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THE CHESAPEAKE & OHIO RAILWAYSouth Charleston, WV -- Ashland, KYA detailed, self-guided railfan tourThis tour of what is today CSX Corporation's Kanawha Subdivision is part of Frograil's self-guiding tour of the famous ex-Chesapeake and Ohio Railway mainline from Tidewater to the Mid-West. The overall tour introduction is here. As of August 2007, there are over 395 miles of the overall C&O tour completed. As for this segment alone, we have about 39 miles completed between South Charleston and the eastern edge of Huntington, and Andy Wade is working on extending it to Ashland's Russell Yard. As with all tours in the railfan guide, you will be able to print out this text and hit the road, but before you do, we suggest you take a long, hard look at our tour guide "home" page -- it's got some good tips on it. That page is here. CONTENTS AND NAVIGATION: Andy Wade. Research and text from the yard office in South Charleston all the way to the eastern edge of Huntington.. Train Gif Artists. Train gifs add life and color to this page, and take almost no time to load. I stick these gifs in whenever I get the urge -- there is no rhyme or reason, I just like them. You can see hundreds and hundreds of train gifs by clicking on the Train Gifs navigation button at the top of each Frograil page. Peter Furnee, CSX logo Wayback Machine. http://www.webarchive.org. These cats have expired/old/ancient Web pages in their database. Search Google for the Wayback Machine. Thru their database, I was able to print out a Kanawha Subdivision Station List, with several of the mile points that will help you tourists. This service is, I believe, a function of the Library of Congress. Tony Hill, Webmaster -- the guy who makes Frograil go. Any first person singular pronoun used in this text refers to Tony Hill, unless otherwise specifically mentioned. A REQUEST FOR HELP: If you'd like to contribute to this, or any other tour, please contact me, and let me know what you'd like to do. We'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes. There is far more to do in this part of West Virginia than just watch trains! Indeed, your family will love you for taking them on a vacation to "Wet and Wild" West Virginia. The fact that you get to see some trains is merely a bonus! Besides the specific locations listed below, realize that hunting, fishing, birding, hiking, and biking opportunities abound throughout the entire area. Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center
Life Support. You're within rock throwing distance of I-64 and US-60 for this entire tour segment, so life support will not be an issue. Geography. Throughout periods consisting of millions and millions of years, what is now central West Virginia was (not to put too fine a point on it) the bottom of the ocean, or at least part of a shallow ocean's floor. Ton after ton after millions of tons of sand, clay, calcium bodies of microscopic marine animals, etc., gradually formed a dense rock, known as sedimentary rock, because it consists of compressed sediments. After Africa crashed into what is today North America, and after the glaciers retreated more recently, what is today West Virginia began to rise. Imagine holding a cork under water, using a lot of weight and pressure, and then gradually releasing that weight and pressure. As the land rose and broke thru the surface of the ocean, erosion started to take place. What had been a flat plateau began to be carved by rivulets and streams, and eventually as the land rose and the streams carved, the mountainous geography of much of the state evolved. All those mountainous acres had to be drained by streams and rivers, and there was, indeed, a mighty river, the Teays River, that flowed north from somewhere in the vicinity of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, up thru Virginia, and into southern West Virginia. There were also major tributaries of the Teays flowing from what is today Pennsylvania and the northeast. From there, the river flowed all the way across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and into what is now the Mississippi River valley. The last bouts of glaciation changed virtually all of the landscape north of West Virginia, and that included damming the Teays to the extent that the river was essentially obliterated west of Scary (just northwest of Charleston), and eventually was replaced by today's Ohio River. The broad valley of the Teays, from Scary to Huntington still exists, however, and this tour will go right thru it. Millions of years after the formation of the Teays (pronounced as in "days"), the railroad surveyors followed the logical course of action and designed their right-of-ways along river valleys. Indeed, all the way from Hinton, thru Charleston, and out to Huntington, the C&O follows what is primarily the valley of an ancient river. The name itself comes from the valley being named after Thomas Teays, a hunter and trapper who lived in the valley for some time. Driving. In West Virginia, there are only 2 types of surfaces: Mountains and valleys. Valleys in the state tend to be occupied by a stream/river, a railroad, and at least one highway/road. Most of this tour is on significant highways, but there is some back country driving. Many of the roads look like dinky little country roads, but don't be fooled. All the log trucks, coal trucks, autos, etc, etc, have to use the same roads, and the drivers KNOW those roads. They drive fast, and you'd better be paying attention to driving, rather than wrassling with a scanner or map. The Railroad -- General. