Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge

The Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge is an abandoned New York Central Railroad crossing of the Gauley River in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia.

History

The Charleston & Gauley Railway (C&G) was incorporated in 1887 with the premise of constructing a coal-hauling railroad between Charleston and coal mines along the Gauley River. By the time of its acquisition by the Kanawha & Michigan Railroad (K&M), seven miles of the C&G had been completed from Charleston southeast to Malden. The remaining 30 miles to Gauley Bridge, including a crossing of the Gauley River, was finished by the K&M in 1893, giving the railroad a connection with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad’s Greendale (Gauley) Branch. ^{1 2 3 4}

The K&M ultimately fell into the control of the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1914, Penn Central Railroad in 1968, and Conrail in 1976, operating as the West Virginia Secondary. ² In 1997, the West Virginia Secondary was acquired by Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) who began operating over the rails in 1999.

The Gauley River bridge at Gauley Bridge was taken out of service after 2010 because of a lack of interchanging traffic between Norfolk Southern’s West Virginia Secondary and CSX’s Gauley Branch.

Gallery

This is an aerial view of the disused Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge.

This is an aerial view of the disused Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge.

This is an aerial view of the disused Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge.

This is an aerial view of the disused Gauley Bridge Railroad Bridge at K&M Junction.

This is a view of the K&M mainline splitting to the north (to the right) with the C&O connection to the south (to the bottom). The K&M depot is in the center-right.

Information

• State: West Virginia
• Route: New York Central Railroad
• Type: Pratt Through Truss
• Status: Abandoned / Closed
• Total Length: 600 feet
• Main Span Length: 150 feet

Sources

1. Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Government Printing Office, 1930.
2. “Railroad Town: Nitro, West Virginia.” The Trackside Photographer, 11 Aug. 2016.
3. Bess, Doug. “Nitro, WV.” WVRails.net, 2 Jan. 2011.
4. Tuk, Jared N. West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, 2003, K&M Railroad Right of Way.