The Waynesburg Southern is a coal branchline constructed by the PRR in the 1960s. Named after the paper railroad created for its construction, the "Southern" was leased to the Monongahela Railway and later came under the control of Conrail and Norfolk Southern. Originally built to reach several large mines in northern West Virginia, the line continues to serve two major coal loaders. For additional information on the line's construction, please visit the History of the MGA Coal Fields. Following Conrail's takeover of the MGA in 1993, the northern bounday of the Waynesburg Southern was moved from the old station in Waynesburg to Manor Junction. This move also simplified the installation of a CTC signalling system to the junction of the Manor Branch with the Southern. Conrail choose not to install signals on the Waynesburg Southern due to its relatively small amount of trains each day. As a result, the branch is governed by the MGA's Block Clearance System. Today the northern boundary of the Southern begins at Manor Junction - MP W1.0, Block Limit Station "MAN". Although officially located on the Mon Line, the south end of the siding serving Emerald Mine reconnects with the line at MP W1.6.
From here, the railroad follows the South Fork of Ten Mile Run towards White Cottage on grades reaching a maximum of 0.89% against southbound trains. Several trestles are located on this section of the line, often crossing the main highway and the sizable stream several times in less than a mile. Near the towns of East View, BLS "EVE" (MP W3.1), and Rogersville (MP W6.5), the railroad slices through protruding hillsides in two large cuts. The large cut at East View contains the Waynesburg Southern's sharpest curve of 10 and a 1/2 degrees. Several miles further south at BLS "WOOD" (MP W10.2) is the northern end of the branch's only passing siding, the 8300 foot long White Cottage siding. White Cottage is usually the location where turns to the same mine pass, along with storing trains whose crews are close to going on the law. The southern end of the siding is marked by BLS "TAG" (MP W11.9) with the 1415 foot long White Cottage tunnel located less than a mile to the south at the approximate 1100 ft summit of the Waynesburg Southern. At the south end of the tunnel, the railroad begins a ten mile descent in the Toms Run Valley on a grade not exceeding 0.50% against northbound loaded trains.
Although not very steep when compared to other lines in the Tri State region, this grade faces coal tonnage moving north from the state line mines. Unit coal trains often have more than 100 hoppers with only two or three six axle units being provided for power. Due to this, northbound loaded turns will sometimes stall on the Hill when weather conditions cause slippery rail, requiring the power to be pulled from another assignment to help the stranded drag over the top at White Cottage. Continuing south to the mines, the Waynesburg Southern passes over a large trestle at Buzz (MP W14.2) and a second located at Pine Bank, BLS "COT" (MP W16.7). Pine Bank is rumored to be the spot where another mine may built by Consol Energy to tap its coal reserves to the west. Below Pine Bank, the railroad twists around several large curves cut into the hillside until it reaches Wana Junction, BLS "WANA" (MP W20.2). Here the two mile long Wana Industrial track diverges south towards a loading loop at Consolidated Coal's Blacksville #2 mine. Blacksville #2 can load a 110 car hopper train in less than four hours, allowing Norfolk Southern or CSX to load one or two trains a day. The Waynesburg Southern enters West Virginia for the first time just east of Wana Junction before curving back into Pennsylvania at Brave. Farther east at MP W22.5 is the Clif wye, BLS "CLIF", that allows southbound trains to enter West Virginia on the six mile long Miracle Run Branch.
This branch's sole purpose is to serve Eastern Associated's Federal #2 mine near Bula at MP R4.5. Federal #2 uses a runaround track located between the mine's loadout and the southern end of the branch at MP R6 in order to allow a train's locomotives to switch ends. A unique system of residential "warning" lights is in place to inform local motorists when to use the Miracle Run road bypass, to avoid being cut off from their homes when a train is loading. Like Blacksville #2, Federal #2 can usually load a 110 car train in less than four hours. However, because the branch dead ends instead of making a loop, power from mine turns will sometimes be ran north to the Clif Wye for turning if the trailing unit does not face north or if it is not equipped for flood loading. To the east side of the Clif Wye on the Waynesburg Southern is the small town of Blacksville, West Virginia where Consolidated Coal's Blacksville #1 mine is located near MP W25.0. The Southern's end of track is located on the south side of the mine's tail tracks at MP W27.3. Blacksville #1 was shutdown in 1992 following several years of a beleaguered coal market, but not before an explosion killed two workers who were in the process of closing the mine's portals. In July of 1995, Conrail began shipping loads of fly ash in covered hoppers to Blacksville #1 for dumping into the mine's vast network of shafts, keeping an old section of the MRY in business for the foreseeable future. On average, normally a train a day will load at both Blacksville #2 and Federal #2, while Blacksville #1 will be served by the C26 local on Wednesdays and Sundays.
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Photo by Matt Reese. Norfolk Southern #9292 leads a loaded drag north in the late evening sunlight as the train approaches the large cut at East View.
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. Two brand new Super 7s lead a Wisconsin Electric train north at Rogersville, Pa on November XX, 1990.
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Photo by Matt Reese. A northbound coal train is passing in front of the town of Rogersville with 100 loads of coal from Federal #2. The maximum allowed speed on the Southern is 25mph, allowing ample time for photographs at several different locations. The second locomotive, owned by Ontario Northern, is a rare sight on the Monongahela.