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, as the name implies, was built to link the mid-west (at Cincinnati) to the deepwater port at Newport News, Virginia. The economic justification was found in the coal in the middle portion of the railroad, which could be inexpensively shipped either to the east or west from central western Virginia and central West Virginia. The physical condition of the road bed probably rivals that of any on the CSX system, and trains seem to glide along effortlessly. The Railroad -- Traffic. Traffic is at least 80+ percent coal. Almost all trains between the Coal River Subdivision's wye at St. Albans and the John Amos American Electric Power plant near Scary will be aluminum hoppers carrying coal to the plant or going back for more. The rest will be grain (be warned, the westbound grain empties do track speed all the way through here) and the occasional manifest freight. Foreign power is relatively rare compared to NS's line across the Kanawha Subdivision, largely because CSX uses it's modern AC power for coal trains, and maintains a fairly tight rein on them. That said, however, lease units are often found on grain and manifest trains. There is zero intermodal and autorack traffic on this line. Compass vs. railroad directions. The entire ex-C&O is timetabled east to west. We will try to be clear as to whether we're talking about timetable or compass directions. Be advised, however, that the hills and rails can easily get you turned around. This is definitely one place you would benefit by having a compass with you. You don't need an orienteering-quality device at all -- a simple Boy Scout compass is more than adequate. You just have to be able to positively identify compass north to help you get your bearings. Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can usually get substantial discounts on DeLorme atlases thru the Frograil Railfan Store, which is here. Abbreviations. Some phrases are used repeatedly in this tour, so I've developed some standard Frograil abbreviations: AG. An at-grade crossing. CR. A county road. Major county roads are expressed like this: CR-26. Secondary county roads, in this case one branching off CR-26, would be written like this: CR-26/5. NAG. A not-at-grade crossing. Unless I mention otherwise, these are usually not worth the time and trouble to drive to. NARL. Not a railfan location. This is because of any number of reasons, such as lousy photo ops, dangerous, no shoulder on a NAG bridge, etc. As a general rule of thumb, it is wise to avoid NARL's. NFOG. Not found on
the ground. Many of the ancient country roads, fire roads, logging roads,
etc., are still on the maps, but don't exist on the ground.
Site ListingThe TourIf you're continuing the tour from the Hinton - South Charleston segment of the C&O tour, you're at the corner of F Street and 1st Avenue in Charleston. If you're just starting the tour, take exit 56 from I-64 in South Charleston. Go north on Montrose Drive to the exit for 2nd Avenue. This will curve down to 2nd. Go west until any left. This latter will take you to 1st Avenue, which hugs the tracks all the way to F Street. For a write up of the yard office area, see the Hinton - South Charleston tour segment. South Charleston -- Jefferson Road. Head away from the yard office via 1st Avenue, and take a left onto E Street. This will take you up to US-60/MacCorkle Avenue and a traffic light. Traffic lights are important thru the valley, as there is a ton of traffic concentrated on too few major streets. Take a left on US-60, and you'll pass Riverwalk Plaza shopping area, which has a Kroger, some fast food, and a BB&T Bank. Less than half a mile from the plaza, you'll pass by the exit/entrance ramps for I-64. Skip these and keep going to the next intersection, which is Jefferson Road/WV-601. Traffic here is nightmarish shortly after rush hour, as this is an artery leading to the Southridge shopping area to the south. Take a left onto Jefferson and continue a short distance to the grade crossing. Viewing is quite good, but there is major traffic, and shooting from public property can be somewhat awkward. However, if you need to get trackside in a hurry, this spot will do. Spring Hill -- Chesapeake Avenue. Cross the tracks via Jefferson and take a right onto Kanawha Turnpike/CR-12. You are now south of the tracks. There are some streets that lead you close to the tracks, but we will proceed to a couple of nice photo spots, instead. Take a right onto Chesapeake Avenue. Cross the tracks AG and park north of the crossing. This spot is perfect for morning eastbounds, and there's even room to stop and wait -- a rare thing in the Charleston vicinity. There is a set of crossovers at station point "Spring Hill" in the area, at MP CA 458.7. