Balcony Falls Virginia

"Carrying Coals to Tidewater"

While I plan to provide mostly pictures of train stations on this site, occasionally I will include other "railroad related" shots. This is one of these type of shots. This shows a CSX coal train along the James River in Virginia, near Balcony Falls, in the late spring/early summer of 2006. When I took it I was driving east towards Charlottesville and had decided to follow State Route 130 from Natural Bridge over to Bus. 29 North just outside of Lynchburg VA.

As I was driving, I saw a sign posted for a wayside. Having driven for a while I decided to stop and rest. Once in the parking lot, I saw a well-used path leading south towards what I knew was the James River. I grabbed my camera and decided to follow the path. Soon, I came upon the above scene (minus the train). I stopped, did some "mental picture composition" and took a shot. I waited around to see if I could catch any rail traffic, but after about 5 minutes, hearing nothing I left my perch above the tracks and river. I had to be in Charlottesville that evening.

I was about 1/2 way back up the trail to the parking lot when I heard the un-mistakeable growl of a pair of engines lumbering in the distance. Accordingly, I retraced my steps, waited a few more minutes, and up above is what I got.

The James River Line of CSX (originally known as the James River Line of the C&O), was considered a "secondary route" for the C&O, the "Main Line" being the original line through Louisa, on to Charlottesville, Waynesboro, Staunton, Augusta Springs, Millboro Springs and into Clifton Forge. A few years ago, CSX leased the original "Main Line" to the Buckingham Branch railroad and retained this trackage. Thus, this line is now part of the CSX east-west Main Line through Virginia.

Parts of the James River Line were built on the old Tow-path of the Kanawha and James River Canal. In places the surveying for this tow-path had been done by George Washington. Thus, the C&O during the 1930's proudly announced this connection with the "Father of our Country" and named their new streamline flagship passenger train after him. Some would call this a "PR Stretch" but I must admit I have seen worse.

As should be obvious to anyone looking at the above picture, in times of high water on the James, parts of this line are under water. CSX is aware of this, and accordingly retained running rights on the old "Main Line" when they leased it out. As to whether the "old Main Line," technically the "Mountain Division" will be able to handle all the traffic in its drastically reduced running status is another question. I wonder if anyone at CSX ever asked it?

Wheeling West Virginia

The Baltimore and Ohio Terminal

This 1908 structure was noteworthy among West Virginia Passenger Train stations both then and now. At one time it functioned as the largest "Terminal" in the state and the busiest one as well. But maybe the term "Terminal" needs a little explanation.

As I understand it, a Passenger Station (or Depot) has passenger trains that may start or end at the structure. But it also will have trains, indeed the majority, that start or stop elsewhere but pause at this particular structure as part of their regular schedule. A "Terminal" on the other hand is noted primarily for being a place where most of the trains either begin or end their routes. There may be through trains pausing in route, but they do not comprise the majority of the traffic seen at the station.

One of the peculiarities of West Virginia Railroads, is that most of them are in the process of going from someplace and going to a different place. Thus in the far south you have the old Norfolk and Western line (now Norfolk Southern). It runs from Cincinnati Ohio to Norfolk Virginia. Passenger trains using the main line stopped at several places, but except for the occassional branch local up some hollow in the southern coal fields, there were few trains that stopped and/or ended at any of these stations.

In the south central area you have a collection of lines which were operated by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (now CSX). The main line goes from Cincinnati Ohio in the west, to Tidewater Virginia in the east. However, it had numerous branches serving various mines up various hollows in the area that became known as the Kanawha Coal Fields. Again, as with the Norfolk and Western, there were a few local trains, many of them mixed" (combinations of passengers and freight), but most C&O passenger trains at any one station, were through trains.

Just north of that line, you did have the only lines that "ended" in West Virginia. These lines, which actually connected and thus made through service for freight possible, were the Kanawha and Michigan (later New York Central, later Penn Central, later Conrail, and now Norfolk Southern), and the Virginian (later Norfolk and Western, now Norfolk Southern). They did have a "Terminal" in Charleston WV that served the Kanawha and Michigan (later New York Central), the Virginian, and the Elk River line of the Baltimore and Ohio (originally built as the Coal and Coke Railroad). However, on none of these lines was passenger traffic ever a major concern.

Still further north you had the two B&O lines, the "Old Main" (the original line completed in 1852) that ran up to Benwood and Wheeling WV, and the early "branch line" constructed as the "Northwestern Virginia Railroad" (later known by the B&O as the "National Limited Line). The eastern part of this route (through Clarksburg and Fairmont WV) still exists. The western part has been abandoned. The Clarksburg-Parkersburg section has become The North Bend Rail Trail. Again, as with the Norfolk and Western and the C&O, these lines had some branches, and these branches had some "local" passenger service which started and ended at various points. But again, as with the previous roads mentioned, trains serving these branches were not as numerous or as prominent at any particular station as the through passenger service.

