Transversing the Old Virginian Railroad in Wva!

Did you find remnants of those old coal towns?  All the ghost towns are not west of the

Mississippi.

Yes we did Hirailer. Houses thru equipment,and everything in between. Picked up some old soft drink, and medicine bottles. We didn't spend much time there, as we were moving from place to place using old railroad right of way maps, from the Virginian/C&O Historical Societies, that my friend had gotten.

We decided next trip out, we were going to pick a certain region,and follow it from A hole to appitite, so to speak, as this jumping around here, there, and yonder, we were missing too much. I'm truly amazed at what we did accomplish, in just one day. We're talking about a tenting out/4 wheeling trip, next time, but there are a lot of places we want to go, 4 wheelers aren't welcomed, and I understand why. 

If you like old trucks, one old mining town, there was and old shop ,and I wanted to get inside, when I did there was an old 40 Ford pick up inside. Name on the doors you couldn't make out. I think that it belonged to a Timber Rattler, as it didn't start buzzing until was along the back right side the truck. I was concerned to say the least!!!!!!! Lucky nothing happened, but didn't go raise the hood either!

Our oldest daughter and her family lives in Scottsdale Arizona, and I've done some scouting out there, and they must farm rattlers out there, as there seems to be one or 2 behind every cactus or bush, and we ain't even speaking about the scorpions................................................................Brandy! 

Must be a great trip -- got to be fascinating !

Check out a website -- CoalcampUSA -- tons of pictures from coal towns, mines in the Appalachians !

Yes Norman, I just kick myself for procrastinating about doing it, for possibly 20 years or longer. America is full of those old sites. I would like to go out west, and do some of those sites on the old electrified division of the Milwaukee Road and Great Northern Railways. I look over some Motor Car/Speeder forums, that post pictures, of where some of those clubs go and ride the old abandoned rail lines, as well as, riding some of the Short Line Railroads that will give them permission.

With that being said, there are a multitude of places to explore, right here near my own back yard, so to speak. You just have to get off your old proverbial can and Get-er-Done. I recommend it to anyone, who can physically do it. Just witnessing the work that our fore fathers did, and the tooling they used is simply amazing. ..Brandy

I live very close to the end of the Virginian line.  The town of mullens lost a lot of homes and a restored station a few years ago due to flooding, they also lost a caboose.  There is a Virginian caboose at the town of Oak Hill WV, at the local park beside a restored station.

thanks for posting this as you are so correct about doing the day to day and not stopping to smell the roses. i need another trip to horseshoe curve, Cass and the east broad top. been to the first 2 never made it to ebt. 

Emil, thanks for the picture of the flooded town of Mullins. Our Clubs vice president is retired from the Army Corps of Engineers, as has worked several flooding problems throughout the Mountains of Wva. He told me about working that flood, and getting their sewer and water plants up, and running after the flood waters ravaged that little community. Mother is a force that can't be matched and that's a fact!

 We passed the caboose that you speak of, during our outing yesterday!....Brandy 

HI! Get the Virginian Railroad book published by Morning Sun Books. Awesome photos and accurate history. Made me a fan instantly!!!

Minor correction: the 2-6-6-6 locomotives never went west or north of Mullens.  Their regular territory was Roanoke east to Tidewater but they would occasionally go west to the shops at Princeton.  Electrified territory was Mullens to Roanoke. 

AFAIK, the last public passenger train on the VGN was the regular daily passenger that was dropped in 1956.  There has never been a public excursion north of Mullens to Deepwater (Charleston or Dickinson).  There was a Farewell to the F-M Trainmasters by the Roanoke Chapter NRHS in about 1975 from  Roanoke to Mullens and return.  As a kid in 1973 or 74, I got to ride a one way trip with Southern steamer 4501 from Cincinnati to Williamson, Gilbert, Mullens, Princeton and Roanoke.  The 4501 had diesel help up Clark's Gap.  In understand that N&W 611 ran on parts of the VGN east of Narrows at least once.  Still a wonderful piece of railroading.

NKP779, I just assumed that the H8's ran thru that region. I was never told one way or another, by anyone, nor I read anything about them running out of Mullins, Just assumption on my part. 

I am going to get the Virginian Railroad Book, that Little Giant referred to. I became an instant Virginian fan, from my experiences in the Mountains yesterday. If Morning Sun did as good a job for their research on the Virginian, as they did Track Side Around Louisville, both east and west editions, it will be assume reading, as well as pictures. I was standing in front of a tunnel portal yesterday, at least 250' above the stream bed below, and could shut my eyes, and just picture a big engine bringing a train of hoppers to the mine. Thanks for the corrections! By the way are you a Virginian Fan?

Little Giant, that is a picture of the locomotive we have at our club in the KYOVA Mall Ashland, Ky. We had it photo cropped to size, and fitted it on the Aluminated sign above our door way entrance to the AMRS Club!

Thank you for posting it though, folks can see an H8 with out the C&O on the tender. I have one of those models in "O" Gauge as well. I do like my C&O stuff, must be a club requirement!...................................................................Brandy!

Growing up and living in the Lima, Ohio, area, NKP is my favorite RR.  But VGN has to rate no. 2.  Even though the double track is gone from the area around Clarks Fork and Bud, it is still a mightily impressive railroad.  I got to see the fantastic trestle at Glyn Lyn in about 73 when it still stood although the rails had already been removed.  US 460 relocation doomed that fantastic trestle.  Only the concrete piers remain now.

Also in about 1973, Southern ran the 5000 mile doubleheader with the S&A 4-6-2 and the SOU 722.  A friend and I rode the triangle trip from Roanoke to Altavista on the VGN eastbound, north to Lynchburg and west to Roanoke.  Lots of high and long trestles there, kinda like the P&WV east of Pittsburgh.