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Photo by Matt Reese. Three of Norfolk Southern's countless fleet of CW40-9s lead an empty train south through the cut at Rogersville, bound for Blacksville #2. During the construction of the line, 400,000 tons of rock were removed from this hillside to prevent having to tunnel underneath.
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Photo by Matt Reese. An SD60M and a Dash Nine are nearing Block Limit Station "WOOD" at the north end of White Cottage siding , as the pair leads ninety empties south to Blacksville #2.
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Photo by Matt Reese. An N06 Blacksville #2 Turn is awaiting a crew at the south end of the White Cottage siding on a bright February day. Waynesburg Southern Mty trains will sometimes be moved south from West Brownsville to White Cottage ahead of a mine's loading schedule, in order to make room at the WB yard.
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Photo by Matt Reese. Following a meet with a northbound loaded train at White Cottage siding, a southbound Federal #2 Mine Turn is pulling back onto the main track as the locomotives approach the White Cottage road Xing.
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Photo by Ron Wilson. The power on this northbound mine turn has just exited the White Cottage tunnel at the summit of the grade from Wana Junction and is still working hard to keep the loaded hoppers on the other side of the tunnel moving.
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Photo by Matt Reese. An empty Federal-2 Mine Turn is rolling south through the Toms Run Valley after crossing the watersheds through the White Cottage Tunnel located less than half a mile to the north.
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Photo by Matt Reese. With a train of mixed Norfolk Southern empties in tow, newly painted Norfolk Southern SD80MAC #7213 leads a second SD80MAC south across the trestle at Buzz, Pennsylvania.
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. Near Buzz, one of Conrail's rare C32-8s leads an empty Blacksville #2 train south on September 24th, 1989.
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On the late evening of a spring day, the WIMG-02 with a CNW GE in the lead and a CR six axle trailing heads north towards White Cottage approaching the trestle at Pine Bank. The flyash hoppers are returning to West Brownsville empty after dumping their ash at Blacksville #1. Photo by Bill Sechler - Matt Reese Collection
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. On a bright September day in 1992, MGA Super 7 #2305 leads a set of empty hoppers south near Wana Junction.
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Photo by Matt Reese. A loaded Detroit Edison train with two BNSF SD70MACs on the front are pulling across the Toms Run trestle from Blacksville #2 on January 14th, 2000. The Wana Industrial track meets the Waynesburg Southern just ahead of the lead unit at Wana Junction, BLS "WANA".
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Photo by Matt Reese. In a reverse view of the above bridge, an empty N06 Turn is crossing the structure on an early morning in May of 2000.
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Two Conrail widecab locomotives are idling near the middle of the Wana Industrial track after loading their train at Blacksville #2, which is only one of two mines in the MGA Mine District which uses a loop track for loading. Photo by Bill Sechler - Matt Reese Collection
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Photo by Chris Strogen. Two SD70MACs are loading a Somerset train at Consol's Blacksville #2 on a rainy winter day. Blacksville #2 is one of only two mines on the MGA that has a loading loop.
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Photo by Matt Reese. The bi-weekly C26 local has arrived at the north end of the Miracle Run Branch on the south leg of the "Clif" wye near Brave. The local will switch its covered flyash hoppers here in order to properly arrange them for unloading, before continuing south to Blacksville.
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. CSXT #8436 and two other units round the Miracle Run wye with P&LE hoppers bound for Federal #2.
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Photo by Matt Reese. The Sunday C26 is heading north just outside Blacksville, West Virginia, after placing a cut of loaded covered hoppers at the inactive Blacksville #1 mine. This section of the Waynesburg Southern between the CLIF wye and the end of track is now only used for storing MofW equipment and this twice a week local.
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. Conrail #6788 is flood loading a train at Blacksville #1 during early September of 1989.
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Photo by Terry Arbogast. A month later, MGA GP38 #2003 and three P&LE units are also lensed flood loading a train at Blacksville #1, this time just north of the mine's loadout.
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Photo by Matt Reese. Norfolk Southern empty train N02 is moving south on the Miracle Run Branch to Federal #2 as it parallels the branch's namesake stream just north of Bula, West Virginia, near the Mason Dixon school.
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Photo by Matt Reese. CSX SD70MAC #712 is slowly pulling north across a county road while flood loading at the Federal #2 mine in early autumn of 2000. Due to Federal -2 Turns blocking this road crossing while loading, an alternate bypass route for local residents was constructed in the mid 90s, putting an end to the practice of splitting trains into two sections at the mine to prevent delays to the traveling public.
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Photo by Matt Reese. An empty hopper train is slowly pulling under the loadout at the Federal-2 mine allowing the mine's employees to inspect each hopper for defects. The two tracks at the lower left of the photo is the north end of the Miracle Run siding, that allows power on mine turns to run around its train before flood loading.
White Cottage siding is the only passing siding for southbounds and northbounds on the Waynesburg Southern. In this clip, southbound Federal #2 empties, N02, receive clearance south to BLS "BULA", while a northbound loaded Federal #2 train heads north to BLS "MAN" at Waynesburg.
The Defect Detector at Block Limit Station "COT" on the Waynesburg Southern.
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