Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Fairmont Subdivision

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Fairmont Subdivision was once the B&O’s primary main line between Cumberland, Maryland, and Wheeling, West Virginia.

---

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) Fairmont Subdivision was once the B&O’s primary main line between Cumberland, Maryland, and Wheeling, West Virginia. It was completed in 1853 and abandoned in phases between 1956 and 2000.

History

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), incorporated in Maryland in 1827 and Virginia in 1826, was the first railroad in the United States chartered for commercial transportation of freight and passengers. Its goal was to connect Baltimore, Maryland, with the Ohio River at Wheeling, Virginia. ^{1 2} An early alignment was proposed from Baltimore through Pennsylvania to Wheeling, but political opposition forced the railroad to route the line through western Virginia instead.

Construction of the B&O main line began in Baltimore on July 4, 1828. By January 1830, trains were operating between Mount Clare and Pratt Street in Baltimore. ² The railroad soon extended westward: an additional 13 miles were completed to Ellicott’s Mills later in 1830, a branch reached Frederick in 1831, the main line arrived at Harpers Ferry in December 1834, and it reached Cumberland, Maryland, on November 5, 1842. Expansion then paused while the B&O upgraded portions of its hastily constructed track. Early sections used iron strap rails fastened to wooden beams; when these straps loosened or broke, they could penetrate the floors of wooden railcars, seriously injuring passengers. The later adoption of solid iron “T” rail eliminated this hazard.

Construction west of Cumberland resumed in late 1848 as the B&O pushed toward the Ohio River. The line crossed the Allegheny Mountains through Grafton and Fairmont, Virginia, before turning northwest toward Wheeling. The final spike was driven at Roseby’s Rock, seven miles east of Moundsville, on December 24, 1852. ^{1 4} Completion of the route required 113 bridges and 11 tunnels, including the 4,100-foot Tunnelton Tunnel, which at the time was the longest railroad tunnel in the world. ¹ Major structures also included large iron bridges at the Cheat River and Tray Run.

“We have now laid the last bar of the long link of Railroad which connects the Chesapeake Bay and the waters of the Ohio; and I call upon all to give three hearty cheers for our President, Thomas Swan, and three more for our Chief Engineer, Benjamin H. Latrobe. May they both live to make many more connexions of the western waters and the seaboard.”
–Roseberry Carr, Superintendent ⁴

The first train reached Wheeling on January 1, 1853. ¹ A formal celebration followed on January 12, when approximately 400 passengers—including the governors of Maryland and Virginia, members of both legislatures, and other officials—traveled the completed line. ³

The railroad played an important role in the development of north-central West Virginia during the late nineteenth century. Timbering expanded rapidly during the 1860s, and towns such as Mannington and Cameron grew as commercial and industrial centers along the route. ⁸ These communities later participated in the “third wave” of development in the natural gas and oil industries, and by the end of the 19th century, West Virginia surpassed Pennsylvania in oil production. Other industries along the line included pottery and glass manufacturing. In later years, the B&O designated the route between Cumberland, Fairmont, and Wheeling as the Fairmont Subdivision.

Decline

The industries that had supported the Fairmont Subdivision gradually declined during the 20th century. The timbering industry largely disappeared by the end of the nineteenth century, and natural gas and oil production in the region began to decline by the 1940s. ⁸ By the 1950’s, many of the pottery and glass manufacturers along the line had closed. With traffic diminishing, the B&O rerouted through freight in 1956 over its Short Line Subdivision between Clarksburg and New Martinsville, following the Ohio River north to Wheeling. ⁷ Additional traffic was routed through Pennsylvania on the B&O line between Wheeling and Pittsburgh. ⁵

Formal abandonment of portions of the Fairmont Subdivision followed in later decades. On January 5, 1972, the B&O filed to abandon 27 miles of track between Moundsville and Board Tree Tunnel. ² A subsequent filing sought abandonment of the line from Board Tree Tunnel to Mannington, where the Consolidated Coal Company had developed the Nailler No. 79 coal mine. ⁶ After approval, the railroad removed the tracks between Moundsville and Mannington.

The remaining segment from Mannington southeast to Fairmont continued in service while the Nailler No. 79 mine operated. Consolidated Coal operated the facility until 2000, after which the remaining track between Mannington and Fairmont was removed, leaving the last segment of the Fairmont Subdivision out of service.

---

Gallery

---

Sources

1. “Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.” WV Railroads, 8 Aug. 2012, article.
2. “Baltimore & Ohio.” American Rails, 2017, article.
3. “Celebration of the Opening of the B&O Railroad Reception.” Wheeling Intelligencer, 13. Jan. 1863, n.p.
4. “Closing of the Tracks.” Wheeling Intelligencer, 28. Dec. 1852, n.p.
5. Baker, Wilber. “Memories of the Fairmont Subdivision.” Sentinel, Nov.-Dec. 1988.
6. Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training 2006. Annual Report and Directory of Mines. June 2007.
7. Jourdan, Katherine M. Cameron Downtown Historic District. Department of the Interior, 22 June 1998.
8. Gioulis, Michael. Mannington Historic District. Department of the Interior, 30 Jun. 1995.