N&W B&O

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Anyone know when the huge N&W coaling tower in Portsmouth yard was demolished?  

J. Kelling
Greenbelt, MD


>>> <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 05/13/06 09:46AM >>>

There is a lot of B&O history in downtown Portsmouth that involves a larger activity than meeting up with the N&W. Was watching the old downtown RoW this past week and trying to visualize the activity of a small terminal, passenger station, round house, etc... of a very busy river town. The N&W seems to have missed the old central area of commerce in the extreme west end of present day Portsmouth that is near the Scioto River and Ohio River conflux. This where the B&O ran to. N&W had to cross the B&O to serve the steel mill and coke plant at New Boston. The trestle at Sciotoville is approximately 6 miles from the track ending in downtown Portsmouth. 

(As an aside, next time in Portsmouth follow the west end tracks out of the yard and look for RoW along side (south side) the main that have been taken up and follow as best you can to the far west of downtown. When down there go to the floodwall and see one of America's best art shows of huge murals ON the flood wall. They are really something to behold, beautiful and great history.)

Also, the great bridge at Sciotoville (C&O) is great history for those who missed the TRAINS article on this bridge. It is the start of the C&O's journey north after being denied the right to control access to OHIO from WEST VIRGINIA via the Kanawha & Michigan by taking over the Licking (?) Valley line from Columbus to the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, WV. The result is that the C&O had a line of 90+ miles with very restricted access to industry and even entire communities until it reached Columbus. This restriction still affects their ability to serve many points today. But, today they may view it as a blessing as they want only large marshalling points to work out of, the death of small town America. The robber barons live on.

Oakie G Ford
IRONTON, OH


----- Original Message ----- 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
To: N&W mailing-list 
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 5:36 PM
Subject: N&W B&O



While in Portsmouth, Ohio recently we made a run to Sciotoville and saw the bridge abutments just north of Rt. 52 where the B&O came into Portsmouth Yard.  Just east of the abutments there is still track going east.  I understand it ties into the CSX north of the Ohio River bridge, and railroad ties are loaded there.  My question is When was the B&O severed from Portsmouth Yard?
Did the two railroads interchange traffic there?


Jeff Wood
twlv18japie at earthlink.net 
EarthLink Revolves Around You.




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