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| WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend or condone walking along the tracks, as this means trespassing or exposing yourself to danger. You will have to be creative, in some instances, to avoid trespassing while getting to the detailed locations included herein, but you will either have to be creative or not visit those sites. At no point in this tour guide, or any other tour which is part of Frograil, is it recommended that you trespass or expose yourself to danger. If you are a fool and have a leg cut off (or worse), don't come crying to me: You have been warned. Trains are big, powerful, and often surprisingly quiet. Don't end up being a statistic. |
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Clifton Forge -- US-220Business Overpass. From 3rd Street in Iron Gate, get back on US-220, and head into Clifton Forge. Make sure you take the US-220Business exit, and not the bypass. Some incidental information is in order here:
In the eastern edge of Clifton Forge, the original C&O main line, now operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad, and the James River Subdivision join to head west as the Allegheny Subdivision. The junction itself is at JD Cabin. The presence of steep hillsides, the Jackson River, heavily forested countryside, and road limitations make getting to JD virtually impossible without blatant trespassing. From the VA-629 exit on I-64, you can go south towards US-220, and get a good view of the area at 60mph, but that's not very satisfactory, obviously. Incidentally, this road does not exist on MapQuest, but it does on the ground. From US-60Business heading east out of town, you can wend your way to Golf Course View Road and the crossing of the Charlottesville line, but you'll have to hoof it along the tracks for at least 2/3 mile to get to the junction. That would be 2/3 mile of blatant trespassing. IMHO, it isn't worth the trouble or risk to get to JD Cabin, so let's forget it and move on.
There is one other thing to consider, however, involving JD Cabin. At that point, the 2 westward lines meet, but their mile points don't match. Indeed, the James River Line's MP at JD is CAB 229.4, and the end of the North Mountain Sub is CA 276.0. From now on, all west bound mile points will be the original C&O CA mile points. So far on this tour from Richmond's Rivanna Junction, we have come 229.4 miles, and we're ready to head west with mile points starting at CA 276.0. Bring 'em on!
US-220Business swings 90º from northwest to southwest, and parallels the Jackson River and the tracks (on the far shore of the river, of course) into Clifton Forge. There's really nothing fancy about Clifton Forge -- it used to be a railroad town and still is, but your Webmaster thinks the town looks much cleaner and perkier than it did 10 years ago. There are nice looking places to eat in town, and relatively few boarded up buildings. Someone is doing something right and working hard.
When US-220Business swings 90º to the north to go over the river and the tracks, continue straight and find a place to park. Walk out to the bridge on the west side of the road. There is a nice sidewalk on the west side of the bridge, and nothing at all on the east. For morning shots of trains departing eastward, this is a very fine down-on photo location.
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Clifton Forge -- Museum Area. Get back to your car and go over the river and tracks via US-220Business. Follow the signs to take a right to head thru town. At your first stop light after the turn, there will be a car wash on your left. Take a left here (it's less than a 90º turn), and head towards the Sav-A-Lot food market. On your left will be a very large open area followed by several yard tracks. Further behind you to your left are some interesting historic cars: C&O blue bay window caboose (#3168), a sort of baggage-dorm car (#458), etc. When I was there, there were several folks working away in the area. I've called this area the "Museum Area", although I don't think it's formally a museum.
There are actually parking signs for "Public Parking" about 40-50 yards back from the tracks, so you'll not have trouble seeing the action, although a minor telephoto lens will be a help. The area of the museum itself is much closer to the tracks, although all areas are dead north of the tracks, so maybe you should put away the camera and just enjoy the show. Even though only a few trains a day come off the old main line, those few add substantially to the enjoyment of the traffic west of JD Cabin.
A must-shoot structure behind the museum area is the ex-C&O freight station. It is a beautiful, simple, classic structure, and is a fine structure to model.
