Descent

Coming off the bridge the coal train enters Belpre, OH. The old stone piers have carried many a train this way.

Tunnel

The engine is still traveling backwards over a one lane underpass. A whye is only a short distance away where the engine can be turned around.

Local

Back at the high yard, the Seaboard engine is building the train that will travel to the plants in Belpre, OH.

Uphill

Trains often pull up the approach to the Ohio River when switching cars in the high yard.

Lower Approach

Trains working the low yard also pull up the approach to the Little Kanawha River. The Ohio River bridge can be seen in the background.

Elevation

The approach to the Little Kanawha River travels over one of the streets downtown like an elevated railroad.

Under Over

Trains working both yards can be seen in this photo. The "elevated" line can be seen on the lower track. Long ago a two level train station stood next to the track to the left serving the Ohio River line.

Empties

Coal trains bound for Ohio must first enter the low yard, then back up the connector track at the bottom of the picture to the high yard. The grade is quite steep and engines must be assigned to both ends of the train. The Ohio River line is now used as an alternate route for coal trains heading from Huntington, WV and Kentucky to the Baltimore area, rather than traveling the busy C&O and RF&P route. With the St.Louis mainline gone, trains must travel north through Parkersburg, down the Short Line to Clarksburg, then on to Baltimore.

Little Kanawha

Heading South this empty coal train is heading back to the mines in Southern West Virginia or Eastern Kentucky. The increase in traffic on the Ohio River line brought many track improvements and bridge replacements. The line is still unsignaled though.

End of the Line

This marks the end of the high yard. The track ends a few miles to the East and is used mostly for storage of defective cars. Most of the signals have been removed, but you can still find a few along the gravel mainline. Quite an unusual sight to see a B&O signal along a gravel road! The signals are quite heavy so be carefull collectors!