An abandoned coaling tower for steam locomotives stands in the Clifton Forge yards in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
An abandoned coaling tower for steam locomotives stands in the Clifton Forge yards in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
The first coaling tower was built in 1857 when the Virginia Central Railroad completed its line from Staunton to the Jackson River. 3 After the Civil War, the Virginia Central extended its tracks west to Covington in 1867, connecting with the Covington and Ohio Railroad. The following year, the two railroads merged to form the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O).
In 1890, C&O executives designated Clifton Forge as a major division point due to its strategic location at the junction of three key lines: the Mountain Subdivision, which included the original Virginia Central tracks to Staunton and points east; the Allegheny Subdivision, which followed the Covington & Ohio line westward; and the newly acquired James River Subdivision, running east to Richmond and Hampton Roads via the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad. 3
During the 1890s, Clifton Forge’s railroad shops were relocated from the east side of Smiths Creek to the west side. 3 They were upgraded again in 1923-24, at which time a new reinforced concrete coaling tower was constructed.
A streamlined coaling tower was later built for the new coal-burning steam-turbo-electric class M-1 locomotives for its Chessie streamliner. 1 These locomotives were introduced to haul high-speed passenger trains between Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio, eliminating the need to change locomotives at multiple points along the 599-mile route. To support this operation, fuel and water supply terminals were constructed at Clifton Forge, allowing locomotives to be refueled while passengers boarded and disembarked.
Locomotives took on water at several points along the route, but coal was primarily supplied at Clifton Forge for westbound trains and Hinton, West Virginia, for eastbound trains—each located on opposite sides of the Allegheny Mountains. 1 At both locations, the scheduled stop lasted only three minutes, allowing for passenger transfers and coal replenishment.
The new 50-ton capacity coal towers had a conventional design but featured a streamlined appearance to match the M-1 locomotives. 1 Enclosed in corrugated metal, they were designed by Garfield, Harris, Robinson & Schafer of Cleveland, Ohio. Each tower housed an operator’s cabin to feed coal into a hydraulically operated hinged hatch on the locomotive. Remote-controlled, recessed coaling aprons folded into the structure when not in use.
As railroads across America transitioned to diesel power, the C&O remained one of the last Class I railroads to retire coal-fired steam locomotives. 2 When the first diesel locomotive arrived in Clifton Forge in 1950, the demand for extensive steam locomotive maintenance declined.
The C&O canceled the Chessie in 1948 before it could enter revenue service, rendering the M-1 locomotives obsolete. 4 The M-1s proved costly and mechanically unreliable, operating only between Clifton Forge and Charlottesville. 5 They were scrapped in 1950, and the streamlined coaling towers in Clifton Forge and Hinton were abandoned. 6
By 1953, the Clifton Forge shops had been converted for diesel maintenance, 2 and the original 1924 coaling towers were also abandoned.
Sources
- “Coaling Stations Keep Step with Modern Steam Power on the C&O.” Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Newsletter, Aug. 1984, pp. 4-9.
- Beckett, Anne Stuart. “Clifton Forge Commercial Historic District 2017 Boundary Increase.” United States Department of the Interior, 26 May 2017.
- Beckett, Anne Stuart. “Clifton Forge Commercial Historic District.” United States Department of the Interior, 26 May 2017.
- Schramm, Jeffrey W. Out of Steam: Dieselization and American Railroads, 1920-1960. Lehigh University Press, 2010.
- Casto, James E. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
- Solomon, Brian. American Steam Locomotive. Motorbooks International, 1998.
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