[N&W] RE: Is station really Coal Grove?

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Regarding the ARMCO steel shipments from Ashland, KY to ARMCO Middletown, 
Ohio, NS and Conrail did get the business from CSX for a short while in 
1996, if my memory serves me correctly on the date.  They would get the 
steel ingots and slabs interchanged at Kenova and haul them to Portsmouth 
and Cincinnati via the Peavine.  CR would have two GP38's waiting at Clare 
Yard for the NS train,  179, which ran as a time freight in those 
days.  The gons were cut off, grabbed and the race was on to get the train 
to Middletown ARMCO over the CR/Big Four as soon as possible.

I don't recall how long this service lasted; it was only three to six 
months.  But, I and others did photograph the hand-off at Clare Yard 
numerous times.  It was fun to watch true expedited service; no time was 
wasted in making moves!

CSX came back to regain the business with the newly built slab cars in 
dedicated trains that they still use today.

  One last thing about Coal Grove.  It was named Petersburg until about 
1895.  The rail car ferry was in Petersburg for the interchange of cars to 
the C&O from the Ohio Southern/ Detroit Southern/ DT&I and the Scioto 
Valley Railway as well as the IRON Railroad.  See Prince's N&W book for a 
photo- also in V Tech collection- of the Kentucky end of the ferry.  The 
Ohio end can be seen in Scott Trostles DT&I book recently reprinted.

Gary Rolih