Weekend Proto Fun Time! Another switcher for my collection this week. Caught this Columbus and Greenville unit behind the shops in Columbus MS on Wednesday July 13, 2022
A nicely restored John Deere model 60 rests in the weeds as CP 445, the daily St. Paul - Calgary manifest rumbles into the yard at Minot to do its work.
Westbound empty coal train rolls by the old freight house on the famed Mountain Subdivision at Tunnelton, WV. 7/17/22 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great shot @GP30 ! I'm glad to see that the station still stands. I shot this of it, 10/17/1993 in the drizzle.
Hope that old building is preserved. Someone has installed a modern door. I fear that was due to a break-in. Looks like it is getting a bit rough, all around.
The town preserved the passenger depot next to it and keep it in good condition. I took pictures of it with my good camera, haven’t edited those yet. They bought the depot from CSX for $15,000 but leased the land it sits on for 100 years. Legalities required the land to be separated from the structure. I was told by the gentleman tending to the museum in the depot that there was mutual interest in buying the freight depot from CSX, but again no land and they didn’t think they could come up with the finances to restore the freight house, so it will probably be in limbo eventually. Same train looking to the left at the rear of the depot and the EOT. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Took this of the passenger station on the same day in 1993. Looking forward to seeing your picture of what it looks like today. On 10/15/1995, I caught the WVN's tourist operation at Tunnelton. I think it has since shut down. Dig that dynamic brake housing ahead of the cab.
Unfortunately, the Northern closed at the end of 2000 on their 100th anniversary and the rails were pulled up a few years later. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oh, that's very sad. I just remembered that west of Tunnelton somewhere near the west portal of the tunnel is/was West End, home of WS Tower, built 1912, closed 1985. I'm not sure if WS still stands. Picture taken 10/17/1993.
Knocked it down around 10 years ago. Knocked down D tower in Grafton 4-5 years ago, GN at East Grafton supposedly still stands. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oh , that' so sad. I have photos of them too, both taken 10/15/1995. Back then, with no Internet or GPS, finding towers in these mountain locales was a chancy thing. I armed myself with several Railpace magazines, a WV highway map, a full tank of gas, and hoped for the best.
You're right. Through the 1980s, a significant number of towers still stood on former B&O (and C&O) lines in WV. Most were unmanned, but there were a handful on the B&O still in service, Q at Hyndman, SA at Sand Patch, Z at West Keyser, Q at Hardman (on a different division than Q at Hyndman), HO at Hancock, NA at Martinsburg, R at Cherry Run, AM at Altamont and others I may have forgotten. I seem to recall that until the 1985 storm/flood that decimated the region, a handful of Operators could still make use of telegraphy and did so. The flood took down many miles of pole lines and the legacy systems came to an end.
Was just looking at the list of B&O train order locations I have collected. I have a WS Tower at Watson, Indiana, and a WS Tower at Butler Junction, Pennsylvania. So the WS Tower you speak of must be yet a third location?