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Spring Hill -- Chestnut Street. Continue west via Kanawha Turnpike to a right onto Chestnut Street. There is a traffic light at Chestnut. A rather unique business is on the left next to the grade crossing. The Chessie Auto Wash Depot (or something like that) is actually built to resemble an old depot like that in St. Albans. Get your car washed, and they'd probably let you fan for a while there. There is ample space for photos on the south side of the tracks. There are no spectacular curves or trestles, just a nice open area. Spring Hill -- Kanawha Turnpike. Once again, go back and head west on Kanawha Turnpike. If you've been wondering why we don't say "Go on out to US-60 and head west", you'll soon understand. Kanawha Turnpike draws right up next to the main line just a short way west of Chestnut Street. It's a bad place to stop, but there is a small church parking lot left of the main road. As long as it's not Sunday or Wednesday, go on up there and practice being unobtrusive. It's a bit of a long shot across the road, but walking across to try to take pix is exposing yourself to danger, as there is a lot of traffic and the shoulder area is tight. Spring Hill -- Rock Lake. Continue west on Kanawha Turnpike, passing what was long ago the Rock Lake swimming pool (and not so long ago was a Putt-Putt). Take a right onto Rock Lake Drive and go under the tracks. The parking lot on the left has a nice view, but the power poles are very close together, between the lot and the tracks. Once again, if you need to grab a quick shot, go ahead, because the next railfan location will take a few minutes to get to. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top St Albans -- Spruce Street. Take Rock Lake Drive north to US-60/MacCorkle Avenue and take a left (Be careful, as people blowing thru red lights have caused nasty wrecks at this intersection.) to continue west. You'll come to Jefferson, which has become a rather rundown area. You'll probably be shocked at the number of shady establishments along the road [Webmaster's note: Be aware that "shady" as used by Andy has nothing to do with a place to stop under the trees on sunny summer days!]. Essentially, there are a few views of the tracks, including one crossing, but we rate the entire area as NARL, as obstructions are the rule, rather than the exception. You'll see Kanawha Terrace -- completely separate from Kanawha Turnpike -- break off to the left, but keep going straight on US-60, as the underpass for Kanawha Terrace is NAG/NARL. Suddenly, you are in St Albans, so watch your speed. After you break out of the trees, look to the left. The fourth street should be Spruce Street; take it and go south a few blocks to the AG crossing. The tracks are on a low fill in this end of town. Decent photos all around. St Albans -- Walnut Street. Drive south via Spruce for a few more blocks and take a right onto Kanawha Terrace. You'll pass Chestnut Street, and then should take your next right onto Walnut Street. The AG crossing is similar to that at Spruce Street, but with triple the street traffic. It's a good spot in a residential neighborhood, however, and you can get decent shots from the south side. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top St Albans -- Wye. Go north on Walnut to US-60/MacCorkle Avenue, take a left, and look for a Cici's Pizza and a K-mart to the left. Before you get to this shopping area, take a left onto Boone Street. Boone will take you thru an underpass [which I described in 1999 as "what must be absolutely the world's worst underpass", and Andy confirms that it's just as nasty as ever: "a disgusting, dingy, and likely flooded underpass"]. If you survive the underpass, make an immediate right into the wye area. Figure out where to watch trains in a location that isn't trespassing, This is a busy junction, with loaded and empty coal trains going every which way, but it's a tough photo place, because you never know what's going where. A scanner would help. Photos or not, it's a good place to just sit and relax, and let the trains come to you. The wye is at MP 495.0. There used to be a few engines parked at the yard office, but Nick Keller reports that CSX has discontinued this procedure. St Albans -- Captain D's. From the wye, it's probably easiest to head west via US-60/MacCorkle Avenue, so go back under our favorite underpass, and take a left. Be on the lookout for a Captain D's fast food restaurant on your left. Turn into the parking area and proceed back to the tracks. Signals are visible in both directions. Don't be startled if you pull around here and come face-to-face with an idling pair of engines on the nose of a westbound coal train. