BridgeHunter specifies a build date of 1916, but B&T explains that date is when it was rebuilt after a derailment of two cars caused extensive damage. The bridge was completed in 1889 and the building railroad was connected to the C&O in 1893. In addition to the 1916 repairs, the bridge has been rehabilitated in 1951 and 2017.
The thing that caught my eye was the river level, not the train. Although coal trains are becomming more and more rare. I quit watching after a few coal cars went by.
There are more photos with this bridge in some notes on the coaling tower in Thurmond, WV. This town is so far off the beaten path that a street view car has evidently never been there.
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| Photo in comment by Tim in BridgeHunter |
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| Jonathan Konopka posted 1982 - C&O 3863 in Thurmond, WV. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. William Alan Hall: Worked there many times over the years on CSX. See that little road on the right? I use to cross that with a big knuckle boom service truck. There was no weight limit on it back then. They assured me it would hold my truck. Use to close one eye when I crossed it.... Brandon Demers: “LEFT LANE LIMIT- 20000 TONS”. Randall Hampton shared That's the Thurmond station on the right. |
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| Robert Slavy posted 04/21/18. Thurmond. Taken through my windshield when you had to drive on the railroad side of the bridge while they made repairs on the road part. |
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| 1 of 4 posted by Craig Hensley Photography CSX G227 - Thurmond, WV An eastbound CSX grain train passing through the town of Thurmond, WV in the heart of the New River Gorge. Chock full of history, this rather small town was incorporated in 1900 and was named for Captain W. D. Thurmond who settled here in 1844. C&O began operating through Thurmond in 1892 and since this was a coal mining town, coal was the primary export. A railroad station was constructed in 1888 and still stands today as a historic depot and an active stop on Amtrak's tri-weekly Cardinal service. The railroad took up the majority of real estate in town, as is still does today as part of the CSX New River Subdivision Douglas Drexel Mitchell: Is the track over the bridge still used? Peter Kazmierczak: Douglas Drexel Mitchell Primarily coal traffic is taken over that bridge, but some mixed freight for customers on that line as well. RJ Corman calls it the Loup Creek branch. Often times a CSX local will leave either a full empty coal train or other cars for them on a siding just north outside of town. RJC will get permission to either grab the mixed freight with their own power, or in the case of a coal train they use the CSX power for taking the train to and from the loading site. Loading takes place at Pax, using RJC power to move cuts of cars through. Once complete, they will tie back on with the CSX power and take it back for interchange. These ops are as-needed, but usually there's at least one coal train a week. [Note the coaling tower in the background.] |
This is the original bridge. Note that it had two tracks.
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| A 5:02 video of a history of the bridge, Screenshot @ 1:21 |
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| Zachary Syner posted Thurmond Train Bridge and Station. This town used to service 15 passenger trains a day. It had attractions such as a movie theater, two hotels, two banks and more. Thurmond began to decline with the switch to diesel locomotives and the closing of local coal mines. The train station was restored by The National Park Service in efforts to save the history of the town, today it’s used as a visitor center museum. |
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| safe_image for coal train crossing Thurmond bridge Thurmond West Virginia |
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| J Reeves Photography posted A coal train slowly passing through the ghost town of Thurmond, West Virginia, in the heart of the New River Gorge National Park. Chris Robinson: The coal is from a mine in Pax WV. Alpha Resources. Randall Hampton shared Coming off the branch. Eric Domboski: Nice photo! Since Thurmond still has some residents, it is NOT a ghost town. J Reeves Photography: Eric Domboski might be a slight exaggeration, but it's certainly slight. 5 people don't make up much of a town. |
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