Steam Engine near Capitol Street, and the "Coonskin Steam Engine"
I
remember seeing steamers like this as a child. This one was parked just across the street from my
house, but the day of the Diesel was not too far away, and these same
tracks had lots of them by the time I was a kid. Capitol Street used to cross all
the tracks where the Farmers Market stands today. There were
so many sets of tracks, that a little guard-house was built in the
middle of them off to the side. The guard would warn people that
a train was approaching and you might actually be caught between tracks
at times, because there was space between some of them. This
engine however is sitting on the old B & O line, which paralleled
the New York Central lines for a short distance. In the background
you can see the old "Nelson Transfer & Storage" building, which was
a fixture for many years. That building is still standing today
as a "U-Storage". VGN Locomotive Class PA No. 213
The Virginian Railway was one of the smallest Class I systems in the
east, not to mention one of the youngest. However, despite its small
size the VGN was a force to be reckoned with in the movement of southern
West Virginia coal to the ports of southern Virginia. The Virginian,
built during the first decade of the 20th century, spent lavishly in
featuring the best engineering
and lowest graded railroad between the two points, even better than
larger rivals Norfolk & Western and Chesapeake & Ohio. However,
because of the railroad’s small size and dominance in hauling southern
Appalachian coal it comes as no surprise that it was eventually
purchased by one of its rivals, in this case the Norfolk & Western.
Today, the former VGN main line remains an important and vital link in
successor Norfolk Southern’s system. |
| This is the Steam
Engine known as the Kanawha Class “K-4” Alco 2700 that stood in
Coonskin Park for many years. Several people have asked what ever
happened to it. Well, the story is long and sad. It left
Coonskin due to lack of interest in the engine and the deterioration
that was starting to show. The engine was moved to St Albans for a
while, but that's where the story gets interesting. Instead of
publishing the entire sordid affair here, I leave you with this
link to learn more HERE |
Back
|