A TRIBUTE TO THE P-D DISTRICT Virginian Farewell BY SAMUEL PHILLIPS/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR R
AILROADS AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY of them are addicting, but there are some routes that are particularly
attractive. The old Princeton-Deepwater District of the former Virginian Railway was a spectacular operation to witness firsthand. The incredible scenery, the experience of intense mountain railroading, and the people who made it happen all made it hard to resist. Norfolk Southern suspended regular
freight movements and “mothballed” the Princeton-Deepwater District on October 1, 2015, yet another victim of shifting coal markets and slumping domestic production.
The P-D District spans 48 miles between Elmore Yard in Mullens, to Kellysville,
W.Va. Completed in 1908, its primary goal was to haul coal out of a region in southern West Virginia untouched by rival railroads Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western. The Virginian Railway quickly became a major player and one of the busiest coal- hauling railroads in the country. Founder Henry Huddleston Rogers spared no expense when he built the Virginian, and its well-constructed right-of-way commanded respect from the industry. Deep in Appalachian mountain territory, the P-D District was home to
the steepest uphill grade on the mainline to Roanoke. Clark’s Gap Grade starts at Elmore Yard (milepost 375) and tops out at Algonquin (milepost 363) with the steepest portion being near 2 percent. Since the railroad’s opening, the climb has always pushed the railroad’s equipment to the max and put on quite a show. East of Clark’s Gap the line evens out, and the remaining run to Roanoke is not nearly as grueling as the climb up from Elmore. The railroad liked to run big trains
out of Clark’s Gap, but couldn’t put the huge trains together at Elmore and run them out because of the upcoming grade. They would therefore run a cut of cars
OPPOSITE: Just a little over a week before the Virginian closure, Norfolk Southern train U86 roars upgrade across the magnificent trestle at Gar- wood,
W.Va., with NS C40-9W No. 9192 leading 100 loads of coal bound for Belews Creek, N.C., on September 20, 2015. This was my last Garwood experience, but, boy, was it memorable. ABOVE: On a peaceful September 30, 2014, night, a single C40-9 shoves hard on the rear of Train 810 eastbound across Black Lick Viaduct in Kegley,
W.Va. Black Lick is the tallest trestle on the entire Virginian standing at nearly 250 feet in the air.
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