The West Virginia Central Railroad

The West Virginia Central Railroad was inaugurated on May 16th, 1998, during the annual Cass Scenic Railroad railfan weekend. This marked the end of several years of legal battles to save over 140 miles of abandoned CSX track stretching south through north central West Virginia, which CSX had been trying to abandon since the early 1990's when its coal traffic had dried up. Finally in 1997 the ICC allowed CSX to abandon its track below Elkins with the condition that the line's rail would be left down allowing the West Virginia State Rail Authority (WVSRA) to buy the abandoned portion between Elkins and Bergoo along with the still in service section between Elkins and Tygart Junction for six millions dollars.

However, instead of operating the new West Virginia Central line itself, the WVSRA sought an outside company to manange and operate the railroad. After receiving several bids, the WVSRA decided to award the job to the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad, a shortline railroad company owned by John and Kathy Smith. Fortunately, the D&GV is not the average railroad, in the sense they know how to get things done - and get them done right. While the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley's is headquartered in Durbin, home to their excursions using a Moore Keppel Climax, the West Virginia Central's terminal is found at Belington. Built on the site of the old yard, the WVC erected a single stall enginhouse here in the fall of 1998. The company's locomotives and passenger equipment can also be found there after hours and during the excursion off season.

North of Belington, the railroad's Belington Subdivision follows the east bank of the Tygart Valley River for eleven miles to its interchange with CSX's Cowen Subdivision at Tygart Junction. Devoid of population, the valley is highlighted by it's scenery and isolation from even roads. Milepost 2 marks the south end of the Tygart Interchange yard limits, requiring trains to approach Tygart under careful observation for CSX trains that may be using the track. In 1999 - 2000, the hillside just south of the actual junction was excavated and a short six car siding opened that spring to allow locomotives to runaround their passenger or freight train. CSX will also drop interchange cars here, albeit typically only once a week.

To the south of Belington, the WVC continues to follow the east bank of the Tygart Valley River as it passes through the communities of Dartmoor and Junior. A fifteen car siding is located at Norton that is used for rare meets between opposing trains, in addition to being used as a classification yard for the railroad's large contingent of stored freight cars.

Photo by Matt Reese. The view from #82 as it shoves a string of coal hoppers through Elkins. #67 and #415 are pulling on the south end of the train, while #82 is serving as the helper unit on this day.

The Coalton Industrial track diverges here as well, crossing the Tygart Valley River at both the north and south ends of the siding. Although the Bentley Coal tipple still stands on the Coalton Industrial track, it is currently inactive. Below Norton, the railroad parallels Route 33 and the old Western Maryland Railway right of way to Aggregates, where its crosses the Tygart Valley River. Traveling across the flood plain west of Elkins, the subdivision crosses the Tygart River once again and enters the Elkins Yard Limits at Milepost 27.0, before passing through the city's flood wall. Wilson Lumber Company, the railroad's largest freight shipper, is located near Milepost 28.0, served by an industrial track off the main line. Less than half a mile further is the north leg of the Elkins wye and the end of the Belington Subdivision at Huttonsville Junction, 28.4, where the Cheat Subdivision continues southward and the Dailey Subdivision diverges from the mainline.

The Dailey Subdivision, often referred to as the Dailey Branch, heads south From Huttonsville Junction continuing to follow the path of the Tygart Valley River. Just south of the Junction is a short 15 car runaround siding often used by the NTF's locomotives to runaround its train on short trips.

Photo by Matt Reese. Another cut of cars are being dragged over Sullivan's Hill on the Dailey Branch towards Elkins.

The railroad's second active shipper is located here as well, Elkins Iron & Metal, which typically ships outbound loads of scrap metal. At Milepost 1.2 the old Elkins Junction is encountered, where the WM's abandoned mainline to Belington left to follow the river to Norton. After passing over the Tygart Valley River just south of Elkins Junction, the line begins a steep, half a mile long 2.4% grade to Sulllivan. Once through the summit cut, the branch descends another short 2.4% grade to just past the south end of the Dailey Yard limit board at Milepost 2. For the next 7 miles, the railroad curves through the valley's wide bottomland passing through the Cow Crap crossing landmark and the communities of Arnold Hill and Beverly. Several forest related industries can be found between Beverly and Dailey, although none are currently shipping by rail. Near Milepost 9, the branch spans the Tygart Valley River one last time using a combined wooden trestle - girder bridge, before crossing US Route 33 and entering Dailey, Milepost 9.6. A siding is located in the small town, with the end of the track found just below the siding's south end at Milepost 10.4. Presently the Dailey Branch is used for storing over several hundred out of service CSX freight cars.

