In the later days of the B&O Railroad, the western boundary of the Mountain Subdivision was located at the somewhat isolated East End of the Grafton Yard. GN Tower controlled the very active interlocking here, where the two main tracks from Cumberland split into four tracks through several crossovers. During the mid 1970s however, the Chessie System deemed the tower's role expendable and closed "GN", transferring the control of its interlocking to D Tower in downtown Grafton.
Then in the early 1990s CSX extended the Mountain Subdivision's western boundary from "GN" to the west end of Grafton's yard at Berkeley Run Junction. Although this change brought Grafton's yard and engine facilities into the subdivision, very little changed operationally. East of Grafton on "true" West End rails the line has an easy western approach to the Allegheny Mountains as it follows Three Forks Creek to Hardman, West Virginia. During the West End's "Reconstruction Era" the portion of the mainline between Hardman and "GN" was extensively re-aligned to allow trains to reach Hardman without requiring helpers from Grafton. Hardman became an important point on the West End when the B&O closed the old Laurel Mountain eastbound helper facilities at Newburg, West Virginia, in 1912 and moved them to Hardman. Q Tower had been built several years earlier around 1907 and controlled the complex Hardman interlocking plant at the helper station along with a remote set of crossovers to the east at Newburg. "Q" would last just over ninety years serving in this role, although in its final years the interlockings at Hardman and Newburg existed in a much diminished form. Following the dieselization of the West End in the post WW II years, the Hardman helper station became expendable and was closed in the early 1950s with all locomotive servicing and repairs transferred to a very similar facility at M&K Junction to the east. Helpers were still coupled onto eastbound trains at Hardman under the control of Q Tower until CSX closed the old B&O Tower in June of 1998.
To simplify operations following the tower's closure, a new interlocking was constructed several miles to the west at Westerman while the Hardman and Newburg interlockings were removed and replaced by a new plant about half a mile farther east of Q Tower. With these new switches in place, CSX reduced the double track mainline between "New" Hardman and Westerman to a single track main governed by a bi-directional Traffic Control Signal (TCS) system that would ultimately extend from Berkeley Run Junction to Rowlesburg.
In the spring of 2000 CSX reopened a two mile segment of the #1 main between the new Hardman interlocking and a newly installed switch near Milepost BA271. Hardman Siding, as its referred to, allows the power on loaded trains from the newly opened Whitetail Mine on Newburg Grade to runaround its train so it can return east to M&K Junction. Sometimes instead of returning east to Rowlesburg after loading, Whitetail Turns will be left on Hardman Siding overnight if the crew is close to outlawing or if no helper is available to shove the train over Newburg Grade. With the exception of these Whitetail Turns, eastbound trains no longer stop at Hardman but instead continue past the former site to a location just west of the road crossing in Newburg where the train will await its helper. Helpers crews bringing their units in from Rowlesburg will usually wait on the east end of the Hardman siding for the train to pull past the Independence Xing before moving east behind the train to couple up. Curiously, one of the few remaining sections of triple track still in place on the West End - other than a yard - is located between Hardman and Newburg, although this 3rd main track is currently out of service.
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CSX #705 with empty hopper train E101-17 passes through the interlocking at GN Tower in July of 1999. This tower was closed in the early 1970s and now exists as only a shell which stores signal equipment.
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Photo by Chris Strogen. An EMD SD50 'classic cab' is on track No. 2 as it knocks down the signal at the new Westerman interlocking in the summer of 1998.
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The lead units of Q316 are passing overtop of the CSX M of W repairs to flood damage caused by Three Forks Creek. This photo is somewhat misleading because the train is on the far track, with the closer main having been taken out of service earlier in the year.
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This view shows the basic interlocking at Hardman, WV, which existed until its closing. A set of crossovers are located in the foreground with the helper spur running off the No.1 main in front of the tower. This helper pocket use to be the beginning of the 3rd main track between here and Blaser. Q Tower was torn down during the early winter of 1999 to prevent a possible fire hazard.
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Photo by Chrystalle Doyle. A three unit lashup of Chessie SD50s repose in front of Q Tower at Hardman on an bright spring day. The SD50s first entered helper service on the West End during 1984 and lasted well into the next decade fulfilling this roll, until the new EMD SD60s and later the AC units began to take their place.
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Photo by Chris Strogen. Two SD70MACs have the point of a Q316 bound for Cumberland as the train rounds the curve east of Q Tower where "New Hardman" is located. Taken on July 23rd, 1998.
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This view is looking west towards the new Hardman interlocking, with the two AC unit Rowlesburg Helper idling on the helper spur in the distance - its now the eastern end of Hardman siding. #2 main is on the far left, #1 main is in the middle and ends just under the signal tower, while the old third track is out of service on the far right.
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With four CSX SD70ACs up front and the Keyser Helper on the rear, post merger train E083 glides through the 'horseshoe' curve at Independence, WV on June 13th, 1999. The third track (from right) is a remnant of a bygone age and it will probably be only a matter of time before it will soon be ripped up.
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Photo by Rich Borkowski Jr. On a dreary and dark winter day, Q316 is eastbound just west of Newburg as the mixed freight winds through an S curve along Raccoon Creek.
The following video still series shows the eastbound helper operation in the summer of 1985.
The three SD50 helpers have backed off the helper spur and have crossed over to Track 1 to couple onto a coal drag stopped ahead. The crewman in the foreground is re-throwing the switch. Q Tower controls this interlocking, located at the base of Newburg Grade.
After clearing the interlocking, the helpers advance to the end of the train, stopped around the wide curve between Q Tower and Independence.
After coupling up to the caboose, brake air lines are attached and pressure is built up. This usually takes around 5 minutes. In this picture, Q Tower is on the left. The only access to the Tower is a cinder road with potholes big and deep enough to go swimming in.
Finally, the front end units start pulling and the helpers start pushing the train up Newburg Grade.
The following series of photos shows the current eastbound helpers operations in the summer of 1999.
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CSX #721 and #700 are the power for U822 as it approaches Independence, WV. This train will stop at just west of the Newburg Road Xing to pick up the Rowlesburg Helpers, which are sitting around the curve in the distance on the "New Hardman" helper spur.
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The U822 has radioed it's stopped at Newburg and the M&K helpers have moved off the helper spur and are in hot pursuit.
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The helpers are rounding the curve at Independence with the end of the coal train just ahead.
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On the opposite side of the Independence curve, the SD70MACs have completed the hookup and are advancing the throttle for the shove up Newburg grade. The coupling procedure usually takes around ten minutes before the helpers radio the head end that its okay to go.
This is a condensed clip of Q316 requesting the signal at GN Tower from the 'CI' Dispatcher to depart Grafton and head east over the Mountain Subdivision.
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Copyright 2001 © Northern WV's Railroads
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