THURMOND, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Many visit the New River Gorge eager to explore the history of the railroad and coal mining industry that began here in the 1870s, but many are shocked to find that trains still run through the rugged gorge.
When cruising down the six miles of Thurmond Road from Glen Jean to the once booming railroad town of Thurmond, visitors are met with scenes of a bygone era.
Old coal company homes line the roads and hillsides with many of them still inhabited today.
The flowing waters of Dunloup Creek and railroad tracks guide visitors to a forgotten place that has recently become more popular since the national park designation in 2020—Thurmond.
Thurmond was once a booming railroad town in the heart of the New River Gorge.
The town was incorporated in 1900, named after its founder, Confederate Captain W.D. Thurmond.
Unlike other towns in the New River Gorge, Thurmond made its name from the railroad… not coal.
Thurmond was one of the only towns in the New River Gorge that didn’t have an active coal mine.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad from Richmond to the Ohio River was completed in 1873, with the final spike being driven near present-day Hawks Nest State Park.
The railroad opened up this rugged gorge to the rest of the country.
Following the completion of the C&O, dozens of mining communities sprang up along the river.
For decades, countless trains would roll through hauling not only coal but daily necessities and passengers heading to different points in the U.S.
Thurmond served as the heartbeat of the C&O in southern West Virginia.
Here, steam engines would stop to take on water, refuel with coal, and be serviced if needed.
Most residents who lived in Thurmond worked for the C&O in some capacity.
The town saw more freight revenue than Richmond and Cincinnati combined.
After the replacement of steam with diesel in the 1950s, Thurmond lost its influence in the gorge and on the railroad.
Year after year, the population of the once booming town has dwindled with only four residents remaining as of May 2024.
Although most towns and people have faded away, the railroad still remains.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, trains still run through the New River Gorge.
Albeit not close to what it once was, but the gorge still sees multiple trains a day. Not just coal, but the normal freight, grain, oil, ethanol, and phosphate trains.
An occasional U.S. military train also slithers its way up and down the river.
Don’t forget passenger rail service which is still available through the New River Gorge thanks to Amtrak.
The Amtrak Cardinal runs east and west three times a week on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from Chicago to New York.
You can still board the train at Thurmond, along with Prince and Hinton which are two other stops within New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.
More Amtrak Cardinal stops in West Virginia may be viewed here.
I’ve been in Thurmond and have witnessed multiple times individuals standing on the tracks taking photos when a train was nearby.
You won’t believe how many people are shocked to find out that yes, trains still run through the New River Gorge.
And the railroad tracks that were mentioned along Thurmond Road, they are active too!
A coal train makes a run to a nearby mine load out nearly every day.
So, next time you’re at one of the many old mining towns in the New River Gorge, if you wait long enough… you just may hear that whistle blow.