Finally, in the "northern panhandle" section of West Virginia there was one more East West route. This was the Pennsylvania Railroad line that went from Pittsburgh to Columbus. It made only one station stop, Weirton WV.

With all these east-west lines, there were only 2 lines that went north-south, and one of them went only part way. There was a line in the east that consisted of the Western Maryland, down through Elkins and Durbin, where it met up with the Greenbrier Branch of the C & O. This line ended at Ronceverte WV. However, passenger traffic on this line was minimal though for a time a north-south passenger connection did exist between the 2 roads. The other north-south line was the B&O line which hugged the eastern bank of the Ohio River, all the way from above Weirton, down to Huntington WV. And this is where the above "Terminal" comes into place. For this line did see a lot of local traffic between points on the river.

The Wheeling Terminal was the busiest train "terminal" in West Virginia when measured in terms of the number of trains that either started, ended, or stopped en route. Further, it had more trains starting or ending than an other Passenger Train facility in West Virginia. At one point in the operational history of the B&O there were 19 trains that started, ended, or paused at this station. Historically, this made perfect sense. Because the originally projected western terminous for the B&O in 1828 was to be "Wheeling." Now once Wheeling was reached, the B&O started trying to cross the Ohio. In these efforts they met some resistance from the government of the state of Virginia, and . . . as they like to say, the rest is history.

Today, the B&O tracks through Wheeling, both the east-west line which went from Pittsburgh across the Ohio River and on to Zanesville and points beyond, and the north-south Ohio River line, have been adandoned and the tracks pulled (in the case of the Ohio River line, they are in place south of Moundsville WV). And obviously, this station no longer functions as a railroad terminal. Instead, it is part of the campus of the Northern West Virginia Community College. (Incidentally, I took this shot from the 2nd floor of West Virginia's Independence Hall, where the state was formed in 1863).

On a more personal note: I notice I have a follower, Ed. Welcome, I hope you enjoy this site as much as I enjoy posting to it.

Ottumwa Iowa

The Burlington Station

Sometimes a station is memorable because the town is memorable. In this case memorable because of a great fiction.

As many people in my generation, I watched the TV program "M*A*S*H" regularly. For me, it was refreshing because it was about the only program on the air then (or now for that matter) that had an actor playing an Ordained Minister as part of the regular cast (Father Mulchay). Further, the character portrayed was not the Elmer Gantry type that is all too common among Hollywood productions.

Ottumwa Iowa was the "hometown" of "Radar" O'Reilly. Not really, but hey, it put the town on the map.

Being on the route of Amtrak's California Zephyr, Ottumwa is a regular passenger train stop these days. And this station is there to welcome guests eager to see where "Radar" lived. It also welcomes bus passengers as well, since it is also a bus depot. Finally, it also has a small museum.

The Station itself is fairly old, being constructed originally in 1888. For many years it served the trains of the Chicago Burlinton and Quincy Railroad (more commonly known as "The Burlington Route.") It was "remodeled" in 1951 (probably when the stone exterior was added). Thus, despite its age, it appears to be fairly modern.

Kingsport Tennessee

The Clinchfield Station

The Carolina Clinchfield and Ohio (also just known as "The Clinchfield") was (and is, since as part of the CSX system it has remained pretty much the same type of operation) known as a coal hauling road. It was not noted for its passenger service. That was at least partly due to the routing of the line. There were few towns of major importance that it served.

That is why I was so surprised upon coming to this station on one of our roadtrips. I knew Kingsport had a station, and I knew it was brick. But I was not prepared for this. A brick edifice complete with a clock tower.

But here it was, and still is. Perhaps the grandeur of the station, which overshadowed anything I saw in Kingsport, was due to the Clinchfield's using it as a headquarters (though their main division point was in Erwin TN) for their operations in that part of their route. Perhaps it was due to local "political" considerations. Whatever the reason, it appears to be a station almost a "step above" its surroundings.

Thankfully, this magnificent structure has been saved and in its new life is the local bank building.

Portland Oregon

Portland Union Station

This station opened in 1896. It was a joint project of the Union Pacific, the Northern Pacific, and the Southern Pacific railroads. All three lines used the station for the first two decades of its existence. They were finally joined, after a fight in which the WW I US Railway Administration got into the act, by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle. At the same time the US Railway Administration also allowed the Great Northern to use the station.

