West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway
Encyclopedia
The West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway (WVC&P) was a railroad in West Virginia
and Maryland
operating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It had main lines radiating from Elkins, West Virginia
in four principal directions: north to Cumberland, Maryland
; west to Belington, WV
; south to Huttonsville, WV
; and east to Durbin, WV
. Some of the routes were constructed through subsidiary
companies, the Piedmont and Cumberland Railway and the Coal and Iron Railway.
founded the Potomac and Piedmont Coal and Railroad Company in 1866. In 1880 the company began to construct a rail line from a junction
on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
(B&O) near Bloomington, Maryland
, south along the North Branch Potomac River. In 1881 the line reached coal
fields near Elk Garden, WV, and Davis obtained new charter
s from the states of West Virginia and Maryland, renaming the company as WVC&P.
By 1884 the line reached Fairfax, WV
and the location of the future town of Davis, WV
. Davis became a center for logging
, sawmill
s and leather tanning
, and in the 1890s it was the starting point for the rapidly-growing Davis Coal and Coke Company. In 1886 the WVC&P began construction north from the Bloomington junction (known as WVC Junction) toward Westernport, Maryland
and Cumberland, using a newly-created subsidiary, the Piedmont and Cumberland (P&C). The P&C reached Cumberland in July 1887. Connections with the B&O were established at Cumberland and Rawlings, Maryland
.
Southward construction on the WVC&P continued, and the line reached Parsons in 1888 and Elkins (formerly Leadville) in 1889. Elkins became a major hub for the railroad. A branch out of Elkins west and north along the Tygart Valley River
was constructed and reached Belington in 1891. Another branch followed the river south, reaching Beverly
in 1891 and Huttonsville in 1899.
In 1899 the WVC&P established the Coal and Iron Railway
(C&I) to build a line from Elkins to Durbin. By 1903 the line to Durbin was complete and a connection was made there with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O).
, led by George Gould
, in 1902 and merged into the Western Maryland Railway
(WM) in 1905. CSX Transportation
took over the WM in 1987.
to operate a tourist railroad from Elkins, Belington and Durbin.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
operating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It had main lines radiating from Elkins, West Virginia
Elkins, West Virginia
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins , a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County...
in four principal directions: north to Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
; west to Belington, WV
Belington, West Virginia
Belington is a City in Barbour County, West Virginia, along the Tygart Valley River. The population was 1,788 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:Belington is located at ....
; south to Huttonsville, WV
Huttonsville, West Virginia
Huttonsville is a town in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States, along the Tygart Valley River. The population was 217 at the 2000 census.-History:...
; and east to Durbin, WV
Durbin, West Virginia
Durbin is a town in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 262 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Durbin is situated in the northern part of Pocahontas County at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier River. It is thus the starting point of the...
. Some of the routes were constructed through subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
companies, the Piedmont and Cumberland Railway and the Coal and Iron Railway.
History
West Virginia businessman Henry G. DavisHenry G. Davis
Henry Gassaway Davis was a self-made millionaire and U.S. Senator from West Virginia. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1904. His brother was U.S...
founded the Potomac and Piedmont Coal and Railroad Company in 1866. In 1880 the company began to construct a rail line from a junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(B&O) near Bloomington, Maryland
Bloomington, Maryland
Bloomington is an unincorporated town at the confluence of the North Branch Potomac River and Savage River in southeastern Garrett County, Maryland...
, south along the North Branch Potomac River. In 1881 the line reached coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fields near Elk Garden, WV, and Davis obtained new charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s from the states of West Virginia and Maryland, renaming the company as WVC&P.
By 1884 the line reached Fairfax, WV
Fairfax, West Virginia
Fairfax is an unincorporated community in Grant County, West Virginia, USA....
and the location of the future town of Davis, WV
Davis, West Virginia
Davis is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, along the Blackwater River. The population was 624 at the 2000 census.-History:Davis was named either for Henry Gassaway Davis, or for his family generally....
. Davis became a center for logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and leather tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, and in the 1890s it was the starting point for the rapidly-growing Davis Coal and Coke Company. In 1886 the WVC&P began construction north from the Bloomington junction (known as WVC Junction) toward Westernport, Maryland
Westernport, Maryland
Westernport is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, located along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,104 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and Cumberland, using a newly-created subsidiary, the Piedmont and Cumberland (P&C). The P&C reached Cumberland in July 1887. Connections with the B&O were established at Cumberland and Rawlings, Maryland
Rawlings, Maryland
Rawlings is an unincorporated community in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, on the McMullen Highway . It was originally known as Rawlings Station after a post office was established on the railroad there on March 7, 1856....
.
Southward construction on the WVC&P continued, and the line reached Parsons in 1888 and Elkins (formerly Leadville) in 1889. Elkins became a major hub for the railroad. A branch out of Elkins west and north along the Tygart Valley River
Tygart Valley River
The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long, in east-central West Virginia, USA...
was constructed and reached Belington in 1891. Another branch followed the river south, reaching Beverly
Beverly, West Virginia
Beverly is a small town in Randolph County, West Virginia, USA. It is situated along the Tygart Valley River and had a population of 651 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beverly is located at ....
in 1891 and Huttonsville in 1899.
In 1899 the WVC&P established the Coal and Iron Railway
Coal and Iron Railway
The Coal and Iron Railway was a railroad in West Virginia. Its main line ran from Elkins to Durbin. The C&I was a subsidiary of the West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway and was later acquired by the Western Maryland Railway .-History:...
(C&I) to build a line from Elkins to Durbin. By 1903 the line to Durbin was complete and a connection was made there with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O).
Acquisition
The WVC&P and subsidiaries were sold to the Fuller SyndicateFuller Syndicate
The Fuller Syndicate was a group of American financiers that invested in railroads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The group was organized by investor Edward Laton Fuller, President of the International Salt Company, and led by George Jay Gould I...
, led by George Gould
George Jay Gould I
George Jay Gould I was a financier and the son of Jay Gould. He was himself a railroad executive, leading both the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Western Pacific Railroad ....
, in 1902 and merged into the Western Maryland Railway
Western Maryland Railway
The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...
(WM) in 1905. CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
took over the WM in 1987.
Current Operation
Portions of the original WVC&P lines are used by CSX for freight operations. Other portions are owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority, which contracts with the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley RailroadDurbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.-Trains:The DGVR...
to operate a tourist railroad from Elkins, Belington and Durbin.
See also
- Durbin and Greenbrier Valley RailroadDurbin and Greenbrier Valley RailroadThe Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Virginia.-Trains:The DGVR...
- List of defunct Maryland railroads
- List of defunct West Virginia railroads