An Introduction to the Railroads of the Region

Hello and welcome to our website, Northern West Virginia's Railroads. This internet site was created for those of you who are interested in the railroading of the northern region of the Mountain State, whether you are already a railfan of the area, a railbuff from across the country or someone who just enjoys the appeal of trains. It is our goal to bring you current information, interesting photos and the history of the railroads throughout this region. Although this website's primary focus will be on the railroads in the northern section of West Virginia, our coverage will also include some sections of southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland. The reason for expanding outside our title is because as you're surely aware, railroad lines don't always stay within state boundaries.

So what railroads are actually located in the Region? Currently there are only two major railroads, called Class I railroads by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), located in the region: CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Corporation. However, before these corporate giants were organized, the region had a large number of independent short line and regional railroads which were gradually taken over and merged with other railroad companies throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. Although it is impossible to list every single railroad company that ever existed in this region, there are three companies which are worth mentioning due to the fact they lasted in name for over 50 years. One of these you may remember from a certain board game, while the other two may be unfamiliar to those of you who are not from this region - the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, the Western Maryland Railway Company and the Monongahela Railway Company. Througout the site there will be frequent references to these railroads, as their heritage can still be seen in today's railroads. Interestingly, a trend has developed since the early 1990s of a return to the short line and regional company's ownership of a section of railroad. During that decade two seperate companies began operating over trackage previously abandoned by CSX, the Elk River Railroad between Dundon and Burnsville, and also the West Virginia Railroad between Tygart Junction and Bergoo. Two other short line companies that have remained indepedent for many years also exist, the West Virginia Northern Railroad out of Kingwood and the Beech Mountain Railroad based in Alexander.

As previously mentioned, only two Class I railroads currently operate in the region, although these corporations own more than 600 miles of railroad in the region. Of the two, CSX Transportation currently owns the majority of the total rail mileage in the region - trackage that had been previously owned by the Chessie System and its predecessors, the B&O Railroad and the Western Maryland Railway. CSX's lines in the region are currently part of the Western District of the Allegheny Division, which are marked in blue on the map below. Norfolk Southern has only recently gained access into the region following its acquisition of Conrail in 1999, who in turn had taken over the Monongahela Railway (MGA) in 1993. Currently NS' lines are organized as the MGA Mine District of the Pittsburgh Division and are marked red on the map below.

Underneath is a clickable map of the region's railroad network that will take you to each line's description located below and a link to a seperate page covering the line in more detail. Not all lines are currently available

Mountain Subdivision - The Mountain Subdivision or the B&O's West End as its often called, is located between Grafton and Cumberland, MD, and passes through some of the most rugged terrain transversed by a mainline east of the Mississippi River. The majority of the traffic on the Mountain Subdivision is comprised of coal hoppers moving either from or to the mines located on the Western and MGA Mine Districts. During the week, the line is normally used by about two to five westbound empty hopper trains, two to five eastbound loaded hopper trains, a daily mixed freight in each direction and several locals working online industries or connecting with other subdivisions. The Mountain Subdivision is also widely know for its history as being part of the B&O Railroad's original 19th century mainline to Wheeling, WV, along with the West End's four major grades and the resulting helper movements.

Kingwood Subdivision - The Kingwood Subdivision is a branch line located along the Cheat River between Rowlesburg (M&K Junction) and Albright. A coal hauling line for most of its existence, the Kingwood Sub currently has no major source of online coal traffic and only one source of freight traffic, a medium sized lumbermill near its western end. A local turn out of Rowlesburg usually works the lumberplant once a week, when the power and a crew is available.

Grafton, West Virginia's yard is the only major rail hub in the region. Grafton serves as a dispatching and assembly point for trains to over ten mines located in the Cowen and MGA coal fields, along with processing local freight originating or bound for industries throughout the region. Grafton Terminal's Service Center is also the only locomotive inspecting and fueling / sanding location east of the Ohio River, west of Cumberland and south of Glenwood (PA) resulting in a large number of units being processed each day.

Fairmont Subdivision - The Fairmont Subdivision is a line located between Grafton and Rivesville that serves as part of a bridge route between Grafton and the MGA Mine District's staging yard at Newell. Usually the Fairmont Sub sees about three to four trains a day which varies in direction, along with a tri weekly local. Like the Mountain Subdivision, the Fairmont Subdivision was once part of the B&O's Old Main Line between Wheeling and Baltimore.

Cowen Subdivision - The Cowen Subdivision is a rail line located between Grafton and Cowen that produces much of the coal trains from the northern West Virginia region. The majority of the traffic on this line is naturally coal coming from four to six active mines, although a fair amount of local freight traffic can originate online between Grafton and Buckhannon, resulting in a turn two or three times a week to the latter location. On average during the week, the line will see about two or three empty coal trains dispatched to serve the Cowen mines and one or two additional turns dispatched to work the mines north of Hampton Junction each day. Eastbound loaded drags usually mirror the amount of empties sent to the mines during the previous few days. The lower section of the Cowen Sub transverses rugged terrain where only two mines are currently active, although these are worked out of the small staging yard at Cowen.