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top St Albans -- Station Area. Once back on US-60, look for 5th Street, take a left, and go into town. There is a handsomely restored C&O depot between the tracks and the intersection of 4th Street and 4th Avenue. It's just about the best railfan site in the town, other than perhaps the wye. It's on the south side of the tracks and is great for photos in both directions. St Albans -- Downtown. The crossing on 5th Street is AG and is nice and wide open. The 3rd Street crossing is NAG/NARL. The 2nd Street crossing was not observed, but the C Street crossing was, and is a reasonably good spot from the south. Virtually all along the downtown area, the tracks are on a west-northwest/ east-southeast bias and on pretty much a straight line, so signals are within sight of most crossings. St Albans -- B Street. From 4th Avenue, take a right onto B Street. Park before the crossing, and you'll have a good view of eastbounds crossing the Coal River, just a few yards to the west of the crossing. Amandaville. From B Street in St Albans, go south to 6th Avenue, take a right, and then another right onto West Main Street. This will carry you across the Coal River and into the Virginia Heights area. Take your first right onto Riverside Drive, which will follow the river north, and will carry you to the community of Amandaville. Pass Rust Street, and you'll see the tracks. Eastbound trains are often held west of Riverside Drive, as there is a considerable distance to the northwest with no grade crossings. As you approach US-60/MacCorkle Avenue, take a left onto Jones Street. This will swing 90º to go north as Oliver Street, and will meet US-60/MacCorkle Avenue. Take a left, and you'll soon cross the tracks on a NAG/NARL overpass. Unfortunately, the neighborhood in the vicinity of the overpass has deteriorated, becoming run-down, poor and very dangerous, largely because of drug-related activity. Besides the overpass itself, we believe the entire area to be NARL. You need to use proper judgement as to whether you wish to fan anywhere in this area. Never fan without at least one male buddy. When you get to the intersection of US-60 and US-35 (a very busy and somewhat dangerous intersection), take US-35 north to follow the railroad and the Kanawha River north. Perhaps 1/2 mile north of the intersection, you'll enter the community of Marlaing. You'll probably not see this name on any map, unless you have a Kanawha County or USGS 7.5' quad map. Look for 1st Street to the right, and take it to the tracks. The crossing is wide open, with the tracks almost dead north-south. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Marlaing -- Old 84 Lumber. Proceeding north from the community of Marlaing, US-35 will rise up to go over the railroad. Before going over the tracks, take a left into an old 84 Lumber facility, or at least what used to be an 84 Lumber outlet. The building itself burned to the ground recently. Use some horse sense here. Rhodes Brick and Block is located just northwest of the road you want to take to the crossing, so that should be a better landmark. This vestigial road may or may not have a name, but the aerial view on MapQuest has a label for Tompkins Crossing. There is a private crossing, at grade, although no map shows such a crossing. East facing signals are clearly visible, and often a westbound coal train will be idling east of the road. Scary -- Tompkins Crossing Road. Get back to US-35, take a left to continue north, cross the tracks and enter Putnam County. Look for a crossroad with Tompkins Crossing Road, and take a left, and drive back to the tracks. You can get decent views of eastbounds here, but westbounds are tough, as the tracks are almost north - south. Also, shadows from the US-35 overpass can be a problem at times. The previously described location is probably better most of the time. Scary -- Ventroux Road. A little north of Tompkins Crossing Road via US-35, look for a crossroads with Ventroux Road. If you need to get trackside in a hurry, this road will get you there, but understand that the railroad is on top of a very steep hill, and the area is heavily wooded with little place to pull over. That said, if you take a left from US-35 and go up to the top of this steep, steep hill, you'll be trackside. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Scary -- Big Scary Road. Just a short ways north from Ventroux Road, the Kanawha River goes straight north, and we will head west. Scary is the entrance to the Teays Valley (see Geography), and I-64, CR-33, and CSX all occupy this ancient river valley -- everything is here but the river! At the intersection of US-35 and CR-33/Teays Valley Road, go northwest on CR-33. The first road to the left is Big Scary Road/CR-44. Take the left and park near the crossing. The railroad is making a broad curve to the west, and it's on a high fill, way above everything else. At this point in the tour, you have several options. If you're in a hurry, such as trying to pace a train, go back to US-35, and head north to I-64. If you're not in a hurry, and don't need to see every crossing, continue north and then west on CR-33 to Scott Depot. I'll provide instructions for you under Scott Depot -- Nottingham Drive. If you're a combat railfan, however, Frograil is now going to take you cross country to Scott Depot. Scott Depot -- Hedrick Road. Continue west on Big Scary Road/CR-44. You will very shortly