The sign tells all. An afternoon photo trip to Parkersburg to visit what is left of the B&O.
The day before the temperature was 80 and the skies clear, today it is 40 and cloudy! What a change!
This photograph was taken from Belpre, Ohio as I waited to cross the RT. 50 bridge to Parkersburg. (Click on the photos for larger views.)


These two views are taken where the station once stood. When I was just a little boy, I stood here with my parents waiting for the B&O to come from Clarksburg bringing my grandmother for a visit. I was so excited to see the huge train come. I guess that is where I became enthralled with railroads.
The first shot looks back towards the Ohio River and the second toward Clarksburg. My oh my, how time has changed things.


I remember the engine rolling in, the steam swirling around me, the bell ringing, the baggage cart rolling up. Of course, when you can go anywhere, anytime by car, why take a train? Even with the cost of gasoline, I could drive for less to Texas, than take Amtrak-and get there sooner. It isn't hard to figure out why passenger trains no longer come to Parkersburg. Economics.




Here is a view of the high yard. Many industrial sidings were along where. In another post I will illustrate some of these sidings.
Today, the line is severed just a short distance east and trains no longer come from Clarksburg; well they do, but by a round-about-way. There still are several cars sitting in the yard as illustrated by the next photograph.



Here is another view of the high yard. The track in the foreground is the connection between the low yard down by the river, and the high yard.







Here is the yard engine coming from the low yard, I guess it is the end of the day for this crew (it was around 5pm). In fact they did drive up to the high yard and dismount their engine just a few minutes later.






Here are some views of the massive bridge across the Ohio River. This bridge was finished in 1871 and was for a time the world's longest bridge. Railroads obviously built things to last, but did they know it would last for 126 years?



















Here is a mixed freight rolling into the low yard in the late afternoon. It stopped and with the help of some ground crew, began switching moves. I was running out of time and couldn't get a good angle for anymore photographs of the moves. Video would have been better anyway.


Some comments about the photographs. I took a lot of photos this week. One day the sun was too bright and today there wasn't enough. Cloudy days a best for outdoor shots, but not a heavy overcast-the day is just too grey!