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Clifton Forge -- Terminal Office Area. Get back on US-220Business heading west, and drive until the road splits into 2 parallel one-way streets. Note that almost all buildings on these streets look well kempt and even prosperous. Continue to the end of the westbound one-way lane, and loop back to head east on the eastbound lane. The large, 3-story CSX office building will be on your right, and you need to take the right turn just before that building. This is a very congested area, so be alert and aware of where you are.
On CSX timetables, Clifton Forge is not technically a terminal, but for all other intents and purposes, it certainly is. The large office building proclaims itself as the terminal offices, and that's that. When you enter the street into this area, the terminal offices will be on the left, followed by the CSX parking lot. Both are totally off-limits to railfans. There is a CSX "hotel" on your right, with the crew van parking area in front of it. There is a single row of parking spaces between the crew van parking area and the tracks. After looking around a bit, this seems to be the only legally safe place to park, as I think it's also available to Amtrak customers. There is excellent yard/engine action visible here, but you're looking right into the sun, the area is very busy with CSX personal and equipment, and you really don't want to spend any extra time here. Spend 10 minutes taking in the scene and leave.
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Webmaster's Note: This was to be the end of this segment of the tour, but I had an unexpected half-hour available, so I continued west for a spell. Here we go...but before we leave Clifton Forge, there is one spectacular place you should be aware of, especially if you're thinking about using this Tour as part of a vacation -- Douthat State Park.
Douthat is a CCC-era gem, and one that is still one of the premier state parks I've ever visited. It has campgrounds (primitive to urbane), a lodge, cabins, a restaurant, beach area on a 50-acre mountain lake, plenty of regularly stocked trout, and 45 glorious miles of hiking trails. Sherry and I went up and down 4.5 miles worth of trails, and 'bout wore ourselves out -- and enjoyed every step of it. If you're thinking about centering a family vacation around the JRL and Clifton Forge, this is the place to stay.
Selma. Continue west via US-220Business, which will shortly approach I-64. Before joining I-64, however, take a left onto Selma-Lowmoor Road, go over the several tracks, and find a place to park (not an easy task). Walk back to the overpass, and stay on the west side of the road. There is a wide sidewalk on the west side of the overpass, and nothing on the east, so this is obviously a morning location. Movements eastbound into the yard are great photo ops here, and you can enjoy the action, but never forget where you are: Selma - Lowmoor Road is a 2-lane, very busy road.
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Selma -- West. Continue west on Selma - Lowmoor Road, and you'll come to a place where there is plenty of parking to the right. Park and walk to the edge of the railroad area. You should be able to see the MP CA 280 marker just to your right across the tracks. You're far enough west that you probably won't be bothered by standing strings of hoppers, but these can sometimes be a problem. When a train is coming, get up to the tracks, take your shots, and get back to your car. You're probably not trespassing, but why take a chance? This is a fairly quiet area, but one should still be unobtrusive.
Lowmoor. This is a good location, but you've got to be rather innocuous. Continue west on Selma - Lowmoor Road, and enter the Lowmoor area. On your right will be a great big honking C&O classic signal mast with no fewer than 2 arms and 5 signal targets. To see it is to love it. To your right is a string of houses and cars parked in front of them. You do NOT want to park in front of those houses. The locals take their parking areas seriously. Instead, continue to the Midway Christian Church, and park there. Walk across the street to the tracks. The best you'll get is an S2, N4 location, but a shot of the signal mast is worth it, believe me. There is a yard limits sign here, also, and this is officially, the beginning of the Clifton Forge yard eastbound.
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Lowmoor -- Flange Greaser. This may be an unflattering name for the best railfan location in the Clifton Forge area. Continue west on Selma - Lowmoor Road, and you'll see a Westvaco facility on your right, followed by an older, impressive 4-5 story brick industrial building. Just past the latter, look for an opening into the tracks area. You'll find yourself in a large, open trailer van parking/turn around area. Even though the interstate is close by, Selma - Lowmoor is a busy road, and there are any number of industrial noises in the area, this is a relatively quiet, enjoyable railfan location. It's private, so park way off to the side, get out the lawn chairs and coolers, and relax. The big dogs of the mountains will all parade in front of you. This is where we'll temporarily end our tour. And oh, yes, there is a flange greaser here.
