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Sewell

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  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point)
  • 11,439 posts
Posted by dknelson on Monday, April 8, 2019 10:53 AM

I would urge you to track down Model Railroader for October 2015, for Ron Lane's article "40 Years Modeling 1 Day."  He writes about how hearing a reference to Sewell in an old folk song about a train wreck on the C&O made him track down where the town of Sewell was: a ghost town in W Virginia's New River Gorge.  The narrow gauge Mann's Creek Ry ran 9 miles from Sewell to coal mines.  He ended up making more than 25 trips to the area.  Every one of the 195 figures on his layout is a model of an actual person he either met or saw photos of!

Sewell is a big part of his layout 

Ron and Ted Schnepf wrote a book"West Virginia Narrow Gauge - Mann's Creek Railway."  I assume it is not ALL about Sewell but it probably has as much about Sewell as you're likely to find in print.

Dave Nelson

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • 2 posts
Posted by Crystalriver1 on Sunday, April 7, 2019 5:51 PM

But there was a Sewell station on the Crystal River Railroad south of Carbondale, Colorado -- just a station and a siding to load potatoes and other farm products.  It was called that for about 20 years just after the turn  of the 20th century, at which time the name was changed to "Manalta".  There is no railroad or station now, except in my house.  It was originally named for my brother-in-law's grandfather, Robert Sewell.

Steve

mbinsewi

No for an appoligy!  Just trying to figure out where Sewell is.  Not a lot of stuff out there, as it seems to be a remote location, with access only through a park, when road conditions allow.

Ulrich's link is the best photos I can find, right off hand.

What I think is cool about this Sewell, is it's in WV, and NOT Colorado, where you expect to find abandoned mines, and the railroad and town that grew to support it.

Mike.

 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, January 19, 2019 10:24 AM

No for an appoligy!  Just trying to figure out where Sewell is.  Not a lot of stuff out there, as it seems to be a remote location, with access only through a park, when road conditions allow.

Ulrich's link is the best photos I can find, right off hand.

What I think is cool about this Sewell, is it's in WV, and NOT Colorado, where you expect to find abandoned mines, and the railroad and town that grew to support it.

Mike.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, January 19, 2019 9:49 AM

Sorry I didn't know there was two of them.

Sewell, Fayette County West Virginia United States. Operated by Mann's Creek Railroad between 1886 and 1955.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, January 19, 2019 9:26 AM

I'm sure it is Ulrich.  I just searched around for towns named Sewell that were started by mining companies, and the one in Chile was at the top. Actually it filled up the first page with links to the Chile site.

Then on the second page was this:

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/wv/wv.html

Mike.

  • Member since
    April 2018
  • From: 53° 33′ N, 10° 0′ E
  • 2,508 posts
Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Saturday, January 19, 2019 9:13 AM

I think he refers to Sewell, WVA, a former coal mining community and now a ghost town.

http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/river/sewell/sewell.htm

 

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, January 19, 2019 8:37 AM

Is this the Sewell in Chile?

Mike.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Sewell
Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, January 19, 2019 3:06 AM

I've always been fascinated with the railroad owned mining town of Sewell. It's only been modeled a handful of times. 

Once a thriving Town became a ghost town. Please share what you know about Sewell.

 

 

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