On a sunny morning, I visited Clifton Forge, Virginia, to explore its railroading heritage and see what remained.
On a sunny morning, I visited Clifton Forge, Virginia, to explore its railroading heritage and see what remained. The town was once a vital hub for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), serving as a key division point for locomotive maintenance, crew changes, and freight operations—particularly coal transport from the Appalachian coalfields to eastern markets. Its extensive rail yards, engine facilities, and significant bridges reflect its role in expanding rail infrastructure through the Allegheny Mountains.
The Virginia Central Railroad, originally chartered as the Louisa Railroad in 1836, extended westward from a connection near the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad, reaching Gordonsville by 1840. Renamed the Virginia Central in 1850, it expanded across the Blue Ridge Mountains, reaching Goshen by 1856 and Jackson’s River Station (near Clifton Forge) by 1857. Construction was delayed by the Civil War, but by 1867, the line reached Covington, linking with the Covington & Ohio Railroad. The two companies merged in 1868 to form the C&O.
Several notable bridges in Clifton Forge highlight its railroading legacy. Bridge 2293, a Pratt through truss, carries CSXT over the Jackson River. Originally built in 1881 by the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, it became part of the C&O’s James River Subdivision in 1888, with a two-track replacement completed in 1900.
Bridge 2785, another Pratt through truss, spans the Jackson River at milepost CA 278.4. The original bridge at Williamson’s Station was completed in 1858, replaced in 1869, and possibly rebuilt in 1895 when the mainline was double-tracked.
A major yard expansion in 1923 led to the construction of a deck plate girder bridge with a reinforced concrete deck to support 23-yard tracks over the Jackson River. That same year, a double-tracked, two-span through truss bridge was relocated for the mainline. However, on July 17, 1924, the east abutment collapsed under a locomotive. A replacement was completed later that year by the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company.
Another Pratt through truss bridge, built in 1924, once carried the C&O and CSXT over the Jackson River as part of the yard expansion.
The Clifton Forge yards are also home to an abandoned coaling tower. The first tower was built in 1857 when the Virginia Central Railroad reached the Jackson River. After the Civil War, the railroad extended to Covington, merging with the Covington & Ohio Railroad in 1868 to form the C&O. By 1890, Clifton Forge had become a major division point, prompting shop relocations in the 1890s and further upgrades in the 1920s, including a reinforced concrete coaling tower.
A streamlined coaling tower was built circa 1948 for the Chessie streamliner’s M-1 locomotives, allowing for quick refueling and water replenishment. However, with the transition to diesel locomotives in the 1950s, the C&O phased out coal-fired steam engines. The M-1 locomotives were scrapped in 1950, and by 1953, the Clifton Forge shops were converted for diesel maintenance, marking the end of the coaling tower era.
Clifton Forge, Virginia, remains a quiet reminder of the town’s railroading past. Once a vital hub for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, its rail yards, bridges, and coaling towers played a key role in moving coal and freight through the Allegheny Mountains. Though many of these structures now stand abandoned or repurposed, they still speak to an era when steam ruled the rails and Clifton Forge was a bustling center of activity.
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