As to the name: DeLorme calls this "Lowmoor", MapQuest says it's "Low Moor", the highway signs from I-64 say "Low Moor", and Google returns a fairly equal number of hits for both spellings. However, the clincher for me is that opposite this site, on the south side of Selma - Lowmoor Road is another road going off at an oblique angle. The local elementary school is on the latter, and on the front of the school is "Lowmoor Elementary School", and that's good enough for me.
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We now must "break" this tour, as Lowmoor is as far as I got, but "Big Bass" Loyd Lowry has begun to pick it up further west in Virginia, and has now added some sites. This part of the tour will be fleshed out steadily, but keep in mind that Loyd has a one-year-old, so he is somewhat time constrained. In August of 2007, we pick up the tour west of Covington, and south of I-64.
Moss Run. At exit 10 on I-64 west of Covington, take US-60 west, and you'll very shortly come to WV-159. Take a left to follow it to the south. This road goes under the tracks on a NAG/NARL. At Moss Run, take a right and go west on VA-665/Moss Run Road.
Out in the middle of nowhere, this a great train watching location.
Follow the road as it turns to gravel, for one-half mile, and you'll be at a
large wide spot by a crossbuck-protected crossing. You have excellent
photo potential in both directions, and due to the higher elevation, you can
hear trains from Alleghany summit all the way to the yard limits in Covington.
This is a quiet, scenic area to soak up some action. Indeed, this is a
cooler and lawn chair location. Plan to meet some railfan buddies, swap
some railfan lies, and enjoy a lovely part of our Country.
Westbounds will be pulling up the 1.5 percent grade with empties, and eastbounds will be in full dynamics with loaded trains.
Alleghany -- A Cabin. The apex of the grade over the Alleghanys is here, just east of the West Virginia/Virginia state line. Rather than snake around endless mountains, the engineers used the latest technology, and bored and blasted their way under the formidable Alleghany Ridge.
From Moss Run, take VA-311 for 8.3 miles to the crossroads of Crows. Take a right onto VA-311 to head back north. Continue for 3.4 miles, passing up a small, one lane dirt road on the north which goes up to the vicinity of Lewis Tunnel. Do not take this road, as you would be blatantly trespassing to do so. Just after you leave the tunnel under the mainline, turn left onto Big Ridge Road/VA-602. It's only a short distance until you're trackside. 'A' Cabin still stands, but it's nothing more than a reminder of what used to be. Walk around the gravel lot, and you will find some of the concrete ring that used to be the turntable. Hopefully, you'll see some CSX employees; if so, be sure to get permission to take photos. You'll have good views in both directions, and you can see the east portals of both Alleghany Tunnels from the grade crossing. Do not venture to the tunnels trackside, as that would be obviously trespassing, and CSX employees spend a lot of time in the area.
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West Virginia
White Sulphur Springs. Go back to VA-311, and take a left to continue north. (Tuckahoe Road goes off to the left and over the mountains to an underpass in West Virginia. However, it's NAG/NARL.) After 2.8 miles, you'll re-join I-64. Get on and go west to exit 181 for White Sulphur Springs and US-60. Take the exit and head west on US-60. Drive 1.8 miles, and turn left into the depot parking lot. This used to be THE hotspot, with countless passenger trains shuffling big money into the Greenbrier Resort. The station is now the Hotel's Christmas shop, and Amtrak stops 6 times a week. Photos are possible from the depot platform, but this isn't the place to make a day of it.
There is a talking defect detector just east of the depot, at MP CA 312.1.
If you do your map work, you will note Surber Road running to a crossing; however, the road goes thru posted CSX property, and the viewing isn't worth it anyway: NARL.
