A Visit to the B&O in Parkersburg

Its been a few years since I was able to visit the B&O in Parkersburg, and being in town for a

lectureship at a local college, I has some time during the lunch break to drive downtown and take a look around.
Here are some of the things I saw.

This is a view of the "high yard" which the old main line entered Par

kersburg from Grafton to the east. The yard was full of cars, which I have read are mainly storage. There isn't that much industrial shipping left in the area for this many cars!

Here is the local yard engine (I assume) waiting to go to work. #2562 is a GP 38-2 (http://www.thedieselshop.us/CSX.HTML). Last time I was here, the yard engine was in the old CSX "ghost" paint and was showing rust signs. That one was 2660, also a 38-2.

Not much going on here, and time was limited, so I went off to take some more photos.

Here is another view of the high yard along the side of some COHS passenger cars.

When you look to the left side of the car, you see COHS stenciled on hit. This car sits near the site of where the station once was (across the tracks from it). Many windows are busted by rock throwers and it seems that no repair or restoration is underway. I think I shot this car the last time I was here. I don't think much has changed.

I get a kick out of the approach from the old bridge across the Ohio River. While my telephoto exaggerates the curvature, I always wonder why there is a curve? Why not just straight on? Was the street already there when the bridge was built? When that line was laid, that street probably was dirt, so it wasn't that hard to realign the street! Then, there could have been a straight at one time and double tracked just before the bridge? Maybe someone knows.

Last photo shows an inspection car. Unfortunately, I didn't get its number (no pun intended). It was hard to get to, to take a photograph.

Next up, looking down at the B&O in Parkrsburg.