The Norfolk & Western was a like conveyor belt railroad when it came to hauling coal, Erie could never match it.
It may take a lot of research but I think you may find your answer here. The history and information in this article jumps around a lot, from old to Modern, but it sure covers the broadest spectrum of my research on Appalachian coal mining. I found it very interesting. Especially the part about the mine strikes and Mine Wars C&O Railroad converted a passenger car to an armored car with two twin machine guns to ensure safe delivery of their coal. I wish you the best of luck connecting your grandfather to the pictures you have.
W&H Main Yards: Guide to Appalachian Coal Hauling Railroads
ATSFGuy Thanks for the correction BRAKIE, I forgot about the Clinchfield RR, I didn't know NYC hauled some coal as well.
Thanks for the correction BRAKIE, I forgot about the Clinchfield RR, I didn't know NYC hauled some coal as well.
No worries mate..I forgot about the Virginian.
Several NYC trains through Bucyrus,Oh was coal drags off the N&W on their way to lake ports, steel mills and coke plants located on the NYC. After N&W bought PRR's Sandusky Line the lake bound coal stayed on the N&W to the Sandusky docks which is located on the shores of Sandusky Bay and is still in operation today..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
ATSFGuy Didn't the Erie haul some coal as well?
Didn't the Erie haul some coal as well?
As did PRR,B&O and the Haysi.
Guess I should take a break from the West Coast and spend more time with the East Coast.
Or is old age starting to affect my memory?
And the Virginian.
And Anthracite coal country is also still the Appalachian Mountains. So there's all those roads - Reading, CNJ, LNE, DL&W, LV, L&HR.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
ATSFGuy N&W, L&N, SOU, PRR, were coal haulers so they might have had access to that area. Could someone shed some light on this if I'm wrong?
N&W, L&N, SOU, PRR, were coal haulers so they might have had access to that area.
Could someone shed some light on this if I'm wrong?
I'm sure the Clinchfeild modelers be a tad upset..Clinchfield was a coal hauler to.
NYC(T&OC) also hauled some Appalachian coal out of WVa..
My favorite Coal Mine of all times is Sewell West Virginia. A railroad owned coal camp town founded in 1847 and operated till 1956. The coal was brought down from mann's Creek and dumped in coal chutes down to a lower level and transferred out. The town also had 200 beehive stoves that cooked the coal into Coke. The last resident of the town, a railroad employee moved out in 1973. Sewell once a thriving Boom Town now a ghost town in Ruins.
Edit. Maybe this could be the coal mine you're looking for.
The Pennsylvania Railroad mainline passed directly through Johnstown, so they were the biggest railroad operation in the area, and served mines in the South Fork area. Local switching in the Johnstown area was also handled by the Conemaugh & Black Lick and the Johnstown & Stony Creek. A B&O branch came into Johnstown from the South, via Somerset. The Cambria & Indiana came into the area from the North, interchanging with the C&BL. The C&I had ties with the NYC. The PRR, as well as the B&O's BR&P also operated into Vintondale to the North, serving mines there.
Tom
My family came from near the Johnstown flood area, which is where my interest lies. I am not sure you mean the same with "that area". Appalachia is a multistate area . The town, Frugality, where my grandparents met, no longer exists. It's a curve on a road in google maps.
That area was PRR county, but I see B&O and NYC also were in that area. My cousin sent me the following link. It talks about mining and the early railroads, which were bought by the PRR. It may be of interest to some.
Cambria PA History
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Looking for a picture of one of the coal mines where my grandfather worked. Found this site which maybe of use to some. Unforturnately most pics are recent of what's left of the mine, but there are some vintage pics mixed in.
http://coalcampusa.com/
I seem to be confused as to which mine I remember seeing. I did look at the South Fork, PA facebook page, which has some interesting RR photos, which sadly were in poor condition. There some interesting pics of newspaper clippings of railroad and mine tragedies.
The scratchbuilder will find something of use on these sites.