White Sulphur Springs -- Kates Mountain Road. This overpass will give you a completely different view of the trains going thru White Sulphur Springs, and is only about 40 feet off US-60. Just southwest of the station, look for Kates Mountain Road/CR-60/32 to the left. When you see it, find a place to park, and walk out on the west side of the overpass. You'll have good photo potential in both directions.
Caldwell -- Tunnel Hill Road. Back on US-60, head west, and drive to the eastern edge of Caldwell, about 4 miles, or so. Along the way, you'll come to the area of Harts Run Road. There is an underpass of the tracks, but the tracks themselves are way, way up the hill, and you'd need a helicopter to get a decent view: NARL. You'll see a sign welcoming you to Caldwell, and within a sweeping curve to the northwest, take a left onto Tunnel Hill Road/CR-60/72. Drive 500 feet to trackside.
This, believe it or not, is an honest-to-goodness at grade crossing. There's plenty of room to park, elevation to get a better vantage point above the tracks, and there are some old tracks still imbedded in the road. These latter run into a fenced area, so it's hard to say what purpose they served. Judging by the road name, there may have been a tunnel under the mountain, which is now pierced with a rock cut for the tracks.
Morning light is excellent for eastbounds, and they will be in Run 8 dragging up the grade.
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Ronceverte -- Frankford Road. Once again, get back onto US-60 and head west. The underpass WV-63 underpass just south of Caldwell is a NAG/NARL. Once in Lewisburg, take a left onto US-219, and head south to Ronceverte. (Maps show a shortcut via Teaberry Road, but the road is small, winding, and dangerous, and it offers no views of the tracks until you get to Ronceverte. Just stick with US-219.) In Ronceverte, you'll approach a 4-way stop intersection, with the track ahead of you. US-219 turns to the right, but you should pass through the intersection going straight on Frankford Road, and pull into one of the gravel parking lots.
On your left you'll see the large concrete coaling tower, and on your right, the former C&O station used now by CSX MOW employees. The station is at MP CA 322.0. Stay off the tracks, and in the parking lot, and you won't be bothered. There will almost always be at least two units idling by the station, for use as helpers to the summit of Alleghany. More often than not, since AC power rules the roost, helpers aren't needed unless the rails are wet, or crews lose a unit from Hinton. The sun is good for most of the morning from this locale.
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Ronceverte -- US-19 Overpass. Follow Edgar Avenue to the southwest along the north side of the tracks thru town. Pass up Chestnut Street and take a right onto Bowling Street. Take that one block to a left onto US-219/Main Street. This street will bend 90º to the southeast and go over the tracks. Park in any area before the roadway rises up, and hoof it onto the bridge. The east side has a broad walkway, but power lines mar the view. Don't plan on spending a lot of time on the bridge, as local police seem to not want people up there.
Rockland. Assuming you're in the vicinity of the foot of the overpass on US-219, go north 2 blocks and take a left onto Pocahontas Avenue. This will take you all the way out of town and become Rockland Road/CR63-2. Drive for 1.2 miles over this winding, narrow road, and the railroad will come in from the northeast. The first crossing isn't much, and parking is a problem. You'll have a few opportunities for shots if you hear the scanner buzz, as they call signals in either direction.
When you get to the end of the road, about 3.4 miles from where you started on Pocahontas Avenue, you've got a wide spot to pull off, and good views in both directions. Great morning light, and nobody to bother you are the main attractions of this locale, deep into the beautiful Greenbrier valley. There's room to park at the crossing just back from the end of the road, and there is also a flange greaser near the crossing. The crossing is at MP CA 326.5.
Fort Spring. Beyond the point where Rockland Road ends, the Greenbrier River makes 2 major ox-bow curves around the ends of mountains. The railroad builders solved this problem by simply boring 2 tunnels, and letting the railroad go almost straight across the area. Unfortunately for the railfan tourist, the highway department was more parsimonious, and we'll have to go quite a ways out of the way to continue the tour.
