Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad

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The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad (BC&G) was a railroad chartered in April 1, 1904^[1] and ran along Buffalo Creek in Clay county West Virginia. The original Buffalo Creek And Gauley ended service in in 1963.

The BC&G was one of the last all steam railroads operating into the 1960s.^{[citation needed]}

Its primary purpose was to bring coal out of the mountains above Widen, West Virginia, to an interchange with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Dundon, West Virginia.

1 Route
2 Equipment
3 Restoration
4 Related Web Sites
5 References

[edit] Route

Beginning at Dundon, West Virginia, the line ran east along Buffalo Creek, with marked locations at Avoca, West Virginia, Sand Fork, West Virginia, and through the company towns of Swandale, West Virginia and Cressmont. Swandale contained the sawmill for lumber operations of the Elk River Coal & Lumber Co and there was a small dairy at Cressmont. From Swandale the BC&G continued through Eakle. The railroad hits the end of the line once it runs into the Rich Run Coal mine's yard in Widen, West Virginia.

At Avoca the ERC&L logging line ran about 9 miles out in the woods where the logging was done during the final years of operations.

[edit] Equipment

Some of the BC&G's equipment, as well as that of it's sister railroad the Elk River Coal & Lumber Co. have been preserved, some in operating condition.

BC&G Consolidation #4 is owned by the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. It operated in tourist service until a couple of years ago. It is now undergoing a complete restorations. BC&G Consolidation #13 is owned by the Ohio Central and ran in excursion service a number of years ago. Consolidation #14 is on static display in Gaithersburg, MD.

ERC&L Shay #19 is on display in Ohio. CLimax #3 is owned by the Roaring Camp and Big Trees RR in California, but is not servicable.

The ERC&L's American log loader and bobber logging caboose are both restored and on display at the Cass Scenic RR in Cass, WV.

At one time the Elk River Railroad ran modern diesels from Gassaway, West Virginia, through Dundon and a branch to a coal loading facility at Avoca, West Virginia then from Dundon to Heartland, West Virginia.

[edit] Restoration

Currently the Buffalo Creek & Gauley Co-op, has been in the process of opening up much of the old main line and have run some speeder excursions from Dundon. The Co-op web site is: http://mountainstaterails.net/index.php?showforum=41