Pickens Subdivision - The Pickens Subdivision is a branchline between Hampton Junction and Alexander where it connects with the dorminant Beech Mountain Railroad. A Mine Turn out of Grafton usually serves the line's only online source of traffic, the Sawmill Run mine near Sago, at least five times a week leaving the rest of the subdivision out of service past the mine.

Williams River Subdivision - The Williams River Subdivision is a ten mile coal branch between Cowen and Jerryville in the depths of the West Virginia Wildnerness. This sub has been inactive since 1998 and is currently out of service.

Bridgeport Subdivision - The Bridgeport Subdivision located between Grafton and Clarksburg is the last remaining section of the old Parkersburg Branch which now serves as part of a through route between the former location and the Ohio River. Coal hopper trains provide the majority of the subdivision's traffic with AEP trains moving between the power plants on the Ohio River and the mines throughout the region at least twice a day, along with an almost daily Turn to a mine located to the west on the Short Line Subdivision. The Bridgeport Subdivision also is used by a daily freight in each direction along with several local freight jobs.

Short Line Subdivision - The Short Line Subdivision is located between Clarksburg and the Brooklyn Junction Yard in New Martinsville. This subdivision's traffic is similar to the Bridgeport Subdivision due to its role as serving as the western linkpin in the bridge route between Grafton and the Ohio River. A mixed freight transverses the line in each direction (Q316E and Q317W) a day, along with several coal hopper trains and local turns usually worked out of New Martinsville.

Ohio River Subdivision - The Ohio River Subdivision is a single track through route following the Ohio River between Benwood and Huntington. A good amount of local business is located on this line for CSX, ranging from large chemical and industrial plants to several major power plants. As a result of the Ohio River subdivision's size, the line will often be broken down into two distinct sections: The Lower River between Huntington and Parkersburg and The Upper River between Parkersburg and Benwood. The Lower River often sees several movements of coal hopper trains between the C&O fields and three AEP power plants, while the Upper River shares a similar traffic pattern in the respect that the near majority of its traffic is also AEP coal trains, although some of this coal is loaded to the east of Brooklyn Junction instead of on the C&O. The Ohio River subdivision also sees a daily mixed freight in each direction, along with several daily locals worked out of various locations along the line.

Thomas Subdivision - The Thomas Subdivision is an old Western Maryland rail line located between 21st Bridge, MD and Henry, WV. Traffic moving over this line is often unpredictable as a result of sporadic mine loadings, although the large Westvaco paper mill near Keyser is worked by a local on two daily shifts. Following the Conrail Merger in 1999, Turns to the Mettiki mine at the subdivision's extreme western end have picked up in frequency, along with trains using the Thomas line to reach the connecting Georges Creek Subdivision.

Stony River Subdivision - The Stony River Subdivision is a branch line located between Bayard and a large power plant at Mt. Storm. Currently this line is inactive, although reports indicate it will once again see regular traffic beginning in the Spring of 2001.

Georges Creek Subdivision - The Georges Creek Subdivision is an ancient coal branchline that follow's its namesake stream north from Westernport to serve two sporadically active coal mines between the former town and the end of track a few miles south of Frostburg. Turns will be worked out of Cumberland and Keyser on an as needed basis, which usually amounts to one train a week.

The following lines are part of the MGA Mine District:

Mon Line - The Mon Line stretches between Pittsburgh, PA and Waynesburg, PA, although the portion covered in this website is the section between West Brownsville and Waynesburg. 99.9% of the traffic on the Mon Line is coal originating from several mines around Waynesburg and to the south, although only one coal mine is actually served directly by the Mon Line - as a result, the majority of the coal tonnage comes from the other branches it connects with at Manor Junction, CP85. On an average day during the week, the single track Mon Line sees about twelve mine turns a day, although because the branches it connects with are not through lines, twelve turns amount to a total of twenty four movements - empty hoppers south and loaded back north.

Loveridge Secondary - The Loveridge Secondary is the Monongahela Railway's original line which follows the Monongahela River between Brownsville, PA and Rivesville, WV, where at the latter location it turns west to serve the inactive Loveridge mine located at the end of track near Fairview. Several major industries are located on the northern section of the line, although the section below Alicia only sees sporadic mine activity. Although the Loveridge line is owned by Norfolk Southern, the majority of the trains south of Alicia are operated by CSX as part of a trackage rights agreement between Brownsville Junction and Catawba Junction allowing through trains to move between Newell and Grafton. On a typical day, three or four CSX trains will transverse the line in either direction, while NS will provide several of their own coal trains between Alicia and Brownsville and a four day a week local between Brownsville and Morgantown.

