Wheeling Terminal Railway

The Wheeling Terminal Railway was a 9½-mile railroad operating between Martins Ferry, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia.

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The Wheeling Terminal Railway (WT) was a 9½-mile railroad operating between Martins Ferry, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia. Its development reflected a series of late-19th-century consolidations intended to secure a direct rail connection across the Ohio River into the industrial districts of Wheeling.

History

Formation and Construction

Wheeling Bridge & Terminal Railway (WB&T) was incorporated on September 12, 1889, following a succession of reorganizations between 1882 and 1889. The proposed system consisted of 10½ miles of track extending from the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad at Martins Ferry, Ohio, to Wheeling. Central to the project was a 2,097-foot double-track bridge across the Ohio River, ³ accompanied by three tunnels. ²

The Ohio River crossing was designed by Job Abbott, consulting engineer for the WB&T, ² and constructed by the Edge Moor Bridge Works of Wilmington, Delaware. The bridge opened to traffic on September 11, 1891. ¹ After crossing the river, the line passed beneath Mount Wood through the 537-foot and 1,203-foot tunnels, ^{3 6} then crossed Wheeling Creek via a 320-foot deck truss bridge. The 4.7-mile segment connected with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) at 27th Street in Wheeling. ^{5 6}

Extensions and Improvements

By May 1895, a 2.2-mile extension from the B&O to the Riverside Iron Works had been completed. This included a 2,406-foot tunnel beneath Chapline Hill. ⁵ In November 1896, the line was extended an additional 0.38 miles south to 9th Street in Benwood. The Mount Wood tunnels were partially rebuilt in 1904. ⁴

Incorporated on June 20, 1900, the Wheeling Terminal Railway (WT) emerged as a reorganization of the WB&T. ^{5 6} Operations were assumed by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) effective January 1, 1921. ⁶ The Chapline Hill Tunnel underwent significant work in 1926. ⁴

Decline and Abandonment

Two short segments were abandoned during the 1920s. In 1926, 0.60 miles of track from the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad junction to the DeHass Bridge in Martins Ferry were dismantled. In 1929, 1.28 miles of track in Benwood were taken out of service. ⁶

The final passenger train crossed the Ohio River bridge and tunnels in 1938. The remaining line was abandoned outright in 1982. ² After eleven years of disuse, the Ohio River bridge was removed in 1993.

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Lineage

The corporate ancestry of the WT reflects a sequence of incorporations and consolidations:

• Wheeling Terminal Railway (WT) — Incorporated June 20, 1900, as a reorganization of the WB&T; operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad beginning January 1, 1921. ^{5 6}
• Wheeling Bridge & Terminal Railway (WB&T) — Incorporated September 12, 1889; purchased the Martins Ferry Terminal Railroad Company (MFT) on April 17, 1893; sold under foreclosure to form the WT on June 14, 1900. ^{5 6}
• Wheeling & Harrisburg Railway Company of West Virginia — Incorporated March 25, 1884, as a consolidation of the Wheeling & Harrisburg Railway and the Elm Grove & State Line Railroad; renamed WB&T on September 12, 1889. ^{5 6}
• Wheeling & Harrisburg Railway (W&H) — Incorporated March 6, 1882; consolidated with the Elm Grove & State Line Railroad on March 25, 1884. ^{5 6}
• Elm Grove & State Line Railroad (EG&SL) — Incorporated November 10, 1883; consolidated with the W&H on March 25, 1884. ^{5 6}
• Martins Ferry Terminal Railroad Company (MFT) — Incorporated October 10, 1888; sold under foreclosure and acquired by the WB&T on April 17, 1893. ^{5 6}

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Map

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Gallery

Mt. Wood Tunnels and Wheeling Creek Bridge

Chapline Hill Tunnel

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Sources

1. Titchenal, Stephen. Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad History. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print.
2. “Wheeling Terminal Railway Bridge.” Ohio County Public Library. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
3. “THE WHEELING, W.VA. BRIDGE AND TERMINAL SYSTEM.” Once A Week 6.16 (1891): 13. Print.
4. Plaque.
5. Netzlof, Robert T. “Corporate Genealogy Wheeling Terminal.” Railroad Data primarily related to the Pennsylvania Railroad. 20 Jan. 2008. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
6. “The Wheeling Terminal Railway Company.” The Pennsylvania Railroad Company: The Corporate, Financial and Construction History of Lines Owned, Operated and Controlled To December 31, 1945, Volume III Lines West of Pittsburgh 3 (1946): 648-63. Print.