For those interested in West Virginia railroad history I found the following list of railroad stations that are still in existence in the state. Most have been converted to other uses but many retain their original appearence.
I always thought that the Kenova, WV railway station was very unique. It was two stories high and I believe three railroad tracks intersected there; the Norfolk & Western, the Chesapeake & Ohio, and the Baltimore & Ohio. If memory serves me right, the N & W boarded on the second floor and the other two railways boarded on the first floor.
I seem to remember the smells and the bustle associated with these icons of railway passenger history. It always seemed to me that they smelled of cigar smoke, creosote, and other aromas that provided a mixture that was not unpleasent at all. They seemed to be very busy places with employees always getting prepared for a departure or an arrival.
Alderson: The passenger railroad depot built by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway here still stands, restored, used as a visitors center.
Allingdale: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Ameagle: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands.
Berkeley Springs: The passenger railroad depot built by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad here still stands, used as a business.
Blaine: The passenger depot built by the Western Maryland Railway here still stands.
Burlington: The passenger depot built by the Twin Mountain & Potomac Railroad here still stands.
Cameron: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Charles Town: The passenger railroad depots built by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Norfolk & Western Railway here still stand.
Charleston: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands, used as an Amtrak stop. Also, the Kanawha & Michigan Railway’s freight depot here remains, used as a business.
Clarksburg: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Clover Lick: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands, restored, used as a visitors center.
Cotton Hill: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands.
Cowen: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Dunbar: The passenger railroad depot built by the K&M here still stands.
Dunlow: The passenger railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Durbin: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands, restored, used by tourist line Durbin & Greenbrier Valley.
Elizabeth: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, used as a business.
Elkins: The passenger railroad station built by the WM here still stands, restored, used as a station stop, visitors center, gift shop and offices of the West Virginia Central Railroad.
Elkview: The passenger railroad depot built by the New York Central here still stands.
Elm Grove: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, used as a business.
Fetterman: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Follansbee: The passenger railroad depot built by the PRR here still stands.
Gary: The passenger railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Gassaway: The combination passenger railroad depot/office building built by the Coal & Coke Railroad here still stands.
Gauley Bridge: The passenger railroad depot built by the Kanawha & Michigan Railway here still stands.
Grafton: The passenger and freight railroad stations built by the B&O here still stand. Also, the B&O’s large hotel complex here remains, under restoration.
Hancock: The passenger and freight depots built by the B&O here still stand.
Harpers Ferry: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, used as a MARC stop.
Hinton: The passenger and freight railroad depots built by the C&O here still stands.
Howesville: The passenger railroad depot built by the West Virginia Northern Railroad here still stands.
Huntington: The passenger railroad stations built by the B&O and C&O here still stand. Also, the B&O’s freight depot here remains, used as a business.
Kanawha Falls: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, moved to Gauley Bridge.
Keyser: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Kingwood: The passenger railroad depot built by the WVN here still stands. Also, the offices of this former shortline still stand.
Lavalette: The passenger railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands, derelict.
Lewisburg: The freight railroad depot built by the Lewisburg & Ronceverte Railway (interurban) here still stands, used as a private residence.
Lorama Station: The passenger railroad depot built by the Cario & Kanawha Valley Railroad (narrow gauge) here still stands, used as a business.
Lost Creek: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Logan: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands.
Man: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands.
Mannington: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, used as a business.
Marlinton: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, restored. Also, C&O offices here remain.
Martinsburg: The passenger railroad station built by the B&O here still stands, used as an Amtrak and MARC stop. Also, the passenger depot built by the Cumberland Valley Railroad remains, restored.
Matoaka: The passenger railroad depot built by the VGN here still stands.
Moorefield: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Morgantown: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, used as a visitors center.
Mount Carbon: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, used as a business.
North Caldwell: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, used as a business.
Oak Hill: The passenger depot built by the Virginian Railway here still stands, home of the White Oak Chapter of the NRHS.
Oakvale: The passenger depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Page: The freight railroad depot built by the VGN here still stands.
Parkersburg: A modern passenger railroad depot built by Amtrak here still stands, now owned by CSX and used by MOW crews.
Parsons: The passenger railroad depot built by the WM here still stands, used as a museum.
Paw Paw: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Pennsboro: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, National Historic Landmark.
Phillipi: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, home of the Barbour County Historical Society Museum.
Pickens: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Piedmont: The passenger depots built by the B&O and Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad here still stand.
Point Pleasant: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Prince: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands.
Rainelle: The passenger railroad depot built by the Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier Railroad here still stands, owned by CSX.
