South of the summit near Borgman, the Northern began a southbound descent of four miles to Marion through Howesville and Jessop. One of the largest coal loaders on the Northern during the final years of the diesel era can be found at MP 5.1 outside of Howesville.
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A detailed topographical map showing the route of the Northern, along with abandoned branches and photo locations. Clicking the image will open map in new window.
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Opened in the mid 70s by Viking Coal, the Howesville operation was one of the last loaders on the railroad, producing over 306,000 tons of coal for the railroad in 1985. Just to the south is Birds Creek Junction where a five mile long branch diverged from the mainline to wind its way along a tributary stream through several horseshoe curves to serve the Brookside loader near WV Route 92 at the mouth of Birds Creek Valley. Closed by the late 70s, Brookside was a large producer of coal on the railroad with over 169,000 tons of coal produced in 1974. In the community of Howesville itself is the middle passing siding on the railroad, similar in use to the siding at Snider, although during the 1950s and into the 1960s the siding was occasionally used for coal loading itself. Continuing south from Howesville through Mount View the railroad enters the steepest portion of the downhill grade, a fact that unfortunately all outbound tonnage had to contend with. Until the 1970s crews would often set brakes on a predetermined amount of loaded hoppers and drag them downgrade to Marion Siding using trainline air reductions and #52's dynamic brakes to control the speed. If the amount of handbrakes set was not sufficent however, the heavily loaded train would often have a tendency to speed up quite quickly and undesirably in a runaway to the bottom of the mountain, in several cases resulting in coal hoppers being piled into a broken heap. Going upgrade while pulling empty hoppers also required special attention, with a switcher sometimes being used as a helper on especially long trains so as to prevent breakaparts.
Prior to the early 70s several small loaders were active on this section of track between Jessop and Marion, adding additional tonnage into the funnel at Tunnelton. At Marion was the railroad's southern siding that was most recently used as a runaround track by the Northern excursion trains before their trip north. Two branches diverged from the main track near Marion, one serving the large Baltimore mine on the north side, while the second left the line to the south to head east for several miles towards the Cheat River along the banks of Pringle Run. Between Marion and the B&O Interchange Yard at Tunnelton the Northern had one final grade to move its tonnage over, a short grade of 3.6% south of the road crossing in Tunnelton. Depending on weather conditions, power and the number of hoppers, the Northern would often have to break trains into several cuts in order to place their loads in the interchange yard with the B&O.
Map of the WVN - B&O Interchange Yard at Tunnelton
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S1 - Photo by Matt Reese. In a staged meet at Bird Creek Junction, the engineers of the two trains are "debating" with orders in hand who has the right to proceed. The Howesville coal loader was located in the field just behind the locomotives on several spur tracks. #50 is sitting on the five mile long Birds Creek branch that was expanded from a short spur to serve the Brookside Mine. The mine closed in the late 1970s, but part of the branch was left intact.
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S2 - Photo by Matt Reese. After the photo line climbed back aboard, #50 is proceeding with it's train through the town of Howesville.
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S3 - Photo by Matt Adams. The WMRHS excurison passing over Birds Creek Road at Howesville.
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S4 - Photo by Matt Reese. On the same day, #52 running lite is passing the repainted tool shed at Howesville.
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S5 - Photo by Matt Reese. #52 is leading its short excursion train downgrade into Howesville on July 5th, 1999, exactly one hundred years after the Northern's charter. The track in the foreground is the railroad's middle siding that was used as a hopper storage track during the WVN's coal hauling years.
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S6 - Photo by Matt Reese. During the last run, photographers and crew took time out for lunch in the passenger cars staged at Howesville siding. #50 is seen here idling in the siding during the lunch break. When two trains were ran during the Kingwood Forest Festival each autumn, Howesville would often be the meeting location.
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S7 - Photo by Matt Reese. A mile west of Howesville #52, again running lite and now displaying the "100th Anniversary - Last Run" sign, is passing through the secluded location known as Mount View.
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S8 - Photo by Matt Reese.The 100th Anniversary Special is approaching the Route 26 overpass at Jessop, a few miles north of Tunnelton. This excursion included #52, two coaches and an open air car along with the "Happy Everly" WVN caboose tacked on the end.
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S9 - Photo by Rich Borkowski. Several years earlier in the fall colors #50 leads a short excursion south at the same location.
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S10 - Photo by Matt Adams. The WMRHS excusrion descending the mountain towards Marion Siding near Townson at MP 2.
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S11 - Photo by Doug Wonders. Near Jessop Curve a southbound drag is heading downhill as a wet snow begins to blanket the area on February 23, 1989.
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S12 - Photo by Matt Reese. After running around it's excursion train, #52 is belching smoke as it begins the climb up the mountain to Jessop and Borgman at the north swith of Marion Siding.
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S13 - Photo by Matt Reese. A staged photo at Marion Siding during the last run mixing antinque automobiles with old locomotives. Marion was at one time a site of a large coal tipple that provided much tonnage into the 1970s for the railroad. A small yard was also located here, used for hopper storage.
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S14 - Photo by Chris Strogen. A northbound excursion train with just one coach is throttling up at Marion Siding during June of 1997. The amount of equipment used on a particular run would often depend upon ridership for that particular trip.
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S15 - Photo by Matt Reese. #50 and train are rounding the sharp thirty three degree curve between Tunnelton and Marion Siding. Rocks protuding from the hillside come within several feet of equipment which resulted in trains rounding the sharp curve at walking speed.
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S16 - Photo by Matt Reese. #50 and train are approaching Tunnelton, pulling past the reclaimed land of the Mart Mine.
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S17 - Photo by Matt Reese. A weekend excursion is approaching the road crossing in Tunnelton preparing to ascend the short, but steep grade to the former location of the interchange yard at Tunnelton.
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S18 - Photo by Matt Reese. The final excursion idling across from the Tunnelton station before heading back to Kingwood one last time.
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S19 - Photo by Matt Reese. Eastbound mixed freight Q316 is passing the West Virginia Northern on the CSX mainline at Tunnelton. During the coal years, turns out of M&K Junction located several miles to the east would often switch the interchange yard at Tunnelton.
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S20 - Photo by Matt Reese.
A loaded coal drag has pulled off the WVN's mainline and onto the former B&O track at Tunnelton during the late spring of 1986. Then units' throttles would be wide open to drag the cuts of loaded hoppers up the steep grade of more than 3%.
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S21 - Photo by Jerry Doyle. A short exursion train has pulled up the old interchange track at Tunnelton before reversing direction back to Marion Siding to runaround its train.
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S22 - Photo by Matt Adams. The WMRHS exursion has stopped at Tunnelton to allow its passengers a photo op from the pedestrian bridge. The double track mainline is the former B&O West End, present day CSX Mountain Subdivision.
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S23 - Photo by Matt Reese. Also taken from the pedestrian bridge at Tunnelton, the last excursion is posing on the interchange track with #50 and #52 in the late afternoon sunshine. This track was the B&O's first mainline through Kingwood before the completion of the double track line in 1912. The line remained in use until the early 60s when it was closed and turned over to the Northern for use.
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S24 - Photo by Matt Reese.
A Northern drag has pulled underneath the pedestrian bridge at Tunnelton with a cut of load coal hoppers and is preparing to back down into the small interchange yard.
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Copyright 1998-2003 © Northern WV's Railroads
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