CLIFFTOP, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Narrow Gauge Trail at Babcock State Park in Fayette County used to be a very active narrow gauge railroad that ran from Sewell on the New River all the way to Clifftop.
The 3-foot narrow gauge line was in service from 1886-1955 and hauled coal from Clifftop and lumber from Landisburg down to Sewell.
Most of the coal from Clifftop was hauled to Sewell to be loaded into the nearly 200 coke ovens which kept Sewell going well into the 1950s, even though there were no active mines operating in the town.
The railway followed Mann’s Creek and was rightfully named the Mann’s Creek Railway.
When the idea was presented to build the railway from Sewell to Clifftop through the Mann’s Creek Gorge, many said it was an impossible task. One company finally stepped forward and said they could do it, and it was done.
Constructing the Mann’s Creek Railway was not an easy job, though, as crews had to blast a lot of rock, and deal with the many mudslides and washouts that occurred.
The Mann’s Creek Railway was dangerous. The washouts and mudslides that occurred on the narrow gauge line caused derailments that resulted in injuries and even death. The railway used smaller and geared locomotives such as Shays and Climaxes that could take on the steep grades of the railway.
Hauling coal to Sewell via truck became easier and less expensive, and the slowing of the mines spelled the beginning of the end for the railway.
The final run on the Mann’s Creek Railway was in 1955. It was a rail excursion for rail fans who climbed aboard to take photos of the locomotives and the scenery that surrounded the railroad.
In 1955, the Royalty Smokeless Coal Company offered to donate the railroad to the state of West Virginia to operate a tourist railroad. The state was not interested.
Not a whole lot remains of the railroad except for railroad ties, foundations of the trestles, and some debris from past derailments. There is some rail that remains in Sewell along with the coke ovens, ruins of the engine house, and some other building foundations.
To reach either end of the trail from US 19, take the US 60 Exit and head east for 10 miles to State Route 41, heading south. The trail can be accessed from the campground, which is 2 miles south of US 60 at Clifftop (the trail begins on the service road between the campgrounds and the stables). This entrance is open only in summer.
The trail also can be accessed from the main park entrance, a little farther south on SR 41, behind Cabin #13. Follow the signs to Cabin #13 from the entrance. Go behind the Glade Creek Grist Mill and follow that road (Old Sewell Road) past the cabins to the official start of the trail at the fork of the creek. The trail is downhill from the cabins to the campground.