Raleigh: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Ravenswood: The freight railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Richwood: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored.
Ripley: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands, used as a business.
Ronceverte: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Salem: The passenger depot built by the B&O here was restored and used as a visitors center and museum, destroyed by fire in November 2008.
Sheperdstown: The passenger depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Shinnston: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Smithburg: The small passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, used as a museum .
Spencer: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, used as a museum.
St. Albans: The passenger railroad depot built by the C&O here still stands, restored, used as a museum. Also the passenger depot built by the Coal River & Western Railway here remains.
St. Marys: The modern freight depot built by the B&O here still stands, owned by CSX.
Toll Gate: The passenger depot built by the B&O here still stands.
Thurmond: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, used as a museum.
Tunnelton: The passenger and freight depots built by the B&O here still stand.
Waiteville: The passenger depot built by the Potts Creek Valley Railroad here still stands, used as a business.
War: The passenger depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Weirton: The passenger depot built by the PRR here still stands, used as a business.
Welch: The freight railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands.
Wellsburg: The passenger railroad depot built by the PRR here still stands, used as restaurant.
Weston: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, used as a municipal building.
Wheeling: The passenger station built by the B&O here still stands, restored to original appearance, used as offices by West Virginia Northern Community College.
White Sulphur Springs: The passenger depot built by the C&O here still stands, owned by CSX, used as an Amtrak stop.
Williamson: The passenger railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands, used as a municipal building.
Williamstown: The passenger railroad depot built by the B&O here still stands, restored, used as a business.
Wilsondale: The passenger railroad depot built by the N&W here still stands, used as a business.
Winifrede: The passenger railroad depot built by the Winifrede Railroad here still stands, used as a business.
jesterman98:
I have been trying to locate the existing “Lorama Station” train depot that you mentioned in your article dated October 2, 2010. I have tried the internet, but can’t seem to come up with a specific location (e.g., town).
Can you tell me exactly where it is? I would truly appreciate any help. Thanks!
Gary Mankin
I am attempting to locate Lorama Station,also. I believe it to be in Ritchie County and was probably located on one of the narrow gauge railroads that hauled timber from that area. Lorama is mentioned in a story about Ritchie County that I will provide a link to on the Viking Chronicles. It is quite a story and one I had never heard. I have other inquiries out and will answer you question via email once I receive them. Thanks for your interest in the Viking Chronicles.
Lorama doesn’t ring a bell, the only narrow gauge I’ve found anything about is the West Virginia Midland which interchanged with the Western MD Rwy at Webster Springs. (You may also know it as Pardee & Curtin lumber, but it was WVM before that.) The Manns Creek interchanged with the C&O at Sewell, but that is further away from where you seem to be looking. There was the Sutton Lake project in the 1950s which took out a lot of small towns, so Lorama may have been one of them. If so, it’s gone if no one ever preserved anything. Holly Junction was the site of an incredible B&O station (and interchange with the WVM’s western end) and I can’t find anymore than 2 photos of it for that very reason.
Good news for Lorama Station hunters. A quick check of http://www.rrshs.org/W.V./ritchie.htm gives the address as Lorama Station, WV
529 E. Nair St and the notes state ‘narrow gauge’. It seems to imply that the station is still standing.
More good news. The station was on the Cairo and Kanawha narrow gauge. I can tell you that it’s the second station, because the first station was destroyed in a fatal wreck that killed the station agent. Railroad Model Craftsman (the model train magazine) ran a 2 part series of articles on the C&K in the 1980s. You can get it from Carstens publications here online I’m sure. I have the series buried in my model train library and can’t get to it right now. There is a business in the old station. (The RR is the Cairo & Kanawha, http://www.american-rails.com has the word Cairo misspelled.)
My error on the station being the second station. It was the station in Cairo which was destroyed in the wreck.
There is a second depot in Spencer WV. I live in it! Was a depot then a store now a house. Some of the railroad ties have started coming to the surface. Dug many holes looking for treasures! Found a necklace with a medallion of the first shuttle launch. No chest full of gold yet! 😦
That must be really neat. Keep digging, there is always hope. Beautiful area of WV. My bike riding group has traveled quite a bit in and through West Virginia. Truly “Almost Heaven”. Thanks for the comment.
Durbin station owned by Senior Citizens group. D&GV only use the platform to board passengers.
The 1839 B&O freight and passenger depot at Duffields still stands, although the wooden part is in ruins. The current MARC station is on the other side of the tracks and the other side of Flowing Springs Road.