Catlettsburg is a former

Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond ...

station located in downtown

Catlettsburg, Kentucky Catlettsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 1,856 at the 2010 census. Catlettsburg is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. Opened between 1897 and 1890 to replace an older wooden station, it served trains until 1958. Amtrak trains began stopping at Tri-State Station some to the north in 1975; it was renamed Catlettsburg around 1988. Amtrak service was moved from Catlettsburg to Ashland in 1998. The C&O station was refurbished from 2004 to 2006 and added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2012.

History

C&O

The Chattaroi Railroad opened through Catlettsburg in 1880, with a wooden station built to serve the town. The

(C&O) soon bought the line. Between 1897 and 1900, the C&O constructed a new brick station; the 1880 station was converted for use as a freight house. The last C&O trains on the "Big Sandy" ran in 1958, ending passenger service to Catlettsburg, although some intercity trains continued to pass. A clause in the original deed required the property to revert to the heirs of its original owners; the heirs declined, and the property was instead transferred to the city. The freight house burned in 1964.

Amtrak service

James Whitcomb Riley and Mountaineer 1975 map

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

took over intercity passenger service in 1971. The ''

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

'' passed through Catlettsburg, stopping at nearby Ashland and Huntington but not Catlettsburg. On July 31, 1974, it was announced that a new station would be constructed at Catlettsburg to allow trains to bypass downtown Ashland. The new system would be jointly funded by Amtrak and the Chesapeake and Ohio. On March 24, 1975, Amtrak abandoned Ashland station and began serving Tri-State Station, located between Catlettsburg and Ashland and named for the three-state area it served. The ''James Whitcomb Riley'' was supplemented by the simultaneous addition of the ''

Mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

'' service between Norfolk and Chicago, which ran combined with the ''James Whitcomb Riley'' west of Ashland. The ''Mountaineer'' was replaced by the '' Hilltopper'', whose western terminus was at Tri-State Station, on June 1, 1977. Although the ''James Whitcomb Riley'' continued to serve stations west of Catlettsburg, the two trains arrived at Tri-State Station hours apart, effectively eliminating connections between the two halves of the ''Mountaineer's'' former route. The ''James Whitcomb Riley'' was renamed as the ''

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

'' later that year; the ''Hilltopper'' was discontinued on October 1, 1979, leaving just the ''Cardinal'' to serve the station. Around 1988, the station was renamed ''Catlettsburg''. The ''Cardinal'' was briefly discontinued September 30, 1981. The train was brought back by Congressional mandate on January 8, 1982. When the train was returned it was cut from seven days a week to three days a week.Amtrak National Timetable, April 26, 1982, p. 34 http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19810426&item=0035 The ''Cardinal'' served the station until Ashland Transportation Center opened on March 11, 1998. The Tri-State Station building remains extant but vacant.

Restoration

The city used the Catlettsburg station building as a youth center and women's club for a number of years. By 2004 it was in poor condition; a volunteer group restored the building in 2005 and 2006. A historic caboose was acquired and restored next to the station in 2010. The station is used as a visitor's center during the city's annual Labor Day festivities, which attract some 10,000 tourists. The station was added to the

on August 6, 2012.

References

External links

Catlettsburg C&O station on Google Maps Street ViewAmtrak station building on Google Maps Street View
{{Amtrak Kentucky stations Former Amtrak stations in Kentucky Rail transportation in Kentucky Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Railway stations closed in 1998 Catlettsburg Railway stations in the United States opened in 1975 Railway stations in the United States opened in 1890 Railway stations closed in 1958 1890 establishments in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Boyd County, Kentucky Transportation in Boyd County, Kentucky

Station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...