For most of its existence prior to 1950, the station saw in excess of 90 trains a day. While I came into this station on UP's Portland Rose from Pocatello ID (Yellowstone Park), and left on SP's Lark bound for Los Angeles (but we got off in San Francisco) when our family went west in the mid-1950's I do not remember anything about the station from that trip.

Today, it is a busy Amtrak terminal hosting 2 long distance trains, the Coast Starlight, and the Portland section of the Empire Builder, as well as 10 Cascades trains (southbound to Eugene, northbound to Seattle and Vancouver BC) a day. In addition, the bus station is just across the street and bus departures are announced in the station, particularly those which are Amtrak "Thruway" connections. In addition, the City of Portland is extending its Light Rail line so that one of its routes will call at the station.

The station, itself, is downtown near the Japanese-American Historical Plaza along the Wilamette River. It is also within walking distance of the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. This latter place makes a great place to spend a 3 to 4 hour layover!

When we were there in the summer of 2008, it was a busy station indeed. Maybe not all the time, but certainly when trains were arriving or departing.

While the interior has been "spruced up" it still reminds you of the way stations used to look, complete with wooden benches! Portland should be proud of what they have done to make the Amtrak traveler feel welcome.

Hanover Junction Pennsylvania

The Northern Central Railroad Station

From perhaps the newest train station in our last posting, we go to one of the oldest train stations in this posting, the station built by a predecessor line to the Northern Central Railroad, which itself later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad System, in a remote valley in south Central PA.

The main reason for a station here was to allow passengers and freight from the Northern Central to connect with the railroad that went Northeast from here to the little Pennsylvania community known as Gettysburg.

And so it was, that on November 1863, this station had one particular passenger visit it on his way into the annuals of history. For it was to here that Abraham Lincoln came from Baltimore. And it was from here that he boarded another train and rode off to the northeast to deliver his famous words we now know of as "The Gettysburg Address."

The station today appears to be used as some type of eating establishment. The tracks you see in the picture are only used occasionally. It has been many years since they were used regularly. Instead, the line through this area has been converted into a bike trail. Parts of the Northern Central in northern Baltimore County have become the roadbed for the Timonium Line of the MTA Light Rail line that runs into Baltimore. But most of the rest of the road has been given over to recreational use.

But who knows, maybe late at night, Vachel Lindsay may be right, and a ghost of Lincoln walks around Hanover Juntion, waiting to catch another train to destiny.

Milwaukee Wisconsin

Milwaukee Amtrak Station

This posting we will consider a new station, not an old one. This is the new Amtrak Station, in Milwaukee Wisconsin. It is an "Intermodal Station" since Greyhound is also located there. It is brand new because it has been opened within the last year. It is a ray of hope in an otherwise dark scene of modern passenger railroading. And yes, it is an Amtrak station that shows the community is proud of itself and not afraid of rail passengers and welcomes them as guests.

I admit this station is not as ornate as past stations that have graced this area, such as this shot of the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (better known as The Milwaukee Road) station I found in the waiting area. However, it is certainly a lot better than the all-to-common "Amshack" structures that many communities, such as Chemult Oregon, provide for their guests who travel by rail.

According to the city's web site, this structure will also become the key to a comprehensive transportation plan that will grow to include Commuter Rail, a light-rail (streetcar) downtown Circulator, and a series of rapid bus lines (oh come on, in today's traffic? Only if you have a separate bus way such as Pittsburgh PA's.).

I have seen noteworthy stations that have been constructed in the Amtrak in other communities, and will present them in future blogs. But I wanted to start with this one, since it stands out in my mind as the best that I have seen to date.

At any rate, this is something for other communities to shoot for.

Denver Colorado

Denver Union Station

The original structure, erected in 1881 by financier Jay Gould to serve all of "his" railroads that served the Denver area, survives as the center section of the present structure. Though this 1881 structure was devastated by a fire in 1894, the rebuilt structure used the original walls in part, thus preserving the heritage of the station.

One of the unique aspects of this station was that for many years it regularly served not only "Standard Gauge" railroads (4' 8 1/2"), it also served the 36" gauge Colorado Southern Railroad. While this arrangement existed all the station's trackage had a third rail inside the outer two rails. The Colorado Southern is no more. It eventually became an all-standard gauge line that was affiliated with the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (The Burlington Route). However, some Colorado and Souther equipment can still be found at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden CO.

