Railroad History

Passenger and Commuter Rail

Railroading Today

Rolling Stock

Infrastructure and Terms

Museums and Tourism

Miscellaneous

About The Site

[?] Subscribe To American-Rails.com

The West Virginia Northern Railroad

(Please note that with no pictures of the WVN available, the B&O is featured.)

The West Virginia Northern Railroad was a fabled Class III shortline operating for 115 years and based in the northern regions of the state. While a relatively small operation it became quite famous, particularly to railfans, for hauling large amounts of coal out of Preston County and to a connection with the Baltimore & Ohio at Tunnelton. Unfortunately, its dependence on coal ultimately was its downfall as a recession of the coal industry in the 1980s saw virtually all of the mines it served either close or halt production. The WVN gained a second life as a tourist operation but mounting debt forced it into bankruptcy and the railroad was abandoned in 1999. Today, virtually nothing remains of the line except for empty field where the yard at Kingwood was once located.

The West Virginia Northern Railroad's earliest beginnings date back as the narrow-gauge Kingwood Railway Company, an operation which began in 1884. The railroad began operations three years later in 1887 when it complete about a half-mile of line between Kingwood and Kingwood Junction. Soon after this the railroad was renamed the Tunnelton, Kingwood & Fairchance although this reorganization did little to see the company reaching much further past Kingwood. In 1894 the railroad was brought up to standard gauge and five years later the company was renamed the West Virginia Northern in 1899. Not long after the new owners took over the operation they began building the railroad southward to tap Preston County's rich coal reserves. It finally did reach Tunnelton, 11 miles away and a connection with the large Class I, the Baltimore & Ohio.

Along the way the WVN began to move massive amounts of coal from the more than the dozen mines that popped up along its route. Along with the coal mines that were served directly on its main line it also operated seven spurs to serve nearby mines including (from north to south); Miller Mine #1, Miller Mine #3, B&C #5, Mary Lee #1, Ream #1, Brooke #10, and Bellfield. During the passenger era the West Virginia Northern served eleven stops along its route (all of which were merely small hamlets) including Kingwood Junction, Snider, Irona, Mattingly, Howesville, Mountain View, Jessop, Towson, Marion, and finally Tunnelton where the railroad operated a small staging yard with the B&O to transfer its coal traffic and take back empties.

For power, during the steam locomotive era the railroad mostly used a small fleet of 2-8-0 Consolidations. As diesels came of age the West Virginia Northern primarily used EMD switchers, particularly NW2s and SW1200s, which worked well given the tonnage levels the railroad experienced.

Over the years the WVN's annual profits and traffic patterns ebbed and flowed as coal demand did likewise. Unfortunately, this total dependence on coal ultimately was the railroad's downfall. As the recession of the 1980s dragged on it particularly hit the coal industry hard and the WVN saw its traffic slowly dry up. By 1991 it was no longer profitable for the railroad to remain in business and it shuttered operations that year.

Three years later a group of rail enthusiasts who wished to see the railroad preserved and known as Kingwood Northern, Inc. reopened the operation as a tourist/excursion train using EMD diesels #50 and #52 for power, along with a small fleet of equipment to host passengers. The "new" West Virginia Northern Railroad became quite successful in this capacity and continued to see increasing ridership year after year. Ironically, however, mounting debt unforeseen to the public just could not be overcome.

With no other alternative and facing more than $1 million of red ink (part of which was the result of a legal battle with the city of Kingwood) Kingwood Northern, Inc. was also forced to shutdown. To pay off its debt the organization sold the remaining WVN equipment on the property and sold the rails for scrap. Three years later in 2002 scrappers removed the remaining rails and today nothing remains of the West Virginia Northern Railroad.

For a general history of the West Virginia Northern Railroad please click here. Likewise, the below links will take you to additional information about the WVN:

The WVN's Northern Division

The WVN's Southern Division

On a happier note, however, two of the railroad's former 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotives, #8 and #9, were saved from the Pennsylvania woods and purchased by the West Virginia Railroad Museum. The museum eventually hopes to return one to a fully operational status if funds can be secured and operated on the West Virginia Central based in Elkins, West Virginia.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Fallen Flags Section

For more reading about fallen flags like the West Virginia Northern I would suggest purchasing one, or all three volumes of Mike Schafer’s Classic American Railroads series of books. The publications feature a wealth of information and are loaded with colored photographs covering names like the Baltimore & Ohio, Santa Fe, Pennsylvania, Milwaukee Road, and lots more. If you have any interest in most famous bygone railroads which once operated in the U.S. I would strongly recommend picking up one, two, or even all three of Mr. Schafer’s book. I truly cannot say enough just how enjoyable and fun they are to read and peruse through. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing these books please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

Share Your Thoughts

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Please note that while I strive to present the information as accurately as possible I am aware that there may be errors. If you have potential corrections the help is greatly appreciated.