Appalachian & Ohio/B&O Viaduct over Pleasant Creek in Barbour Country, WV

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View

C Kent McKenzie posted five photos with the comment:

My friend Tami Toothman-Shoup recently shared two photos of this 1930s-era B&O Railroad Bridge, which prompted me to do a bit of research about this location. With her permission, here are her photos along with some others I found.
This is the Pleasant Creek Bridge, about nine miles south of Grafton. This particular section of track (part of the B&O Cowan Subdivision) was constructed during the 1930s, when the original B&O Grafton and Bellington Branch was relocated from along the Tygart Valley River due to construction of of the Works Progress Administration Tygart Dam (which created Tygart Lake and flooded the original rail route between Grafton and Phillipi). http://www.abandonedrails.com/grafton-and-belington-branchThis section of CSX-owned trackage is currently leased to and operated by the Appalachian & Ohio Railroad. https://www.csxthsociety.org/railfanning/appalachianohiorybuckhannonsentinelmine20160727-31.html

Individual photo credits with each photo.

1
Ivy-covered tower on the former B&O Pleasant Creek Trestle. Photo by Tami Toothman-Shoup, August 2020.

2
Ivy-covered towers on the former B&O Pleasant Creek Trestle. Photo by Tami Toothman-Shoup, August 2020.

3
Wide view of the Pleasant Creek Trestle. Photo credited to Everett N. Young, from the CSXT Historical Society webpage about the A&O that now operates this section of CSX trackage. https://www.csxthsociety.org/railfanning/appalachianohiorybuckhannonsentinelmine20160727-31.html

4
Photo looking south by former Engineer Steve Shaluta, who is now a well-known professional photographer. https://www.steveshaluta.com/Grafton-WV/Historical-Photographs-of-Graf/i-nvq2Z22

5
Photo looking back north (toward Grafton) by former Engineer Steve Shaluta, who is now a well-known professional photographer. https://www.steveshaluta.com/Grafton-WV/Historical-Photographs-of-Graf/i-nvq2Z22

Jim James posted
October 1997. Pleasant Creek, WV. Before a Buckhannon to Grafton, WV mine shifter arrived on the scene, the cool, crisp air made for a nice afternoon trackside nap. The sound of EMD dynamic braking echoing throughout the neighboring mountains brought me back to the land of the living.

Ian Bowling: What a beautiful shot! I’m curious as to how the traffic is on this line today. Is it worth making a trip down to it if it sees multiple trains a day. Or if it’s sporadic and only a couple times a week.

James Hetfeild: Ian Bowling operations on the A&O are very sporadic especially since the closure of Beech mountain coal mine, I would try for there CSX interchange job that’s runs out of Buckhannon to Grafton, usually it’s on duty at 1730 at there yard then goes north days of operation would try for a Monday or a Thursday.