Returning to Huttonsville Junction, the Cheat Subdivision crosses Davis Avenue in Elkins and begins a steep climb up Cheat Mountain.

Photo by Matt Reese. #82 is the lead unit in the A-B-BL2 consist as it pushes a cut of old Conrail gondolas up Cheat Mountain at Isner Run crossing.

Leaving the Elkins Yard Limits at Milepost 30, the railroad crosses over Route 33 and passes through the horseshoe Isner Loop near Milepost 32. With a grade reaching a maximum of 2.8% percent, the summit is soon reached at Tunnel, named for the 1717 ' long S curved bore under the mountain's ridge. Once through the tunnel, the mainline descends into the Shaver Fork of the Cheat River valley on a grade again reaching 2%. The bottom of the mountain is reached in the small community of Bowden, Milepost 38.4 and the location of another short, out of service siding. From the next fifty miles, the Cheat Subdivision follows the banks of Shavers Fork, steadily climbing on mild grades to its headwater at Spruce. The isolated river valley south of Bowden is only pierced by traveled roads at the seasonal camping community of Bemis and at also at Cheat Bridge. A 4200' long siding is found at Woodrow, Milepost 42.6, used by the New Tygart Flyer's locomotives to run around their train before or after reaching High Falls station. Aptly named for the High Falls of the Shavers Fork River, the station at Milepost 50.6 is marked by a sharp 33 degree. The New Tygart Flyer's route ends here, while the railroad south of High Falls belongs to the Cheat Mountain Salamander. Currently the railroad is out of service south of the Big Cut at Milepost 88.8. Plans are for the railroad to soon be rebuilt to Bergoo for excursions operating out of Laurel Bank.

For more information on the WVC schedules, please visit the railroad's offical website via the link at the bottom of the page.

Photo by Matt Reese. The BL2 has picked up a boxcar setoff by CSX and backed it against the excursion train before making a runaround move to return to Belington.

Photo by Matt Reese. #82 is heading north towards Tygart Junctionas it rounds a curve at Wilmoth Falls, deep within the isolated Tygart River valley.

Photo by Matt Reese. Today's NTF rates both the BL2 and #67 as the train pauses in Belington after returning from Tygart Junction.

Photo by Matt Reese. Norfolk & Western #41 has pulled the coaches up to the "ticket office" at Belington for the 10am passengers and the first WVC revenue excursion to Elkins is about to get underway on Saturday June 26, 1999.

Photo by Matt Reese. WM #303 brings a string of coal hoppers across the Tygart Valley River at Norton on a bright spring day. The hoppers were pulled up the remaining stub of the Coalton Industrial Track and then backed downhill for storage on the Bentley Coal tipple's loading track.

Photo by Chris Strogen. After shoving a cut of cars towards Bentley Coal, the three units prepare to head across the Tygart River to Norton on the Coalton Industrial Track.

Photo by Matt Reese. #41 is approaching the J.F. Allen crossing just north of the Tygart Valley River Bridge, three miles east of Elkins. Both the locomotive and the passenger cars would disappear by 2003, replaced by the WVC's locomotives and coaches.

Photo by Matt Reese. Timeless... A Norton Work Extra is crossing the Tygart Valley River with a train of coal hoppers in March of 1964... Well, 2004 actually.

Photo by Matt Reese. The Flyer has reached Huttonsville Jct. in Elkins and the T6 has already uncoupled from the coaches and is preparing to make a move over the wye for the return trip. The track diverging to the left is the Dailey Industrial track.

Photo by Matt Reese. Before the NTF's route was extended to High Falls, the locomotives were turned on the wye at Elkins before returning north to Belington. The BL2 is backing onto the east leg of the wyein this June of 2000 photo. Today most trains are backed onto the Dailey Branch at Elkins when required, where each is ran around using a short siding.

Photo by Matt Reese. Returning north from Beverly through a pouring thunderstorm, a Dailey Extra North is nearing the Elkins Yard Limit board at MP 2. The beginning of the steepgrade lies just ahead of the locomotives.

Photo by Matt Reese. As part of the 2001 Western Maryland Railway Historical Society's convention at Elkins, the West Virginia Central provided a rare mileage trip over the Dailey Branch. The first revenue passenger train over the branch since the end of WM passenger service is seen passing over Chenoweth Creek at MP3 on the return trip from Dailey.