Retrace your way on Rockland Road, but don't go all the way back to Ronceverte. Take a left on Hillcrest Drive and go up to WV-63 and turn left to continue towards the southwest. Drive 5.2 miles and turn left on Fort Spring Pike/CR-43. Drive .8 miles and you'll cross a bridge over the river and be staring at the double track main line, slightly elevated on an embankment. There isn't a magical spot here to pull off and sit for hours, but by going left off the bridge, you'll find a gravel pull-off that you can get trackside by, and there is a church parking lot on your right, as you make a 180 turn up the hill, that allows some shot possibilities. Just be kind enough to not attempt the church on Sunday Mornings. I will mention that wintertime will allow some dramatic overlook shots further up the hill on the road, but there is nowhere to pull off, so I don't suggest doing so, but if you're energetic, you can hoof it up the hill, and leave your car behind.
Maps show a crossing to the east of this location, via Fort Springs Pike. There is one, but the tracks are about 100' below the road. They have just entered the west portal of the Fort Springs Tunnel: NARL. Another crossing, via Snow Flake Road to the west shows on maps, but Snow Flake is gated, and there is no public access.
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Alderson. Retrace your route from the foot of
Fort Spring Pike back up to WV-63, and turn left to head towards Alderson.
Assuming you've been following the ex-C&O from White Sulphur Springs and
Ronceverte via WV-63, come into town and turn left on WV-3 East, and cross the
Greenbrier River over a large bridge, then turn right onto Railroad Avenue (WV-3
East). This is Alderson, most notably known for the prison where Martha
Stewart was a guest, but it's also a great railfan location. Located at MP
CA 336, and situated on a long straight stretch, Alderson has a beautifully
restored C&O depot which is still a flag stop for Amtrak, C&O style signals, 3
grade crossings, and a large grassy area where you can legally watch the tonnage
roll by. Be sure to check out the old town bridge, near the depot, which
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shots are best in
the morning for eastbounds, and evenings for westbounds. You can also get
some good shots from the bridge you came into town on.
Warning! The upcoming portion of the tour is
mostly one lane, and locals drive it like it's the Interstate. Save
yourself a potential issue, and stay ALERT! Also, the names and numbers
for several of the roads detailed in this tour beyond Alderson are from Loyd's
on-the-ground research. MapQuest has several conflicts with his
observations. Go with Loyd's actual research, not out-of-date MapQuest
stuff.
Wolf Creek - Stay on Route 3 east for 2.1 miles,
and make a right onto Route 7/1 (Creamery Road). In .4 miles you'll come
along the tracks near a sweeping curve into a long straight stretch.
There's plenty of pull off space from which to enjoy the view. Mornings
are best for both directions.
Lowell -- South Bank Greenbrier River.
After leaving Wolf Creek, drive 4.3 miles on Creamery Road, and turn right onto
CR-7/Talcott Road. The road doesn't have an intersection sign, so pay
attention to your mileage! Drive 2.2 miles on Talcott Road and you'll come
to a T intersection at the River; turn right onto Lowell Road/CR-15.
You'll see the bridges over the Greenbrier River, and shots are possible from
the road during morning. One-half mile past your last turn, you'll be
trackside again at grade level, with a nice pull off to soak up some action.
Further up the road you'll see a detector, and signals that you can pull over at
when you head on from here. Morning shots only from both locales however.
As you head to your next stop, shots are possible over the farmland you'll drive
past in a couple different spots.
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Pence Springs. From Wolf Creek to Lowell on the south bank of the river, we traveled overland, rather than along the river and railroad. That's because there are no roads through most of that area. From Lowell, we'll go north, even though it's the opposite direction to the route we're taking. Because we need to get on the north bank of the river after visiting Lowell on the south bank, we have to go back to Pence Springs, as there is a bridge over the Greenbrier River there. Unless you want to drive a serious amount of miles and time, Loyd has laid out the best route for us.