pass the point at which the Bills Creek Industrial track joins the main line, but it is not accessible. The industrial track can be seen from both US-35 and CR-33/Teays Valley Road. The main function of the track is access to American Electric Power's John Amos power plant. There is absolutely no public access to the area of the plant. One half mile west from the junction is the location of a defect detector. (MP CA469.7 "Scary" for the junction; CA470.2 for the DD) There will be no railroad access for several miles, so enjoy the countryside. Don't enjoy it so much that you miss the turn onto Hedrick Road/CR33-2 on the right. If you miss that turn, you can spend a whole lot of time driving around, up, over and down mountains. A GPS unit would be a real pal for this part of the tour. Hedrick will take you up to an AG crossing. The crossing is very nice, as CSX passes a large rock in a scenic area. Graffiti vandalism has detracted from the scenic value of the rock itself. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Scott Depot -- Nottingham Drive. Continue north on Hedrick Road, which will take you out to CR-33/Teays Valley Road after a few zigs and zags. Note that the name of the road will vary between Teays Valley, Scary, and Mt. Vernon road. All the same CR-33. Take a left to get on CR-33 heading west. [Note: If you came from Scary via CR-33/Teays Valley Road, you pick up the tour again at this location, and will note Hedrick Road coming up on the left.] In the Scott Depot area, look for the Scott Teays Elementary School and a Dairy Queen on you right. Turn left into Scott Lane/CR46-2. Scott will do some odd things, but just stay on it. Take a left on Nottingham Drive. This crossing offers a good view of east-facing signals as well as the line emerging from a deep but wide cut. However, a man lives in a small building about 100 feet east of the crossing, and may not appreciate the casual railfan hanging around. This is a good spot, but not one at which you want to spend a lot of time. As a general comment pertaining to this location and the next two, this is another area that sees drug related activity at night. Do not railfan here at night, unless you have plenty of company. Scott Depot -- Scott Lane. This is an OK place to see trains, if you need to get trackside in a hurry. It is, however, between two sets of signals facing away. In addition, several dogs seem to roam free around here, and while likely benign, why chance it? Take your shot and go. This is, quite probably, the location of the original Scott Depot, and is MP CA473.8. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Scott Depot -- Hamon/Valley View. You have been good tourists and have put up with the difficulties of railfanning in the mountains, so you deserve a very nice railfan location. Here it is. Go back up Scott Lane to your first left. We do not know the name of this road. Take it, and it will T at Hamon Drive/Valley View Road. Take the left on the latter, and this will take you to the best railfan location in the area. It's AG, and there are open grassy areas in the NW and SW quadrants, and relatively accessible spots in the other two quads. This is a most excellent crossing compared to most in the state of West Virginia. Teays -- South Poplar Fork Road. Get back on CR-33 and take a left to continue west. Just before you get to WV-34, look for a crossroads with Poplar Fork Road. If you need life support or access to I-64, you can take a right here, and the interstate area is just north. If you want to visit a "wonderful" railfan location (Andy's specific description), take a left instead, and go south for less than a mile to an AG crossing. Photos are best from the south side of the tracks. Teays -- Teays Lane. From immediately south of the railroad on South Poplar Fork Road, go west on Teays Lane/CR-32/1. This will parallel the tracks for some distance, and then go right to cross the tracks. There are signals at this location, and there is ample parking and viewing space on the southwest side of the crossing. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Hurricane. Cross the tracks to the north, bear left, and follow Teays Lane/CR-32 all the way north to WV-34. Take a left and head west towards Hurricane. Between Teays Lane and Hurricane, you'll be far from the tracks, so relax and enjoy the ride. As you enter the Hurricane area, you'll see a city park and a small reservoir on the left. Very high on the hill overlooking the park, the CSX line may be seen. The park is free, and you can walk all the way up to the tracks if you wish, but be careful not to trespass. About a mile beyond the park via WV-34, the railroad will once again appear on your left, and will cross a dilapidated eyesore that might possibly be called a viaduct. Less than another mile ahead, the road rejoins the railroad across from Hurricane High School. Continue into Hurricane. You'll quickly pass straight through an intersection and ascend over the tracks. Immediately past the tracks, turn right. Then you can turn left to go down Main Street into downtown Hurricane. Less than a half mile ahead, there is a small parking area and a white gazebo wedged in a corner between the tracks and the fire department. Stop here, walk out to the tracks, and check out the view! The gazebo itself is about midway between a set of crossings. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Hurricane -- Desperate Crossings. We will give you two crossings you'll encounter on your way west from Hurricane, but they are not good railfan locations. Indeed, they're just one smidgen up from NARL, but if you are desperate to get trackside in a hurry, these will at least allow you to take a shot and move on. [Webmaster's Note: One thing that might help you thru here is that for some reason, Google Earth in Hurricane and points west is very clear and precise -- much better than MapQuest's aerials. This is some really nice imagery.] From the gazebo on Main Street, continue southwest on Main to a right via an underpass under the tracks; I can find no name for this one block long street. This will T at Putnam Avenue, where you should take a left. Slog around the bends as Putnam heads up to intersect with Virginia Avenue/CR60-10. Take a left on Virginia Avenue to leave Hurricane heading west. You will come out of downtown and the tracks will appear on the left. As you meet the tracks there will be a grade crossing to the left; this is Hale Street, but it is unmarked as such. If you care at all for your car or tires, do not take it. It is incredibly rough and steep and drops you straight onto someone's driveway. Also, there are no lights or gates here and the line curves behind some trees just to the west. Evidently it is as dangerous as it looks because a wooden cross stands beside the cross buck. Ignore this spot unless you are very desperate for a quick picture, although one more AC4400CW would hardly seem to merit taking such risk! Keep going west on Virginia Avenue, although it may change names at some point. The only other crossing along here is Shaw Lane. It is similar to Hale Street, although not as rough. It has no street sign and is a gravel road that drops straight onto a driveway on the other side. Slightly better than Hale, but there will be nicer spots on down the road (thank goodness). Culloden. Keep heading west on Virginia. A mile or so out of Hurricane, you'll enter Cabell County and then will intersect US-60/Midland Trail. (This road just keeps showing up, doesn't it? There is a crossing of the tracks via US-60 just to the southeast of this point, but it is NAG/NARL and under serious construction.) Slowly turn right onto US-60 and immediately turn left onto Dudding Lane. This is a seriously narrow road. Keep it until you cross the tracks at grade shortly ahead. The tracks are in a small cut and are somewhat curved. Power lines are on the north side, if Andy remembers correctly, and private property runs right up to the line on both sides. However, a decent shot could be had here if something were coming. It's worth a visit, but nothing more. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Culloden -- Charleys Creek Road. A little more than a quarter mile west of Dudding Lane on US-60, hang a left and go down Charleys Creek Road. This is arguably the best grade crossing between Hurricane and Barboursville. There is ample space to park all around, there are good views to the east and west, and east-facing signals are visible to the west. Milton -- East Mud River Road. Go back out to US-60/Midland Trail and go several more miles west. There are no good views and no crossings through here so just watch the road. As I-64 appears on the right, watch for Morris Memorial Hospital Road/CR60-39 on the left. Take it and slow way down. This road will scare you if you are not from the mountains. Just take it easy. You will pass the old veterans' hospital for which the road is named; Andy thinks it's now a nursing home. Beside this dilapidated building, James River Turnpike cuts in from the left. Keep going straight ahead on what is now James River Turnpike/CR-25. A mile or a little more after leaving US-60, East Mud River Road will be on the left. Take it. Less than a quarter mile out, you will come to a high overpass, as the tracks are in a very deep cut. You will have to park somewhere along the road because the bridge is narrow, making this spot a challenge as people's front yards run right up to the road. It would be unsafe if any significant volume of traffic used this road, but it is pretty quiet. There is a good long view to the east and a curving chasm of rock walls, little trees, and vines to the west. Shadows will be a problem much of the year -- this is perhaps a winter location. Come here when it's foggy, and you have yourself a very creepy spot. Milton -- West Mud River Road Bridge. Get back to James River Turnpike and keep going west toward Milton. A little less than a mile down the road, take West Mud River Road on the left. You will go under the main, which is on a bridge that spans the Mud River. The supports are covered with graffiti. More annoying obstructions include trees and power lines on both sides. I would recommend heading on into Milton if you know something's coming, but the old bridge might be worth a look if the CSX is having a slow day. Obviously, slow day or fast day, if you're into railroad architecture and engineering, you will not want to pass up this structure. