The South Branch Valley Railroad, Serving West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle

The little South Branch Valley Railroad (SBVR) is a shortline operating on a former B&O branch line in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and is headquartered in Petersburg. If you are familiar with the Potomac Eagle tourist line it operates over the same trackage and both railroads are owned by the State of West Virginia. The SBVR was started in the late 1970s when the Chessie System (predecessor to today’s CSX Transportation) was interested in selling off the line. Realizing the potential the branch still carried in terms of business as well as its economic impact on the region, West Virginia stepped in and purchased it.

While the railroad is perhaps most famous for the excursion trains that operate over the line it has actually become quite a successful little shortline as well, predominantly shipping grain and chemicals but also is diversified in other traffic as well. The South Branch Valley Railroad currently rosters a number of Geeps and SDs (six-axle EMD models) of various heritage, which totals 12 units in all.

Currently the South Branch Valley Railroad operates roughly a 52 1/2-mile system from Petersburg to Green Spring where it interchanges with CSX. Trains are typically operated during the workweek with no service on Saturdays and Sundays. For serving a single branch the railroad is actually quite diverse in its traffic ranging from feed and grain to wood products and plastic pellets (in total the railroad sees around 4,000 carloads annually).

To give a brief history of the original builder of the SBVR's line, the B&O holds the distinction of being this country’s very first common-carrier railroad (meaning a railroad chartered specifically for public use) being officially incorporated and organized on April 24th, 1827. – Just as a side-note the B&O was not the first railroad actually chartered in this country, that distinction goes to the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad which was created a year earlier in 1826. – By being this country’s first common carrier the railroad was instrumental in helping to build and grow not only our economy but also the country itself when the “west” meant the Ohio River. While never a wealthy railroad throughout its existence (when compared to the likes of its much larger and powerful northern competitors, the Pennsylvania [PRR] and New York Central [NYC] Railroads) its legacy will forever be remembered as a survivor and that it put customer service above all else.

In 1962 the railroad's marginal financial situation finally ended independent ownership as the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway took control of the B&O that year. By 1972 the C&O, B&O, and Western Maryland jointly came under the Chessie System banner and by 1980 CSX Corporation was formed that included several systems, most notably the Chessie System and Seaboard System (which comprised several Southern railroads).

When the B&O’s name and existence finally came to an end on April 30th, 1987 it had just celebrated its 160th birthday (it also outlived its wealthier northern competitors by over a decade).

For more reading on shortlines like the South Branch Valley Railroad consider the book American Shortline Railway Guide from author Ed Lewis. The book has gone through several updated editions to keep up with the ever-changing world of the shortline industry. Today, the publication highlights almost 600 shortlines across the country with general background information about each. If you have any interest in shortlines you will very likely enjoy this book.