Thurmond Train Station - New River Gorge
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Thurmond Train Station - New River Gorge
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Constructed in 1904, the two-story yellow Thurmond Train Station seen today, was the replacement for the passenger depot lost in the fire of 1899.
The station platform is partly sheltered by a slanted roof that stretches out from the first story. The extended section of the upper-level features eight windows and functioned as an observation deck and a signal tower.
On the interior, along with the standard ticket agent booth, waiting rooms, and restrooms, the ground floor housed multiple amenities like a baggage room for storage, Railway Express delivery service for packages arriving on the train, a lunch counter and news counter. Upstairs was made up of separate office spaces for the yardmaster responsible for overseeing operations within the yard area; conductors who manage passenger boarding and safety during travel; train operator stationed in the signal tower to control train movements; track supervisor ensuring maintenance of tracks; car distributor overseeing distribution of railway cars; chief clerk managing administrative tasks; train master supervising overall train operations; and coal buyer responsible for purchasing coal supplies.
A boomtown in the 1900s, Thurmond, West Virginia, was one of the busiest and most notorious railroad towns along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Right in the heart of the coal country, all the coal mined in the area was brought to Thurmond to be shipped out. Over fifteen passenger trains traveled through town daily, and the depot served around 75,000 visitors a year. When the diesel locomotives came along, and coal was not as widely used or mined, the businesses closed down, and residents moved on.
Today, Thurmond is not much more than a ghost town with only seven residents (2005). Located along the New River, what remains of the town is owned by National Park Service and is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Like a time capsule, Thurmond still possesses all the characteristics of a 1920s Appala
Uploaded
August 6th, 2023
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