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The Kingwood Tunnel, near 
Although the tunnel itself was completed in 1852, track was not laid, due to problems with the east entrance. A temporary switchback track, requiring reversal at each stage, was built to provide service until the tunnel was finished. Work began in 1854 on an arched liner using prefabricated sections of iron, faced with stone against the eventual deterioration of the iron liners. of this system were used at the east end, and another of the tunnel were lined with brick. Lining work, followed by track laying, was completed in 1858. It was completed with two tracks, but the increasing size of rolling stock necessitated a conversion to single track after 1865. Grouting and underpinning work was required in 1889 through the entire length of the tunnel, and additional brick lining was later installed in the section with iron liners.
The single-track tunnel was bypassed by a double-track tunnel in 1912. The new tunnel's east portal incorporated the old east portal, and the original tunnel continued in service. The old bore was abandoned and sealed in 1962.
Tunnelton, West Virginia
Tunnelton is a town in southwestern Preston County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 307 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Morgantown metropolitan area.
History
Tunnelton took its name after the nearby Kingwood Tunnel. Th ...
, was built between 1849 and 1852 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
on its main line between Baltimore, Maryland and Wheeling, West Virginia, under the supervision of B&O chief engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II
Benjamin Henry Latrobe II (December 19, 1806 – October 19, 1878) was an American civil engineer, best known for his railway bridges, and a railway executive.
Personal life
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 19, 1806, he was the ...
. At the time of its completion the tunnel was the longest tunnel in the United States until it was surpassed by the Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1858.
Workers were recruited from coal mines in the area to excavate the tunnel. Three vertical shafts were established to allow work in two directions from each shaft, and from either end, using eight headings. The shafts were about deep and measured about by . The hoists were operated using horses. The tunneling operations used black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
as explosive. Dangerous rock conditions at the east end of the tunnel and accidents with black powder caused many casualties, with a total of about 30 deaths and 300 injuries in the excavation of the Kingwood Tunnel and the contemporaneous Board Tree Tunnel on the same line.
Although the tunnel itself was completed in 1852, track was not laid, due to problems with the east entrance. A temporary switchback track, requiring reversal at each stage, was built to provide service until the tunnel was finished. Work began in 1854 on an arched liner using prefabricated sections of iron, faced with stone against the eventual deterioration of the iron liners. of this system were used at the east end, and another of the tunnel were lined with brick. Lining work, followed by track laying, was completed in 1858. It was completed with two tracks, but the increasing size of rolling stock necessitated a conversion to single track after 1865. Grouting and underpinning work was required in 1889 through the entire length of the tunnel, and additional brick lining was later installed in the section with iron liners.
The single-track tunnel was bypassed by a double-track tunnel in 1912. The new tunnel's east portal incorporated the old east portal, and the original tunnel continued in service. The old bore was abandoned and sealed in 1962.
See also
* List of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in West VirginiaReferences
External links
*{{HAER , survey=WV-16 , id=wv0113 , title=Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Kingwood Tunnel, Tunnelton, Preston County, WV , photos=4 , data=7 , cap=1 Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia Railroad tunnels in West Virginia Tunnels completed in 1852 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tunnels Buildings and structures in Preston County, West Virginia 1852 establishments in Virginia