mixed freight, Q317-24, passes through the mostly unused Clarksburg Yard on June 25th, 1998. The 'MO' signals can barely be seen in the distance between the two stands of trees.
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The Robinson Run Helper consisting of a GP38-2 and a Susie Q unit are westbound as they pass the station and MD Tower at Clarksburg. The two tracks to the right of the main are all that remains of the West Clarksburg Yard, which now serve the local BIDS terminal.
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Eastbound Q316-29 is passing by the unused MD Tower near the Clarksburg station in July of 1999. The old B&O CPL signal that stands guard over the west end of the yard is a relic from the St. Loius mainline. Recently, CSX began to replace these Color Position Lights with the newer C&O type signals.
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Photo by Chris Strogen. The Clarksburg Turn, B711, has a load of lumber in tow bound for the Hartland Planning Mill on the former WVa&P subdivision. The WVa&P originally ran to Weston, WV, about 25 miles to the south, until traffic dried up in the early 90's. The subdivision is now gone, with the final rails removed in the winter of 1999.
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Photo by Chris Strogen. The Collis P. Huntington Excursion is heading back west at J Tower in October of 1992 as it approaches the old MR Subdivision overpass where the photographer is standing. J Tower currently marks the west end of the double track mainline through Clarksburg and also the western end of CTC signalling.
[ Click Here for the Bridgeport SD Timetable ]
A westbound loaded coal drag, Benwooder T980-16, stops at Lodgeville and cuts its helpers off in the clip. After making air tests, the AEPX drag pulls west and calls the CJ Dispatcher for the DTC blocks up the Short Line Subdivision, receiving all six for a straight run to Brooklyn Junction. This recording is slightly condensed to cut down on dead air time, although all sound effects have been left in.
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In this condensed recording the Bridgeport Helper is being placed on the rear of a T812 at Webster, WV, while Q316 is getting instructions from the Grafton yardmaster to pull into her yard.
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