New York Central F7-A #1745 – Dickinson Yard, August, 1967
Dickinson Yard, located approximately fourteen miles east of West Virginia’s capital city of Charleston, was the largest yard of the former New York Central’s Kanawha Secondary. The secondary ran from Corning, Ohio, about 60 miles south of Columbus, through Charleston and Dickinson to Swiss about 10 miles beyond Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. Under Penn Central the secondary was known as the Southern Branch.
Another view of #1745 followed by another F7-A and F7-B. Note coal hoppers on left have reporting marks TOC for the Toledo & Ohio Central. I believe this was done to designate them for unit train service. The T&OC was once a subsidiary of the NYC. Someone jokingly said it stood for Train Of Coal.
Norfolk & Western units mingle with NYC’s at Dickinson Yard in August, 1967. N&W had trackage rights on NYC from here to Deepwater Bridge as a result of acquiring the Virginian Railway on December 1, 1959.
Cabooses of the N&W and NYC in Dickinson Yard August, 1967. N&W cab was formerly Virginian #322 built by St. Louis Car Company.
Dickinson Yard served as a gathering point for coal from mines located beyond Swiss on the Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier Ry, then jointly owned by the NYC and the Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Also chemical shipments originated here from surrounding plants such as DuPont. Dickinson Yard also served as the terminus for Norfolk & Western trackage rights for trains from Deepwater to Dickinson. For more in depth history of the secondary, please see my article at http://thetracksidephotographer.com/2016/08/11/railroad-town-nitro-west-virginia/
NYC F7-A #1768 on wye track at Dickinson Yard that is used to turn locomotives
Evidence of the February 1, 1968 merger of the NYC with the Pennsylvania RR to form Penn Central. Ex-PRR GP35 #2353 at Dickinson Yard in April, 1968.
N&W Time Freight #72 led by Alco C-628 #1122 (pictured at Dickinson Yard) on NYC trackage through Smithers, WV heading to Deepwater Bridge and home rails. Freight crews of the NYC were qualified to run on the former VGN to Elmore Yard near Mullens and vice versa.
Penn Central GP35 #2318 (former PRR #2318) switching at Cannelton Coal Company’s operation across the Kanawha River from Montgomery. This was the first unit I saw painted for the PC.
Former NYC F7-A #1859 with sister unit PC #1659 at Port Amherst just east of Charleston in July, 1968. Cleanup underway after derailment under the US 60 bridge.
Side and end views of NYC transfer caboose #18191 at Charleston, WV in February, 1968 just shortly after merger day. Everything looked the same but that was about to change
While the NYC ran on the east side of the Kanawha River for its entire length, the two track mainline of the Chesapeake & Ohio entered the Kanawha Valley approximately four miles west of St Albans and ran the remaining length of the valley. I have covered the C&O in other posts on my website but below are photos at two other points in the valley.
C&O GP9 #6211 with GP7 #5758 switching Appalachian Power’s Cabin Creek substation at Cabin Creek in 1968. Today the power plant and the spur are gone.
Eastbound coal drag at Winifrede Jct across the Kanawha River from Dickinson Yard pulling upgrade with an unusual consist of GP7 #5869, followed by SD18 #1807 and a GP30. Soon the train will arrive at Handley Yard for crew change.
This is a whole side of the NY Central that I knew nothing about. Thanks for the great photos and narration. It’s amazing how much brawnier and tougher those F-Units looked in the middle of Coal Country than when they scooted up and down the Hudson Division with mail, milk or passengers.
Great show!
John Mueller, when living in Nitro in the 1950s and 60s, I was amazed that a first class railroad such as the NYC had a branch in West Virginia. It was probably a money maker then for NYC as there were a number of chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley such as Union Carbide, a company that my dad worked for, plus FMC, American Viscose, Monsanto and DuPont. NYC also served several coal mines in the area as well.
This is a whole side of the NY Central that I knew nothing about. Thanks for the great photos and narration. It’s amazing how much brawnier and tougher those F-Units looked in the middle of Coal Country than when they scooted up and down the Hudson Division with mail, milk or passengers.
Great show!
John Mueller, when living in Nitro in the 1950s and 60s, I was amazed that a first class railroad such as the NYC had a branch in West Virginia. It was probably a money maker then for NYC as there were a number of chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley such as Union Carbide, a company that my dad worked for, plus FMC, American Viscose, Monsanto and DuPont. NYC also served several coal mines in the area as well.