Denver Union Station is still an active station today, serving Amtrak's California Zephyr. In addition, the Ski Train that operates from Denver to Winter Park also departs from here. Finally, if and when the route from El Paso to Denver by way of Albequerque NM ever takes shape, it too will call at DUT. Finally the station is also the end of the line for the "Light Rail" system in Denver. While these activities do not generate the constant flow of people traffic of previous years, nevertheless, at times, it is one busy place! And it appears slated to be even busier!

Amherst Virginia

The Southern Railway Depot

When you visit some train stations you just know you will never see them again. Mainly because you know they will not be in that location much longer. You know they will either be torn down, burned down, or moved.

Only occasionally when they get to be this bad do they get to be "restored" and turned into something like a restaurant or Visitor's Center. Thus, you realize this is a once in a lifetime stop, and you are not sad about that situation. For this is a station you really do not want to come back to.

Thus it is for this station we found one day in Amherst Virginia just to the north of Lynchburg Virginia. It was an old Southern Railway Depot that was obviously on its last legs. It still sat on Depot Street beside the active Washington DC to Atlanta Mainline of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. At one time it was no doubt busy with passengers boarding and de-boarding from various passenger trains, maybe even the fabled Crescent. But now Amtrak's Cresent passes by about mid-night with nary a nod to this old station. Surely, sadly, I suspect its days are numbered and soon will be no more. And thus, I will not see it any more.

Smithton West Virginia

The Baltimore and Ohio Station

This is a very normal, ordinary wooden station building, plain in design. It probably resembles many other railroad station buildings that still exist, or used to exist. About the only thing out of the ordinary about it, is that despite the fact that the railroad called it "Smithton" it is actually located in the town of Smithburg WV. But that, in and of itself, is not really all that extraordinary. In plenty of other places, the railroad would give a station a name that was different from what the locals called their settlement.


Sometimes there were understandable reasons for a difference between a station name, and the name of the community it served. For example, several places railroads changed the station name in order to avoid confusion with other stops in the area with similar sounding names. The Norfolk and Western had two stations, Shepherdstown WV, and Sharpsburg MD, separated only by the single track bridge spanning the Potomac River. Accordingly they re-named the Sharpsburg MD depot, Antietam. This change not only avoided confusion on the operation of the railroad, but also assisted Civil War veterans who desired to return to the scene of battles they were in.


But other times, there was spite and vengance involved in changing a station's, and even the town's name. The best example of this situation I know of, was when Collis P. Huntington decided that the citizens of Coalsmouth WV were not sufficiently cooperative with the crew building his new Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. So, he simply had the name of the town changed by his chief lawyer, a man by the name of Parsons. The lawyer decided to name it after his home town, St. Albans VT. And thus was born "St. Albans WV."

At any rate, Smithton, Smithburg, whatever you want to call it, is no longer an active station. Further, the tracks that used to serve the station are no longer in existence. The tracks, which dated back to the historic Northwestern Virginia Railroad, a subsidiary of the Baltimore and Ohio, known for many years as the "National Limited Line" of the Baltimore and Ohio, were pulled in 1985 and the line was "railbanked." Through this section of the country, the line became the North Bend Railtrail.

Smithton depot, located roughly at the half-way point, has been repainted and restored on the inside to resemble a typical country station of the late 1800's in West Virginia. It is a very ordinary station. But even so, it still has a story to tell. You just have to listen and know where to look.

Jersey City New Jersey

The Central of New Jersey Station

For many years this structure, originally built in 1889 to replace an earlier out-dated one, meant for many people, the beginning of not just a train trip, but a whole new life. This was the closest rail station to Ellis Island, the first destination for so many immigrants into the United States during the latter half of the 19th century. This station was so close, it could be seen from the north-facing windows of the facility.

This station saw not only Central of New Jersey trains, it also saw the "Royal Blue Line" trains of the Baltimore and Ohio. And there-in lies the problem. Because unlike the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio did not go into New York. It stopped here, and you had to make a bus/ferry connection to get into downtown New York. During World War I and up until 1926 an exception was made and the B&O came into Penn Station. But then the exception was ended and the B&O came back to Jersey City.

And that was too much for many people. And so, while the Pennsylvania struggled to hold onto the New York Passenger Train market, the Baltimore and Ohio finally gave up.


Today, the station is part of Liberty State Park. It has a small exhibit about its role in the Ellis Island Operation. It also is one of two places where you can catch the ferry boat out to Ellis Island, and to the Statue of Liberty (Battery Park on the tip of Manhattan is the other place). Because it is not as well known, it does not appear to be as busy as the Manhattan stop, so if you want to visit Ellis or the Statue, this might be your best bet.


There is also a Science Museum at the entrance to the park. It has been recently remodeled.


All of this can be reached by using the Jersey City Light Rail Line (you can get it at the old Lackawanna Station in Hoboken which is now called "Exchange Place", and then use a shuttle bus.