Drive 1.6 miles north from the signal pull off at Lowell, and you'll enter
the village of Pence Springs; MP 343 on the railroad. It's a quaint,
former resort town, and once important cattle loading point on the C&O. In
fact until 1900, the town was know as Stockyards. The Hotel and Spring
house still stand, and the hotel is being rebuilt into a private boarding
school. This is also the beginning of single track westward.
At the grade
crossing, you can shoot eastbounds in the morning, and westbounds in the
afternoon.
Lowell -- North Bank Greenbrier River.
Leave Pence Springs by crossing the tracks, and driving .3 miles until
you meet up again with WV-3. Take a left, and you'll be in WV-3 West.
Drive 2.6 miles, and you'll see a sign for a public fishing access parking lot,
on the left. Pull off here, and take a stroll across the old railroad
bridge. Standing tall for over 100 years, its still an impressive
structure. In the evening hours you can get some good shots of tonnage
crossing the new bridge, just downstream.
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Talcott - Leaving Lowell, drive 1 mile to our next
stop, which is probably the most famous location on the Alleghany subdivision.
Talcott is home to the Legend of John Henry, and MP 348 on the railroad.
Skip the first grade crossing, and cross the 2nd one. You'll find another
fishing access lot, with a good view of the track. Make sure you don't
miss the tunnels! The old bore (originally called Big Bend, the name of
the newer bore today) is over 6000 feet long, and was where John Henry beat the
steam drill, and died afterwards. The new tunnel was finished in 1932, and
both tunnels are accessible by following the track down either side from the
grade crossing at Dillons' Superette.
The Superette has a memorabilia room full of old railroad pictures, and is
open everyday. While right against the track, both roads to the
tunnel are public access -- just don't get stupid. There is also a short
stub siding which is used from time to time to park MOW equipment and HBO cars.
Again, shots in Talcott will be morning eastbounds, and evening westbounds.
Hilldale. From the grade crossing, take a
left on WV-3, and 1.2 miles down the road you'll see a large statue of John
Henry as he watches over the tunnels from a small park off WV-3. Winter
evening shots are possible, but there are too many leaves during the summer for
decent train shots.
Willowwood. - At the bottom of the hill,
take a right onto Willowwood Road/CR-13, and follow it for .2
miles, and you'll see an unmarked dirt road. Make a very sharp right and
go up the bank. If you pass the entrance to Willowwood Country Club you've
gone too far. Follow the dirt road (its passable by any vehicle) for .3
miles and you'll end up trackside at a big cut. This is a great place for
afternoon shots, and it's public property. Notice across the tracks by the
cut, you can barely see the concrete from the face of the filled in Little Bend
tunnel.
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Willowwood -- Gun Club Road.
From our last stop, drive .3 miles down Willowwood Road, and take a right on Gun
Club Road/CR-12/3. It's a short 1/10th of a mile up and over the tracks to
a dirt pulloff. There's plenty of room to park, and you'll be granted good
visibility in both directions from the area. Look across the tracks, and
you can find the foundation of the former Hilldale station, and tower, long
since past. Mornings before 11am, and evenings from 3pm until 6pm are best
for lighting, due to the trees. This is MP CA 351.0
Go back out the way you came.
Wiggins -- Big Creek Crossing. Take a
right back onto Willowwood Road, and drive for 1.8 miles, passing up Powley
Creek and Bun Hicks roads, as they are NAG/NARL. Take a very sharp right
hand turn onto Big Creek Road/CR-10). Go up and across the tracks, and
there's a small, but useable dirt turn off where you can park. This spot
isn't the best for visibility, but its quiet, and you can drum up some artistic
opportunities here. Lighting is best in the evening for westbounds. The
crossing itself is MP CA 352.8
Hinton -- Pizza Hut. Head back across
the tracks, and down the way you came in, and take a right onto Willowwood to
continue in to Hinton. However, before we actually get to Hinton, it's
worthwhile to bring you up-to-date on Hinton as a railroad/railfan town.