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Milton -- Blenko Glass. Go back to James River Turnpike and continue into Milton. A little less than a mile from West Mud River Road, there is a nice spot to the left where you can pull up next to the tracks and not be bothered. Power lines are between this spot and the line, and there's nothing but a mountainside across the tracks. However, this is as good as it gets in Milton, and you could probably dodge the wires. Across the road is Blenko Glass. They give tours on certain days. Unfortunately, the only time Andy has seen their little spur line used is for CSX hi-rail trucks to go from road to rails. Yates Crossing. A little road dives over the hill straight beside Blenko. Do not go out here. The road crosses the line three times. Each one is a pinchy little underpass with no view at all on either side, and you are more likely to have a wreck than find a suitable angle. Also, it is immediately west of the Blenko Glass works that Google Earth's resolution tanks, and you are left with virtually no helpful aerials. Turn right on Fairgrounds Road and pass Blenko, heading out to US-60. Turn left (west) on US-60. You will continue through Milton and go over the CSX beside an industry called Engines Inc.; oddly enough, it appears they work on rail cars (not engines). The road is just far too busy to be a very good spot, although a good view of signals can be seen to the north (right). If you really wanted to, you might get away with parking on the shoulder near the bridge and running up for a shot. However, Andy wouldn't chance it. We consider this a definite NAG/NARL. South and east of the US-60 crossing, the railroad has been hugging the south margin of the Teays Valley. When you go over this overpass, the railroad has made an almost 90º turn to the northwest, and goes well north of I-64 to make another 90º turn to head further west. From this overpass, go about a mile and a half to Yates Crossing Road on the right. Take it a mile or so out, going under I-64, and you will find a very wide open, accessible grade crossing. There would be ample space to pull off to the south if CSX hadn't piled up gravel there. There are little areas to pull off to the north but that puts you right at someone's front door. There is a surprising amount of traffic for such a little road, and I actually encountered a semi cab trying to navigate the crossing. There is an airstrip (Ona Airpark) and apparently some industry a little farther out this road. No more crossings, though, so turn around and go all the way back to US-60. Just east of crossing at Yates Crossing Road, there is a defect detector at MP CA 489.6. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Ona. About a mile and a half farther west on US-60, take Howells Mill Road to the right. You will shortly come to a low bridge on which the CSX goes overhead. It is crossing the Mud River to your left. There is a bit of space where a very skilled driver could park just past the bridge; however, although the spot is worth seeing once, Andy could find nowhere to take good photos. This is a good spot to ponder the geologic history of this location. As you watch the not-so-mighty Mud River meander along, try to imagine being well under the surface of the mighty Teays River here. All gone because of a bunch of ice! Blue Sulphur. Get back to US-60 once again. Go another mile and a half to two miles and look for Blue Sulphur Road/CR-17 to the right. Take it and you will go over the line; however, a chain link fence prevents you from actually taking photos. Newer digital cameras with their very small lens may be workable. If you do your map work, you'll see an obvious crossing reached by continuing north on Blue Sulphur, and then taking a right on Henry White Road. Andy is emphatic that this single lane track goes thru a relatively poverty stricken neighborhood, and one with a reputation for spawning meth labs and the like. There is an AG crossing, but the area makes Henry White Road a definite NARL. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Barboursville -- Evergreen Drive. Continue across the tracks on US-60 westbound. There is an overpass of the CSX tracks shortly, but the bridge is busy, narrow, and NARL. As you come down the hill, you enter the Huntington Mall I-64 interchange area (exit 20). The mall has created a little town of its own out here. There are restaurants, gas stations, hotels, shopping areas, and plenty more. This is the first major dose of civilization/life support since we left the Charleston area. If you don't need to stop, keep going west on US-60. Less than half a mile later, a little road (which is either Goose Creek Road or Trails End Road -- the number is CR-60/8) will break off to the left and dive under the tracks just past White Chapel Cemetery on the right. Ignore this, as it is NAG/NARL. Keep going west on US-60. You will pass an Evergreen Drive on the left; it goes up the steep