Kenny Eaton asked about these possible routes a month or so back. As it happens I had one almost done and I am finishing up the track on it now. Since there was little or no coal activity north of Paintsville, KY on the Big Sandy Sub. (Division in C&O days) I had terminated the original route at that point, but to be complete, I have extended it northward another 40 miles or so and now it ends at the west end of Ashland, KY yard. In doing this, some of the Kanwha Sub. gets involved so of necessity, I have included the small C&O Ceredo yard and the coal transfer facility along the OHIO R. in Ceredo and Kenova. But then if I do that, there is that impressive former N&W bridge, so that is being included too. Once I finish this, I will use it to start the Kanawha Sub. which will extend to Handley, WV, and then the small facility there will start the New River Sub. In setting that up, I pulled a little bit of material off the Virginian route that I got from Simon Van de Laak several years ago and which is finished except for a lot of detailing. I may just make sure all the coal mines are in place and release it. Then if KENOVA.jpg someone wishes to flagellate themselves, it is an excellent adjunct to doing that.
Several years ago, 1980-1986, my late wife and I lived about 3 miles from the area I am working on now and we could clearly hear N&W(NS) trains crossing the Ohio R. bridge. And a fun thing happened too. During the 13 years I worked for the Southern, I got to know Jim Bistline, who managed the steam program at the corporate level. Very nice man. In 1982, my wife and I got word of a steam train coming though Kenova, so we went down to the Ohio R. bridge and parked under a shade tree to wait. The railroad crosses most of the Kenova streets on a steel trestle approach to the river bridge, perhaps 40 feet high. Well the train came, and stopped at the south end of the trestle and somebody got off, walking down the parallel sidewalk, carrying a suitcase with his suit jacket over his arm (hot summer day). As he got closer, I recognised Jim. He had poor vision and when he got close he asked where he might get a cab to the airport. I told heck, you don't need a cab, we'll take you there and it was then he recognised us. It is only 4 or 5 miles to the airport . That was the last time I saw him, I believe he is deceased now.
In the attached image, we are flying a drone over the east end of the small N&W(NS) yard in Kenova which is actually on the original N&W mainline that was bypassed around 1910 by the low grade line along the Big Sandy. In the distance is the wye and then the track line across, left to right is the trestle to the river bridge. The top to bottom line first to the right is the C&O(CSX) line and the farthest line to the right, along the river, serves the Ceredo coal transfer.
Jerry Sullivan
Several years ago, 1980-1986, my late wife and I lived about 3 miles from the area I am working on now and we could clearly hear N&W(NS) trains crossing the Ohio R. bridge. And a fun thing happened too. During the 13 years I worked for the Southern, I got to know Jim Bistline, who managed the steam program at the corporate level. Very nice man. In 1982, my wife and I got word of a steam train coming though Kenova, so we went down to the Ohio R. bridge and parked under a shade tree to wait. The railroad crosses most of the Kenova streets on a steel trestle approach to the river bridge, perhaps 40 feet high. Well the train came, and stopped at the south end of the trestle and somebody got off, walking down the parallel sidewalk, carrying a suitcase with his suit jacket over his arm (hot summer day). As he got closer, I recognised Jim. He had poor vision and when he got close he asked where he might get a cab to the airport. I told heck, you don't need a cab, we'll take you there and it was then he recognised us. It is only 4 or 5 miles to the airport . That was the last time I saw him, I believe he is deceased now.
In the attached image, we are flying a drone over the east end of the small N&W(NS) yard in Kenova which is actually on the original N&W mainline that was bypassed around 1910 by the low grade line along the Big Sandy. In the distance is the wye and then the track line across, left to right is the trestle to the river bridge. The top to bottom line first to the right is the C&O(CSX) line and the farthest line to the right, along the river, serves the Ceredo coal transfer.
Jerry Sullivan
Comment