It has been 38 years since a train last rumbled through southeast Ohio’s Campbell and Eagle tunnels. Located near Ohio Route 32, one tunnel is accessible on foot while the other is sealed with concrete blocks.
It has been 38 years since a train last rumbled through southeast Ohio’s Campbell and Eagle tunnels. Located near Ohio Route 32, one tunnel is accessible on foot while the other is sealed with concrete blocks.
The tunnels were part of the Gallipolis, McArthur & Columbus Railroad (GM&C), which began constructing a line between the Ohio River at Pomeroy and Logan via McArthur, Vinton, and Gallipolis in 1872. The GM&C was sold to the Columbus & Gallipolis Railway in November 1877 and then to the Ohio & West Virginia Railway (O&WV) in August 1878. The railroad was completed between Gallipolis and Logan in October 1880 and between Gallipolis and Pomeroy in January 1881. In July of that year, the O&WV merged with two other railroads to form the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railway (CHV&T).
Ultimately, the line came under the control of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad (C&O) in 1910, enabling the C&O to transport coal mined in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia to the export terminals along the Great Lakes. However, by the 1920s, coal seams in southeast Ohio were depleting, leading to a decline in traffic on the mainline and its branches. The C&O sought to abandon the line in 1975. Significant portions were abandoned between Athens and Nelsonville in 1985 and from Dundas to Logan in 1986. The section from Minerton to Pomeroy remained operational until 1992, serving the last major mine in the area.
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Add Yours →I volunteered at the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad in Nelsonville, OH. It runs between Nelsonville and Logan, and was great fun.