Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Former NF&G lines near Rainelle, WV


Before heading to the Beckley area I wanted to get a look at CSX coal routes out of Meadow Creek/Rainelle, WV. This grade crossing view shows (defect detectors?) at Meadow Creek with yard tracks of coal cars in the distance.


The branch to Rainelle gets off to a rough and steep start. This is the east leg of the wye.


The west leg of the wye. The rails were somewhat shiny.


In person, the railroad looked as tortorous as the winding road up steep grades that I used to follow it.


A bit of a dip in Meadow Bridge; I'd like to see loads go over that.


Empties on a siding just South of Rainelle.


Former Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier Rainelle shops. No power was around, probably meaning a mine run was out and I was missing it.




Assorted cars on a storage track near the shops include this unrelettered Chessie caboose.


I quickly scrambled up an embankment to get this picture of what I guess was a yard office/station in downtown rail. A few shorts cuts of loaded coal were nearby.


A view of the Rainelle yard from the North. Tracks were shiny and the loads are there, so coal is moving... somewhere.


One of three subdivisions that branchs off north of Rainelle in a wye. I little bit father up the rails were slightly shiny.


The northwestern leg of the wye near Rainelle; I presume the left portion is only used for turning power.


The G&E Sub breaking off of the Wye. It looks like a former CR bocar is sitting on that stub track. I'm trying to find where the mine is that this sub serves, but the rail was shiny. I suspect power was on this sub while I was there, but I missed it.


The third Subdivision that breaks off is the Sewell Valley Sub, which looked to be inactive based on the tree on the tracks! The rails were also rusty. The spur on the left goes into a lumber/logging facility.


I also found a photo from 1971 showing the Sewell Valley sub and G&E sub in the same shot; compare it to the two photos above.

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