The Princeton–Deepwater District is a rail line in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

that connects

Deep Water, West Virginia Deep Water, also known historically as Deepwater, is a census-designated place on the Kanawha River in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 280. It is best known as the starting point of the Deep ...

, on the

Kanawha River The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the stat ...

southwards to

Princeton, West Virginia Princeton, is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The city is coined the "Heart of Mercer County" or the "Jewel of the South" in past decades. The population was 6,432 at the 2010 census with approximat ...

, and beyond to rail lines leading to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. It is known for its rugged terrain and opportunities for rail photography. Originally part of the main line of the

Virginian Railway The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads. History ...

, its northern half is now owned by the Kanawha River Railroad and the southern half by

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

Operations

The line links parts of the

Pocahontas Coalfield Pocahontas Coalfield, which is also known as the Flat Top-Pocahontas Coalfield, is located in Mercer County/ McDowell County, West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia. The earliest mining of coal in the coalfield was in Pocahontas, Virginia ...

beneath Flat Top Mountain to consumers in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

. The very steep 2%

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

from Elmore Yard up to Clark's Gap posed challenges for the operation of the line, necessitating "hill runs" where short coal trains were brought up to Clark's Gap and combined into longer trains for the rest of the trip. The segment was difficult for

steam locomotives A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

, so the line was

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

south of Mullens, the location of Elmore Yard, from 1926 until 1962, which increased efficiency. Several branches diverge from the through-line, although some are no longer in use. The Winding Gulf Branch serves the

Winding Gulf Coalfield The Winding Gulf Coalfield is located in western Raleigh County and eastern Wyoming County, in southern West Virginia. It is named after the Winding Gulf stream, a tributary of the Guyandotte River. In the early 20th century, it was promoted as ...

, and connects at its end to the CSX Raleigh Southwestern and Winding Gulf Subdivision. The Guyandotte River Branch is mainly an outlet for westbound coal, and connects to the Gilbert Branch and the CSX

Logan Subdivision The Logan Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It was formerly part of the CSX Huntington East Division. It became part of the CSX Florence Division on June 20, 2016. The line runs from Bar ...

History

The line originally formed the West Virginia half of the

main line, and was constructed between 1896 and 1909. The Winding Gulf Branch was constructed between 1904 and 1910. The Glen Rogers Branch opened in 1923, and the bridge over the

was built in 1931. By 1933 the line caused the creation of 91 coal mines along it, as well as an additional 47 on its branches. The Virginian Railway was acquired in 1959 by

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

, which later became

. The Glen Rogers Branch ceased operation in 1960, but was put into use again from 1973 to 1996. In 2015, Norfolk Southern mothballed a 50-mile segment of the southern part of the line between Elmore Yard and Princeton due to decreases in coal traffic, opting to divert trains over the Guyandotte River Branch instead. In 2016, the new Kanawha River Railroad acquired the part of the Princeton–Deepwater District north of Maben, as well as most of the connecting

West Virginia Secondary The West Virginia Secondary is a rail line that connects Columbus, Ohio, to Charleston, West Virginia, and beyond to the Gauley River valley, ending in Enon, West Virginia. The line is about 250 miles long. It crosses the Ohio River over the Poi ...

References

Norfolk Southern Railway lines Rail transportation in West Virginia {{DEFAULTSORT:Princeton-Deepwater District