11: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter returns 403; Satellite)
12: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)13: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)
14: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) daylighted
15: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) daylighted
16: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) bypassed according to Cornwallis photos below
17: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite) bypassed according to Mike below
This B&O route is now the North Bend Rail Trail.
Note the blue numbers along the B&O railroad.
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| 1926/26 Harrisville Quad @ 62,500 |
#11 Tunnel
#11 has been daylighted, and I can't get a street view of the cut, so there are no photos for this one.
#12 Tunnel
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| Jon Henderson, Jan 2023 |
The number on top of the portal keeps sources consistent.
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| Jon Henderson, Jan 2023 |
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| Jon Henderson, Jan 2023 |
That is an impressive curve.
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| Jon Henderson, Jan 2023 |
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| Mike Flickr via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#13 This wasnt always a tranquil and peaceful setting as this image appears to be today. On May 31, 1956, the B&O westbound National Limited passenger train wrecked as it emerged from Tunnel #13 and the engine tumbled into Bonds Creek on the north side of the bridge. The engineer, Joseph C. Riley, and the fireman, Paul R. Hooten, were killed in the weck. Forty-five other persons on the train were injured, including members of the train crew, other railroad employees and 29 passengers. The Bonds Creek Bridge and Tunnel sits about three miles east of Cairo West Virginia and is now part of the North Bend Rail Trail. |
#14 Tunnel
We can see the cut that daylighted the mountain.
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| Street View, Sep 2025, looking West |
#15 Tunnel
This cut is not as significant as the above. Looking at the topo map, there are fewer contour lines on this peninsula than the one that #14 went through.
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| Street View, Sep 2025, looking West |
The road on the right doesn't look much wider than the trail on the left.
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| Street View, Sep 2025 |
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| 2013 photo by Robert Elder via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#15 Foundation from the south side |
#16 (Cornwallis according to Google Maps) Tunnel
Note the 1857 date carved near the top of the portal.
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| Robbie Scott, Dec 2024 |
#17 Tunnel
Mike Tewkesbury posted two photos with the comment: "Abandoned tunnel #17 of the Parkersburg Branch of the B&O Railroad, built with a timber interior in the 1850s, rebuilt using stone in the late 1860s and abandoned in 1963. The tunnel sits east of Cairo, West Virginia and retains its original clearance of 14 feet 2 inches. It was bypassed during the rebuilding of the branch line in 1963 along with two others (#3 and #22), also abandoned when the track was rerouted around them. Ten other tunnels were modified with their ceilings raised or floors lowered to add three feet to their clearance. (#21 collapsed during the Clearance Project, abandoned due to the unstability of the terrain, and a new tunnel was constructed to replace it.) Nine other tunnels along the original line were daylighted and eliminated altogether."
Brian Freeman: Interesting that it’s written as a branch line, I thought the Parkersburg Line was part of the main to St. Louis?
Mike Tewkesbury: The St. Louis Line was the main route and the Parkersburg Branch connected Parkersburg WVa at the Ohio River to the main line at Grafton.
[So where was the St. Louis line? See B&O #3 and #4 Tunnels for more information about this B&O route.]
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| 2013 photo by Robert Elder via ArchivedBridgeHunter_#17 East Portal Notice that the floor was never lowered in this tunnel. |
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