Manor Branch - The Manor Branch is a coal branch with one purpose: to serve the enormous Bailey - Enlow Fork mines at the end of its fourteen miles of track from Waynesburg. As many as eight trains a day during the week can be loaded on the branch resulting in 18 movements a day, with Helpers adding to the mix on its southern end to help loaded drags over a northbound grade.

Waynesburg Southern - The Waynesburg Southern is an ex MGA coal branch located between Waynesburg and Blacksville, WV that was built in the 1960s. Two to four trains a day during the week usually transverse the Southern in each direction with empty hoppers headed south and returning north loaded with coal. These trains serve two mines at the southern end of the Waynesburg Southern, although one of these mines is located on the short Miracle Run Branch that reaches across the Mason Dixon line. An inactive mine near Blacksville receives loads of flyash for dumping twice a week, resulting in the line's only non freight traffic, a local out of West Brownsville.

West Virginia Central Railroad - The West Virginia Central Railroad was created in the late 90s as a result of CSX wanting to abandon its old Western Maryland Railway lines through the Central section of the state. In 1998 the West Virginia Central took over freight operations from CSX over the only operable section of the line between Elkins and Tygart Junction. Currently the WVC usually makes a weekly roundtrip freight run from its Belington terminal to serve customes around Elkins and interchange the freight at Tygart. Seasonsal passenger excursions are also in full swing on two different segments of the railroad, with more trips planned over new sections of the railroad as the state rebuilding continues.

West Virginia Northern Railroad - The West Virginia Northern Railroad was a shortline coal hauling operation between Kingwood and a connection with CSX at Tunnelton, WV. The coal hauling operations ceased in the early 90s due to a poor market, although passenger excursions were started a few years later. Unfortunately the amount of money required to keep the Northern operation was ever expanding and in 1999 the WVN defaulted on its $1 million dollar debts. As a result, its 100th year of operation was also its last with the railroad ending its excursions that winter. The line was listed for sale, which took place in 2000 and its expected the rails will be ripped up in the near future with the rolling stock and unique locomotives sold at auction.

Beech Mountain Railroad Railroad - The Beech Mountain Railroad is a short coal hauling company in Upshur and Randolph Counties. The BEEM is a railroad that can be traced back to the lumber hauling days in the early 20th century when various branches snaked throughout the hills in valleys. By the year 2000 however, the railroad had been cut back to just eight miles between a connection with CSX at Alexander and its sole source of coal from the Carter Roag's mine near Star Bridge. This mine closed in the late 90s shutting the railroad down, although this is not the first operational drought in the past thirty years. Fortunately there are still huge amounts of coal underlying the area waiting to be tapped, giving the railroad a hopeful future.

Elk River Railroad - The Elk River Railroad was formed in the 1990s following CSX's abandonment of its Elk River Subdivision between Gilmer Station (near Burnsville) and Charleston. Over the next decade the ELKR usually moved a train a week between the CSX interchange at Gilmer Station and the Avoca loadout near Dundon on the old BC&G railroad. Coal was loaded into hoppers by several end loaders at the Avoca plant which was bound for AEP's Mitchell Power plant at Cresap on the Ohio River. North of the railroad's headquarters at Gassaway, stiff grades reaching over 2.5% forced the Elk River's six GP units to break the 90 car trains down into thirty car cuts for the climb over several ridges to Gilmer. In 1999, the railroad faced an uncertain future when its haul contract expired but fortunately it was renewed shortly thereafter. Less than a month later these bright expectations were smashed when AEP cancelled its coal contract with the Vandalia mine due to the incompatible coal grade, leaving the Elk River with no coal to move. Shortly thereafter, the employees of the ELKR were layed off leaving the railroad dorminant since the fall of 1999. Unfortunately any future prospect of the railroad re-opening is not bright, with much of the line becoming rough and overgrown with unuse and the FRA red tagging four of the railroad' locomotives.

CSXT Road Frequency: Channel 160.230 (AAR 08)
All Allegheny Division Western District Subdivisions

CSXT CI Jax Dispatcher Frequency: Channel 160.320 (AAR 14)
Covers the Cowen, Fairmont, Georges Creek, Kingwood, Mountain, Pickens, Thomas, Stoney River, Williams River

CSXT CJ Jax Dispatcher Frequency: Channel 160.320 (AAR 14)
Covers the Bridgeport, Marietta, Ohio River, Pomperoy, Short Line

CSXT Grafton Yard Frequency: Channel 160.530 (AAR 28)

Norfolk Southern Mon Valley Dispatcher Frequency: Channel 160.860 (AAR 50)
Covers the Loveridge Secondary, Manor Branch, Miracle Run Branch, Mon Line, Waynesburg Southern

Norfolk Southern Mine Loaders Frequency: Channel 160.800 (AAR 46)

CSXT Head of Train Device: 452.937

CSXT End of Train Device: 457.937

For Timetable Information, please use the links provided on the drop menu below:

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