West Virginia Northern Railroad
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The West Virginia Northern Railroad (WVNRR) was in operation from 1899–1999. The WVNRR was a Preston County short line railroad that ran from Kingwood, WV to Tunnelton, WV. From the beginning of its existence through November of 1991, the railroad had but one purpose — to bring loads of coal from the mines of western Preston County to the B&O interchange at Tunnelton for shipment to points far removed from the mountains of Appalachia. Throughout weekdays until the late 80s the Northern could be found somewhere along its roller coaster route switching those nameless coal tipples, doing its part to keep the local economy in action. The railroad became a tourism railroad in the 90's. It ran until 1999, when its "First Annual Railfan Weekend" was announced that it would be its last run. By 1999 the debt was totalng over a million dollars. After a final revenue run in November of 1999, the Northern closed its doors and slowly began to sell or return what equipment remained online. The railroad was officially abandoned on June 26, 2002, and the two remaining locomotives, #50 and #52, were removed from the property that September, bound for storage near Pittsburgh, PA. In November of 2002 rail removal began at Kingwood Junction and progressed steadily, leaving little behind to show a railroad ever existed there. The WVNRR is missed by many people.
