West Virginia Northern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The West Virginia Northern Railroad (WVN) was a short line railroad that ran from Kingwood
to Tunnelton
in Preston County
, West Virginia
. It operated from 1886 to 1991. The WVN hauled Preston County coal for 105 years!
From the beginning of its existence through February 19, 1991, the railroad had but one purpose — to bring loads of coal
from the mines of Preston County to the B&O interchange at Tunnelton for shipment to points far removed from the mountains of Appalachia
. Throughout weekdays until the late 1980s the Northern could be found somewhere along its roller coaster route switching those numerous coal tipples, doing its part to keep the local economy in action.
The line became a tourist railroad in August 1994, operated by Kingwood Northern, Inc. The tourist operation ran until 1999, when its "First Annual Railfan Weekend" was abruptly announced to be its final run. Locomotives and equipment remained on site until 2002, when the two remaining locomotives unceremoniously ran the line one final time under their own power from Kingwood shops to the CSX interchange at Tunnelton, where they were picked up and moved to a Pittsburgh suburb for storage (they were moved again in 2005 to Eighty Four, Pennsylvania
). Tracks were removed by 2005, leaving behind sparse evidence that a railroad ever existed there, with the exception of the trackless Kingwood shop area and ties stored near the former site of Marion Siding.
Kingwood, West Virginia
Kingwood is a town in and the county seat of Preston County, West Virginia, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. Kingwood was founded in 1815...
to Tunnelton
Tunnelton, West Virginia
Tunnelton is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 336 at the 2000 census.-History:The Tunnelton Railroad Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.-Geography:...
in Preston County
Preston County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,334 people, 11,544 households, and 8,357 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 13,444 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. It operated from 1886 to 1991. The WVN hauled Preston County coal for 105 years!
From the beginning of its existence through February 19, 1991, the railroad had but one purpose — to bring loads of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the mines of Preston County to the B&O interchange at Tunnelton for shipment to points far removed from the mountains of Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. Throughout weekdays until the late 1980s the Northern could be found somewhere along its roller coaster route switching those numerous coal tipples, doing its part to keep the local economy in action.
The line became a tourist railroad in August 1994, operated by Kingwood Northern, Inc. The tourist operation ran until 1999, when its "First Annual Railfan Weekend" was abruptly announced to be its final run. Locomotives and equipment remained on site until 2002, when the two remaining locomotives unceremoniously ran the line one final time under their own power from Kingwood shops to the CSX interchange at Tunnelton, where they were picked up and moved to a Pittsburgh suburb for storage (they were moved again in 2005 to Eighty Four, Pennsylvania
Eighty Four, Pennsylvania
Eighty Four is a small unincorporated community mostly within Somerset Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies approximately 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh and is in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area....
). Tracks were removed by 2005, leaving behind sparse evidence that a railroad ever existed there, with the exception of the trackless Kingwood shop area and ties stored near the former site of Marion Siding.