fill to the tracks. Do not try to park up there; park off US-60 somewhere and hoof it up to the tracks. There are signals just to the west. The signals protect the start of 3rd track leading into Barboursville and the wye area. This is a place to get a picture or two, but hanging out for any extended period of time is not recommended. Barboursville -- Main Street. A little less than a mile from the mall area, an underpass goes off to the left -- take the left. This connects to Barboursville's Main Street. Immediately after the underpass, go right on Main Street. As you exit the underpass, there are some apartments on the left and the CSX line on the right. Pull into the apartments' parking lot and wait. Andy has done this before and hasn't been bothered, but you should avoid the area in the evenings, when the residents' cars will be parked after work. You will have a very good view. Barboursville -- Logan Subdivision. Go farther west on Main Street. You will pass some sort of CSX facility and cross the Logan Subdivision as it comes up from the south. This is a good photo location, but you'll obviously miss all of the moves on the main line. Most of the traffic to and from the Logan Sub is coal trains running back and forth between Huntington and Logan. Take a right on Depot Street on the other side of the crossing. You will come to the west leg of the wye. Beyond this the road dead ends in CSX property. This is approximately MP CA 494.7. Although it looks good on the aerials, this is not a good photo spot; the Main Street crossing is far better for the Logan line. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Barboursville -- Park Avenue. Get back to Main Street, head west, and take the next right, which is Park Avenue. This will curve around and bring you right up to the line. A massive set of signals guards the main to the west and the wye is somewhat visible to the east. There is no crossing and Park Avenue dead ends, but there is a little grassy area where you could shoot a train going under the signals. Barboursville -- Old Guyan River Road. If you thought the driving was tricky before, just check this out. From the Logan Sub crossing at Main Street, take Main to a somewhat complicated four- or five-way intersection just on the edge of downtown. Take the right down over a hill to continue on Main Street to an intersection with--big surprise--US-60/Midland Trail. Now, Google Maps and MapQuest show Old Guyan River Road on the other side of this intersection, which also features a CSX bridge overhead. However, that connection is NFOG and you must turn right on US-60. Go a very short distance (CSX goes over US-60 on a NAG/NARL) and go left at the sign that points you toward WV-2. You will cross a river and go left on Mud River Road, which will become Old Guyan River Road. Both road names are part of the same CR-26. This road goes past a juvenile detention facility and parallels the CSX main for several miles. This road is great for watching trains but is not very good for photographing them, with one reason being that the trains are consistently high over the road. There are a few little areas to pull off the road. You'll go under I-64, and the road will swing broadly from northerly to northwesterly. The sun will be perfect somewhere along in here, depending on the time of day. There are some private(?) driveways that go up and over the tracks, and if you know a train is imminent, you can park along the road and hoof it up the driveway to get a shot or two, and then get back down to your car. The underpass of the tracks beyond I-64 is another of those old, ugly St Albans-type NAG/NARL things. There is one spot toward the end of this stretch where you come down into a dip, and there is a gravel area between the road and the triple-track main, yielding a nice view. This is the only really great place along the route here. Back to the Site Listing Back to the Top Huntington -- 5th Street. As you get close to Huntington, take a left to stay on CR-26 and go under the tracks on a NAG/NARL underpass. Take a right onto Altizer Avenue, and then a left onto 8th Street. After one block, take another right onto what shows again as Altizer Avenue. In three blocks, take a final right onto 5th Street to get up to an excellent AG crossing. You are in the far eastern edge of Huntington, along the Guyandotte River. 5th Street is a nice crossing with very long views both ways and visible signals. One thing to keep in mind: Altizer is a town way up in Calhoun County, north of US-119/US-33. No on-line or print map that I can find shows any other town/community of Altizer in West Virginia. However, if you are traveling east from downtown Huntington, when you get to the area described in the preceding paragraph, there is a sign saying "Welcome to Altizer". The zip code, various addresses I can check, etc., all show this area of 5th Street to be part of Huntington. It really doesn't matter, as Andy's directions will get you where you need to be. Unfortunately, this temporarily ends our narrative of this segment.
Andy is working hard to extend the segment to the west, and you should stay
tuned. |