Once a major terminal point on the C&O, very little remains of the railroad
infrastructure in the city. The roundhouse and turntable were taken out in
the 1980's, along with most of the yard tracks. That said, the town is
still a terminal point for the New River and Allegheny subdivisions, and every
train stops in town to change crews. Unfortunately for the railfan, the
town is built in a steep valley, with very few photographic opportunities.
Stay far away from CSX property. The employees take trespassing very
seriously around their property.
So... from back on Willowwood Road/CR-13 at Big Creek Road, drive southwest
along the river for 1.5 miles, then take a right right onto WV-3. Drive
for 1.2 miles, then to a right across the Greenbrier River on WV-107.
There's a gravel pull off across the road from Pizza Hut that will work if
you're in a hurry to photograph a train. This stretch of track is within
yard limits, so eastbounds will be slowing for a stop at MX cabin, or will be
already stationary. Westbounds generally occupy the leads closest to the
mountain, and will be running past here for a stop near the yard office.
MX Cabin (inaccessible to the public) is technically the end of the Allegheny Subdivision, and the beginning of the New River Subdivision, and is a logical place to end this segment and begin the next. However, Hinton is not particularly easy to get to from either I-77 or I-64, and the railfanning, frankly, leaves much to be desired. Therefore, this segment will continue north to Sandstone, which is immediately south of I-64, exit 138. Sandstone is also the logical place to begin an exploration of the New River Gorge National River area. For simplicity's sake, however, we will call this segment Clifton Forge - Hinton, simply because very few folks outside of West Virginia have ever heard of Sandstone.
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Hinton -- BRC Rail Car. Get back
onto WV-107 and drive towards town for .5 miles, and take a right into the City
National Bank parking lot. Here's the home of BRC Rail Car, a private
company that inspects and repairs railcars for CSX, and other railroads. There's
usually a bunch of cars parked on their various leads, and you may catch a
glimpse of their 55ton bright blue locomotive. If you stay less then 15-20
minutes here, you won't get on the bad side of the bank.
Hinton -- Overhead Bridge.
Head back out, and take a right onto WV-107 again. From BRC, it's a .5
mile drive down WV-107, and straight through the stop intersection, to the
Overhead Bridge. Taken out of service a few years back, its open for foot
traffic, and crosses over the Yard in the Avis area. Park at the "Road
Closed" sign and walk up for good views in either direction. Lighting is
good throughout the day, but high sun angles in the summer may cause you some
trouble.
Hinton -- Station Area. From the
overhead bridge, turn right, and follow the one way street for .1 miles, and
turn left onto 2nd street. 2nd street joins WV-107 after 400 feet.
Cross the bridge, and follow the WV-107 signs for .8 miles. Turn right at
the stoplight onto WV-20 north. Turn left onto 3rd Avenue, and then left
onto Summers Street. After .1 mile, you'll make a right turn onto 2nd
Avenue, and you can't miss the station. Now city property, this is as
close as you're legally going to get to the rails. Morning light is best
here, after 9am.
Amtrak stops 6 times a week, and the waiting room is open during those times. The station is a great place to hang out and listen on the scanner, as arriving and departing trains in both directions are in constant contact with the yardmaster and the AM dispatcher in Jacksonville. You can also hear the defect detector @ mp 360.5 calling out train length, number of axles, and ambient temperature.
The station is at MP CA 357.1.
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Brooks. Leave the Hinton station by going out
of the parking lot, and straight onto the brick street in front of you.
Take the first right, up 3rd Avenue for 2 blocks, and make a left onto WV-20
North. Stay on the latter for 4.4 miles, passing Summers County High
School ( you can pull off here if something is coming). The next time
you're trackside will be in Brooks. You have plenty of pull off space, and
a decent view in both directions. Morning is the only time for shots
though, as the sun sets directly across the river in the evening. MP 361.2
After Brooks, WV-20 takes to the mountains, and you won't see the tracks again
until Sandstone, where the Sandstone - South
Charleston segment begins.