The Station is obviously in good condition both inside and out. The authentic Bush Train shed out back, alas, is in a very advanced state of decay. I expect before too long they will either have to do a major renovation, or tear it down out of a concern for the safety of the visitors.

Cincinnati Ohio

Cincinnati Union Terminal

In 1900 Cincinnati OH had a problem similar to many cities of that era, too many train stations, 5 of them in all. This meant that travelers on the 7 different railroads which served the town, who needed to change trains often had a cross-town dash. Further, the many railroad grade crossings caused a lot of traffic congestion on the city's streets. Finally, all of the stations were within the Ohio River floodplain. And in those days the Ohio often flooded.

Finally in 1927 work was begun on a new facility located in the west end of Cincinnati. The architectural firm of Fellheimer & Wagner won the commission and began work on this structure shortly after completing Buffalo NY's Central Terminal. It was to be one of the "high water marks" of the Art Deco style of architecture.
It opened in 1933 two weeks early because once again, the Ohio River was on the rampage and threatening to inundate the old stations. But despite the undeniable beauty of the building, it has never lived up to its initial expectations. In addition to the overall decline in passenger rail traffic which began in the 1930's, the city fathers and the railroads soon realized they had located the new station too far from downtown.

Today, the basement of the building is still an Amtrak stop for its tri-weekly Cardinal which calls in the wee hours of the morning. The rest of the building has become a children's museum.

Thus, though the building is beautiful beyond words, it stands almost as a testament to the old saying "Beauty is skin deep." It may be beautiful, but through the years it has not met the needs of the traveling public.

Ashland Kentucky

The Chesapeake and Ohio Station

This imposing structure was built in 1925 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to serve not only the city of Ashland KY, but also as a way station for all major passenger trains traveling along its mainline. It also served as a terminous for local trains which left Ashland and traveled up the Big Sandy Valley and over towards a connection with the Clinchfield Railroad at Elkhorn KY.

But it was as a way station that it was probably best known. The major passenger trains heading west stopped here and were often "split-up" into 3 different sections, each headed a different direction, before resuming their journey. One section, normally the longest, continued out of Ashland toward Cincinnati OH. Here it would connect with the Indianapolis IN and Chicago IL-bound James Whitcomb Riley of the Big Four (or New York Central) line. A second section, would head north across the Ohio River for Columbus, & Toldeo OH, and ultimately Detroit MI. A third section would head due west over trackage now removed, and end in Louisville KY. Trains arriving from these three Western destinations were combined in Ashland before they headed East.

Given the importance of this station for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, it is not surprising that it was located within the floodwall that the Army Corps of Engineers built to protect Ashland from Ohio River flooding. It was reached through a "WYE" connection with the mainline that ran along the Ohio River's edge, outside the floodwall.

Today, this station is no longer an active station. The tracks leading to it have been removed, and a local bank is now the owner and occupier. While Amtrak does stop at Ashland KY, it uses the old Chesapeke and Ohio freight station located just outside of the flood wall.

Yet in its time, the station pictured above was an important way-station on the C&O. And given that trains were consolidated and split up at this location, it was a station where you would be able to sit and reflect upon where you had been and where you were ultimately going, both on the train, and in life.

Washington DC

Union Station

I will start off this blog, fittingly, with the station located scarcely 4 blocks from the hospital where I was born (this hospital no longer exists in this location). It is also located 3 blocks from the house where my father was born (the house no longer exists either, does this tell you something?). Washington Union Terminal, or Union Station as the "locals" called it (and still call it), was a child of, what else in DC, politics.

About 1900 Congress, both then and now the true "city council" of Washington DC decided that it was time to end the inconvenience, smoke, noise etc. that resulted from having two separate train stations, one for the B&O, one for the Pennsylvania RR (and the southern connections). The B&O was located on the NE corner of the Mall (roughly were the Taft Memorial is today) and the Pennsy on the south central border of the mall (near the Smithsonian and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing). While Congress initially told the railroads to each build a station, by the time the "politics" of the situation panned out, through something called "The McMillian Commission" the result was, as signed into law by Teddy Roosevelt, a single Union Station.

The architect chosen, Daniel Burnham, of Chicago's World Fair fame, had close ties to both the McMillian Commission and the Pennsy (have things ever be otherwise in DC?). He took as the basis of his design Baths of Diocletian. The result, Union Station, not only set the tone for the re-establishment of a Washington DC according to the original plans of Pierre L'Enfant, complete with its Mall and many monuments, but also a whole school of Public Architecture, Beax-Arts.