West Virginia Secondary Idled

ekrwy2 · **Joined:** Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:12 pm **Posts:** 121

An old NYC line from Columbus, Ohio through Charleston, WV to Enon, WV has been shut down. Bits and pieces may stay open but nothing substantial.

http://www.athensnews.com/news/local/fi ... 59f83.html

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 23, 2016 2:33 am

This is the former Kanawha & Michigan line of the NYC. It ran from Columbus, Oh. to Charleston, W.Va. and continued up the Kanawha River to Gauley Bridge, and from there went eventually to Rainelle, where it was part of the jointly owned and operated (with Chesapeake & Ohio) Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbriar Railroad. Notable interchange points on the line included the Baltimore & Ohio in Charleston (now abandoned line down the Elk River), and the Virginian Railway at West Deepwater (Alloy); this latter line has also recently been mothballed. Shortline and industrial connections included the Kellys Creek & Northwestern in Charleston, Meadow River Lumber Company at Rainelle (which is where Cass Scenic's Heisler 6 and long inactive Shay 7 came from), and an industrial railroad serving a silicon refining plant at Alloy.

There was also the branch line that ran to Hitop, W.Va. that was famous for its Budd RDC that served as a school bus into the late 1950s or early 1960s. This was the last passenger service to serve the union station in Charleston (built by B&O predecessor Coal & Coke) that was shared with the B&O and the Virginian, the latter running on trackage rights on the former K&M from West Deepwater. This station was demolished for a highway, but the nearby freight house is still standing as a farmers' market.

An earlier discussion on the line to Hitop, with some other material on the K&M:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37839

NKP1155 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:50 am **Posts:** 94

The K&M proper had track as far north as Corning, Ohio ( a point N or Athens, OH) where it connected with the T&OC and predecessors.

PaulWWoodring · **Posted:** Tue Feb 23, 2016 8:52 pm

I know of someone in NE Ohio who has 6X6 slides of the RDC operation on this line taken in the 1950's by his late father. Saw some of them at a show a couple of years ago.

WVNorthern · **Posted:** Tue Feb 23, 2016 9:34 pm

Summersville, WV? Are you sure of that town? The only railroad I am aware of that even came close to Summersville (within a mile or so) was the end of the Strouds Creek & Muddlety Railroad which was abandoned somewhere around the year 2000.