West Virginia Northern Railroad

rdf:langString West Virginia Northern Railroad

rdf:langString The West Virginia Northern Railroad (WVN) was a short line railroad that ran from Kingwood to Tunnelton in Preston County, West Virginia. It operated from 1886 to 1991. From the beginning of its existence through February 19, 1991, the railroad had but one purpose — to bring loads of coal from the mines of Preston County to the B&O interchange at Tunnelton for shipment to points far removed from the mountains of Appalachia. Until the late 1980s West Virginia Northern crews could be found somewhere along its roller coaster route switching its numerous coal tipples. The line became a tourist railroad in August 1994, operated by Kingwood Northern, Inc. The tourist operation ran until 1999, when its "First Annual Railfan Weekend" was abruptly announced to be its final run. Locomotives and equipment remained on site until 2002, when the two remaining locomotives unceremoniously ran the line one final time under their own power from Kingwood shops to the CSX interchange at Tunnelton, where they were picked up and moved to a Pittsburgh suburb for storage (they were moved again in 2005 to Eighty Four, Pennsylvania). Tracks were removed by 2005, leaving behind sparse evidence that a railroad ever existed there, with the exception of the trackless Kingwood shop area and ties stored near the former site of Marion Siding.