HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The North Bend Rail Trail is a
rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
in north-central and western West Virginia in the United States. It is operated by West Virginia State Parks and is part of the American Discovery Trail.North Bend Rail Trail official website, from West Virginia State Parks
/ref> Running parallel to
U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
, the rail trail extends from the community of Wolf Summit west of Clarksburg at its eastern end to
I-77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
near
Parkersburg Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna met ...
at its western end, passing through Harrison, Doddridge,
Ritchie Ritchie may refer to: People Surname *Adele Ritchie (1874–1930), singer – comic opera, musical comedy and vaudeville *Albert Ritchie (1876–1936), governor of Maryland 1920 to 1935 *Alistair Ferguson Ritchie (1890–1954), crossword compiler ...
and Wood Counties and the towns of
Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
, West Union, Pennsboro, Ellenboro and Cairo, as well as
North Bend State Park North Bend State Park sits on along the North Fork of the Hughes River in Ritchie County near Harrisville, West Virginia. The park is named after the sharp bend in the river that the formed three sides of the original park boundary. The Nor ...
and numerous unincorporated communities.
DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...
(1997). ''West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. .


History


Railroad

The North Bend Rail Trail was built on one of the most distinguished railroad lines in U.S. history. Chartered in 1851, the Northwestern Virginia Railroad built 103 miles from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) mainline at Grafton, West Virginia, to the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
at
Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...
. The line was sold to the B&O upon completion on May 1, 1857 and became known as the B&O Parkersburg Branch. The Parkersburg Branch was built to high engineering standards with 23 tunnels and 52 bridges to minimize curvature and offer a maximum grade of 1.5%. During its prime years, the branch hosted the ''Metropolitan'', the '' Cincinnatian'' and '' National Limited'', the B&O's premiere passenger train between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri. However, with the rise of automobile ownership, ridership declined and the B&O ceased passenger operations in 1971 with the formation of Amtrak. After the Parkersburg Branch became part of the newly formed Chessie System in 1973, the mountainous route lost favor among railroad management. Amtrak, however, resurrected passenger trains in September 1971, though bypassed many of the sparsely populated towns along the line. Amtrak established the little-used '' West Virginian'', which linked Washington, D.C. to Parkersburg, in response to pressure from U.S. Congressman Harley Orrin Staggers, who used his political status to continually push for improved transportation service throughout West Virginia. Ridership remained low and Amtrak rechristened the train the ''Potomac Special'' (derisively called the "Harley's Hornet" or "Staggers Special") before eliminating it in 1973. Beginning in October 1976, another Amtrak train, the '' Shenandoah'', began utilizing the route, only to be discontinued in the fall of 1981 due to low ridership. Amtrak also rerouted the '' Capitol Limited'' over a B&O routing between Pittsburgh and Washington, a train originating in Chicago and continuing service to West Virginia communities east of Clarksburg, effectively bypassing the lightly used Parkersburg Branch. By the time of Amtrak's retrenchment in 1981, local freight service was minimal. The Chessie System had already diverted long-distance freight trains to other routes and eliminated local service entirely by 1985. Two years later, the dormant Parkersburg Branch came under the stewardship of
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
, who abandoned the line between Walker and Wilsonburg and dismantled the tracks in September 1988.


Trail

CSX Transportation initially demanded $1.5 million from prospective buyers for the railroad corridor but eventually sold it to the state of West Virginia for approximately $320,000. The state gradually developed plans to convert the line into a recreational trail and incorporate it into their state park system. Initial trail segments opened in 1991, with additional portions added over several years, encompassing some 60 miles of former railroad that included 50 bridges and 12 tunnels. In 1996, the state purchased the western portion of the abandoned corridor between Walker and Parkersburg, totaling 72 miles. Under the management of the state's Department of Natural Resources, the North Bend Rail Trail has become one of the most renowned recreational trails through the Appalachians. It is revered for its mountainous scenery and lengthy tunnels, including the 1,086-foot tunnel No. 2 a short distance east of Salem.


See also

*
Ohio River Trail The Ohio River Greenway Trail (ORT) is a proposed route that would interconnect existing trails in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The proposal is spearheaded by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC), a volunteer-led, non-profit ...
* List of rail trails * List of West Virginia state parks


References


External links

*
West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council websitePhoto guide to the North Bend Rail Trail TunnelsA virtual tour of the trail 10/03
{{authority control Rail trails in West Virginia State parks of West Virginia Protected areas of Doddridge County, West Virginia Protected areas of Harrison County, West Virginia Protected areas of Ritchie County, West Virginia Protected areas of Wood County, West Virginia Baltimore and Ohio Railroad National Recreation Trails in West Virginia American Discovery Trail