RR ID needed

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Regard the Kanawha and Michigan portion of the T&OC story I was told that when Conrail was organized they did an initial study to justify abandoning it as just to long for a branch line and could not possibly pay it own way. But, it took very little research to find that it was the hightest revenue branch that came with the new company. The traffic was "all" end to end movements from central WV to Columbus with a median mileage for the total movement in the +1000 range. Therefore, the per car revenue shocked the participants of the study. The chemical base around Charleston gave country wide shipments in the 100's per day and the coal movements were as good as there are today both in volume and distance. I traverse the route thru SE OH and WV every few years and am really impressed at the quality of the infrastructure, second to none and a maintenance program to keep in top form.

Do have one question: How does the Hocking Valley get into the mix, I thought this was a C&O line that connected near Athens/Nelsonville/Chauncey.

I attended OU in Athens when the B&O main went right thru the center of the residence greens. You could all but touch a car from the porch of a little hamburger snack "store", country store type, that set at the south end of the green. Have to admit that we are talking "dark ages" here, 1958-62.

If you like tracking history, follow this line from Columbus to the far end of the Gauley River line to the last mine.
Try staying nearest the rail by following you nose on gravel roads and you will see some amazing beauty of the Appalachia OH and WV. 

Having has business interests throughout this territory I have taken those late afternoon trips back home and added many miles just wondering around "lost" and loving it.

Try it, it "chicken soup for the soul".

Oakie G Ford
IRONTON, OH



----- Original Message ----- 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 6:12 AM
Subject: Re: RR ID needed


Jimmy

By now you know that T&OC stands for the Toledo and Ohio Central and that it was a part of the NYC System. The T&OC started in Corning, Ohio ran north to New Lexington where it ran on the PRR from New Lexington to Bremen then north on its own rails to Thurston, Ohio where it split into two lines to Toledo. The Eastern Division went through towns such as Johstown, Fostoria, etc to Toledo. It was on this line that the first CTC machine was installed to control a portion of it on the north end. The Western Division went through Columbus. Findlay, etc. to Toledo. South of Corning started the Kanawha and Michigan that ran deep into West Virginia and the source of much coal and chemical traffic. The Virginian connection was the Deepwater Bridge south of Charleston. The TOC crossed the N&W at Bannon Tower at the south end of Columbus.
The T&OC and the K&M was truly one of the most interesting and obscure of the NYCS. The Eastern Division was abandoned as a through route early in PC days but the Western was always a strong line up until the break up of Conrail. Sadly the railroad has been split with the NS running the portion south of Columbus and the CSX north. Somebody really needs to write a book on this fascinating line.
I hope whoever gets that roster shares it with Mark Plank who has a TOC website so that all of us can see it.

Jim Kehn 


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