Planning a sight seeing trip of the pokey

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Tom,

There is the Count Galou motel in Welch which is well thought of.  The Elkhorn Inn is a B&B near Keystone.  It is in the old Empire Coal Company clubhouse and has a website.  It is located directly across from the Pokey mainline.  http://www.elkhorninnwv.com/   The Inn is trying to attract railfans.  I have visited with the owners but never stayed there.

You get plate meals at Sterling drive in outside of Welch heading toward Pineville 


You can see some coke ovens along the drivers side as you take Rt 52 from Bramwell towards Coaldale.  As you come down the hill from Coaldale look to the passenger side and you will see 1 or 2 coke ovens from the Norfolk-Angle mines.  The large foundations just before you go through Maybeury were the Norlfolk-Angle mines.

There is nothing but an old foundation up Barlow hollow left from the original Elkhorn Coal & Coke Company.  It is on the drivers side as you exit the N&W underpass.

back on Rt 52 you will see the Appalachian Power substation on the passenger side.  This was originally built by Pocahontas Consolidated Collieries (Pocahnontas Fuel) toprovide power to its mines near Maybeury (Shamokin,Lick Branch, Delta and Angle-Norfolk).

As you go down tank hill (wooden tank on passenger side) go down into Elkhorn.  Mines are all gone, but superintendents house and outbuildigns are still intact if you turn to the left at the bottom of the hill.  Original post office from 1897 still in use there.  If you stay on raod and cross over Elkhorn Creek you will see old water palnt on right.  Everything else is gone.  This was sight of Crozer Coal & Coke and Houston Coal & Coke both of which are gone.

Continuing down Rt 52 the pillars on either side of the road are from Upland Coal & Coke.  The roads runs through former sites of Lynchburg Coal & Coke and Powhatan Coal & Coke. all gone.

The only thing up Northfork Branch is old Algoma Company Store.

As you go through Kimball if you go up Carswell Hollow the old smoke stack was standing about 5 years ago and you could actually see vestiages of the Carswell mine. I don't know if there is anything left.

There is nothing in mining on the old road through Davy, Twin Branch, Marytown, Big Sandy, but the coaling station at Farm is still intact.  Some of the old company houses are still intact at Asco.

If you go up Tug Fork there are operating mines at Ream and two at Elbert.  The old tipple is still standing at Filbert (re-built in the 1980s) the shop was also still there.  Mines are not operating.  MIne up No. 8 hollow loads about 30 cars a day, but the coal is trucked in.  Mine by Elbert school flood loads at least once  week.

The only other operating mine on Tug Fork is at Munson.  It is a strip mine, but flood loads at the old mine site.  New loader built for the purpose.  It loads once or twice a week. South Fork of Tug Fork Branch intact all the way to Munson.  North Fork of Tug Fork Branch abandoned right after Blackwolf, but a lot of right-of-way still in place all way to Jenkinjones.

If you into Coalwood (Clear Fork Branch) the company offices, shops, clubhouse and apartments are still in intact.  This is the old Carter Coal Company property which was sold to Olga Coal Co in 1947.  Go across the mountain into Caretta.  If you turn left at the school the railroad is still more or less intact and mining equipment is sitting outside.  The tipple is gone, but the housing is intact as well as the company store at Caretta.  If you head towards War you will pass the old Olga No. 2 shaft mine.  The skip hoist shaft is still there and there is small mining operation working in the upper seam, not the Poachontas Seam.

There are two mines working on Jacobs Fork Branch.  One is near Newhall and the other near Cucumber.  Newhall is old infrastructue while one near Cucumber is new. If you went to Munson you could go across mountain to Bishop and than go up Jacobs Branch to War and Caretta.

I don't recall anything beign left in place from War through Bardshaw and up towards Iaeger.

There are no steam era tipples still standing that I am aware of other than those noted.

Alex Schust







The two steam era tipples are at Keystone and Maitland.  They have been upgraded however.  There is a coal operation at Eckman at the old Pulaski Iron Company mine site.  The Pocahontasl Fuel Company store for the Pulaski Coal Co is still in use by someone 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 8:40 AM
  Subject: Planning a sight seeing trip of the pokey


  Last year at Christmas I took a very last minut ride (from Florida) to Bluefield to follow the frograil tour of the Pokey listed on the web.  We got as far as Welch and up the Tug branch before having to return home.

  This year we are going back between Christmas and New Years.  Got a new digital camera and am looking to take better pictures this time.  Anybody want to share where the real quality shots to be had are located?  Are there any steam era tipples left? (even abandoned in place)  We saw the large facility at Keystone and went up the Tug branch and saw the small loaders in Elbert.

  Also curious to know what can be seen  or is it even possible to follow the Clinch Valley Line out of Bluefield.

  More important, Is there better or closer motels to sleep than coming back to Bluefield or Princeton?

  Thanks in advance for any info.
  Tom Lewis, Jacksonville FL. 


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