Photo by Matt Reese. March 10th, 2004, finds a Dailey Extra North crossing Chenoweth Creek with a train of empty coal hoppers bound for sorting at Norton.

Photo by Matt Reese. The WVC has shoved a train of stored cars down the Dailey Branch to the south end of Beverly, where the cars will be left for storage. The locomotives are sitting on the old station track switch that once served a bustling freight depot.

Photo by Matt Reese. For many years, the Dailey Branch was relegated to single locomotives consists. The WVC proved the naysayers wrong in May of 2003, when a train of bad ordered CSX cars was moved to Dailey using an A-B-A lashup. The railroad's first Dailey Extra with multiple units is seen here holding the siding in Dailey, after shoving its train to the end of the branch.

Photo by Matt Reese. After bringing a string of coal hoppers down Cheat Mountain from Tunnel on March 18th, 2004, the train pauses at the station platform in Elkins before continuing north.

Photo by Matt Reese. #67 and mates pushing a fifty car train across the US Route 219 bridge in Elkins.

Photo by Matt Reese. The A-B-BL2 lashup is shoving a string of freight cars around Isner Loop at Poe Run crossing in February 2004. The cars will be left on the mountain until all the remaining cars on the Dailey Branch had been sorted.

Photo by Paul Rujak. In expectation of extending the Tygart River Flyer route past Elkins to High Falls for the 2001 excursion season, the railroad had to make sure its passenger cars could fit through the contorted tunnel at the summit of Cheat Mountain. In this view, the train is being walked through the tunnel for the first time at a slow speed.

Photo by Matt Reese. The early autumn sun has not yet reached the east end of the Tunnel through Cheat Mountain as #82 leads the NTF south from the 2200' long bore at 5 MPH.

Photo by Matt Reese. Two miles west of Bowden at Faulkner, the New Tygart Flyer has begun the northward climb up Cheat Mountain to Tunnel.

Photo by Matt Reese. The NTF is northbound at Bowden on a bright autumn afternoon. The white signs in the foreground are a remenant from CSX, used to mark DTC Block limits between the BOW and BEMIS blocks.

Photo by Randy Strogen. The Cheat Mountain Salamander has arrived at High Falls Station. Passengers may detrain here to visit the nearby falls before returning to Cheat Bridge.

Photo by Lars Byrne. The M-3 is returning to Cheat Bridge from High Falls as it follows the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River near Switchback Curve. At 29 degrees of curvature, the curve is the second tightest on the railroad, only behind the 33 degree curve at High Falls.

Photo by Bill Young. The Cheat River Salamander is deep within the snow covered mountains as the railcar follows the Shavers Fork River in the winter of 2001.

Photo by Lars Byrne. The West Virginia Central's Edward Railcar is heading upgrade through the Big Cut near Spruce. The elevation of Big Cut is the highest "mainline" trackage east of the Mississippi River, resulting in a whole different season in the valleys around Spruce than the lowlands near Elkins and Belington. The Railcar is the newest addition to the Central's Roster, built specifically for the railroad and its current run between Cheat Bridge and the Big Cut.

Photo by Lars Byrne. Moore-Keppel No.3 has firm control over the Durbin Rocket as it steams through the Greenbrier Valley over D&GV, former C&O rails near Boyers Siding.

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 1.3M
Format : RealVideo
The first train of coal cars on the railroad since 1994 departs the WVC's terminal at Belington on May 1, 2003.

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 1.4M
Format : RealVideo
In the midst of a pouring rain storm, the WVC shoves a train of boxcars into the siding at Dailey for storage.

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 2.1M
Format : RealVideo
Returning north to Elkins, the three units drift across Haddix crossing at the summit of Sullivan Hill.

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 750k
Format : RealVideo
The A-B-A lashup storms across the Tygart Valley River bridge at Norton to get a run for the steep hill that lies ahead...

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 3.0M
Format : RealVideo
With just two units and fifty plus hoppers, the Norton Work Extra stalls on the rusted rail. The train squeals its way back down off the hill and across the bridge to make another run.

Video by Matt Reese
Size : 1.0M
Format : RealVideo
Farther up the mountain, another cut of empty hoppers climbs the 2% grade on the Coalton Industrial Track.

Click below to see the

Photo by Jerry Doyle, the painting of the WM #82

Note: If your browser does not support imagemaps or javascript, Click Here.