Railyard: (Satellite, the classification tracks have been removed but some of the longer sidings still exist.)
Depot: (Satellite, a guess based on the topo map)
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| Frank O'Hara commented on Shaun's post below The Keyser turntable and roundhouse Stan Carlson: Frank O'Hara I like how they built an awning over some of the stalls for locomotives that were too long for them. |
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| Shawn Dorsey posted Here's today's pic from my Dad's collection. There are several from this location. Michael Rembold: I'm saying Keyser. Look at all the loaded coal hoppers in the background. James Stout: Michael Rembold Could be. Turntable location would be correct. Being enlarged to 115'? |
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| Shaun Dorsey posted Another from my Dad's collection. |
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| Shaun Dorsey posted Another of Dad's photos...looks like more work being done on the turntable. We think in Keyser WV. |
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| Shaun Dorsey posted Like this photo alot...not sure if it is B&O related. Engine on a turntable with a bunch of "suits" and workers. One agile worker climbed the A-frame. [Some comments provide good evidence that this is Keyser.] Stan Carlson: The bosses are out to see what is probably the first locomotive to try out the new turntable. [And the workers who did the job are required to stay on the other side of the turntable?] |
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| Shaun Dorsey posted Here's today's pic from my Dad's collection. There are several from this location. |
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| Ken Neth III commented on Shaun's post with a restoration Stan Carlson: It appears to be taken from the roof of a steam wrecker. Note the three chime whistle in the lower right. |
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| 1951 Keyser Quad @ 24,000 |
Life is West Virginia posted two photos with the comment:
Keyser WV in 1968 and now.Then: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's West End Subdivision rail yard. Keyser has a long connection with the B&O going back to 1851 when the railroad, building from Cumberland MD, first reached the area. B&O then built rail shops further west at Piedmont WV. Legend has that the town agreed to change it's name if the shops were moved to Keyser. True or not, in 1874 the shops were moved to here and that same year the town incorporated and changed the name from New Creek to Keyser in honor of William Keyser, B&O's vice-president and head of the headquarters location division.The yard at one time contained numerous buildings including a large machine shop, offices, station, freight warehouse, a roundhouse 305 feet in diameter, with 44 stalls for engines, and a 60 foot turntable. There was also stockyards large enough for 1600 pigs and 2000 cattle.Here the B&O main line begins it's climb up the Allegheny Mountains gaining 1660 feet on a 17-Mile Grade that peaks at Altamont MD where the track crosses the Eastern Continent Divide.Now: Track is owned by CSX and is part of it's Mountain Subdivision that runs from Cumberland to Grafton WV. Unlike the B&O, CSX's main line for westbound traffic from Cumberland over the Allegheny Mountains is north of here on the Sand Patch Grade. From the 70+ trains during the B&O era these tracks now see on average a reported 6 to 8 trains daily.There is no longer a large yard and the station is the only building remaining from it's heyday.
Ted Gregory shared
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| Chuck Strauss commented on Ted's share I was there a few years ago. The station has seen better days. |
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| Syaun Dorsey posted Another of my Dad's photos. Looks like he's got her up a notch or two. Paulette Szuhay: Looks like a EL 2 or EL 3. |
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| Ken Neth III restoration |
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| Taylor Rush restoration |
Jim Kelling posted two photos with the comment: "B&O station in Keyser, West Virginia (1870s, vacant)"
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Chuck Strauss posted four photos with the comment: "The station in Keyser WV has seen better days 😥"
Mark Wilt: Wonder what the big 2nd floor door was for...
Rhod Mills: Mark Wilt that was a 180° view cupola like window that projected out over the 1st floor awning roof.
Jason Odom: Roof is going quick.
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Darren Reynolds posted six photos with the comment: "B&Os West Keyser "Z" Tower Keyser, West Virginia"
Christopher Love shared
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| 1 "Z" Tower |
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| 2 A westbound passenger train passing "Z" tower not sure what the train number is. Michael Rembold: 1971 date. One of the last I suppose. |
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| 4 Note: the interlocking machine left middle of the photo it controlled Piedmont, WV. |
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| 5 Looking East |
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| 6 Looking West All images from North American interlockings states A to Z and Canada [A nice view of how the signaling pipelines would turn and go to the device they controlled.] |
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| Darren Reynolds posted seven photos. I think this is the additional photo. Looking West at "West Keyser" tower July 2000.. This was the helper crew sign in office.. Over to the right there's an SD-50 waiting for work.. Photo by: Chris Thompson |
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| Brenda Gank Kitzmiller posted Another picture of Z tower. Sadly it was demolished. Tim Shanahan shared Jim Kelling: West end of Keyser WV yard. |
Darren Reynolds posted the seven photos again, but with better comments on the photos.
Robert Brzostowski: Just FYI Darren, Jett Lowe was the H.A.E.R. photographer. He and I along with another HAER member, Christopher Marsten, spent the morning documenting the tower. It was to go along with the other HAER records pertaining to the B&O in Keyser.
Darren Reynolds shared
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| 1 "Z" tower with Aluminum siding Like many towers chessie, put aluminum siding on. Them. Photo by: Dan Killinger |
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| 2 A B&O GP-7 in charge of a passenger train passing "Z" tower 1971 Photo by: Noah Caplin |
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| 3 Inside of "Z" tower With the row of Armstrong leavers and operator Tom Hartman lining up the interlocking For the next train. I don't know what happened to the interlocking machine after the closing. ??? |
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| 4 Inside of "Z" tower with another view of the armstrong levers.on the operator's desk is a small CTC machine For "Piedmont" West Virginia and the start of B&Os Famous Seventeen mile grade. Photo by: HAER |
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| 5 "Z" tower with a SD-50 In the helper pocket. July 2000 Looking West. Photo by: Chris Thompson |
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| 6 At "Z" tower looking East we see the pipeline for switches. Photo by: HAER |
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| 7 Looking West a good View of Some of the interlocking Pipeline At " Z" tower. Photo by: HAER All images from North American interlockings, states A to Z and Canada. [At first I saw the signalling pipelines going over to the turnouts. Then I saw the big row of pipelines on the left side.] |
Darren Reynolds posted seven photos again. I think they are all in the above collection, just the order is different.
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| 15:31 video @ 0:14 |
30 photos "West Keyser" was the tower on the west side of the yard. The photos include a lot of details of signaling pipelines. And the interlocking frame!
CSX Railroad's "Z" Interlock Tower 2004 and now. West of Keyser WV along Route 46. Originally built by the B&O Railroad the tower used a system of moveable pipes and rods controlled by levers in the tower to align signals and track switches (called turnouts). Due to the complex nature of all the mechanical connections and the length of the pipes the levers could very be hard to operate. Weather conditions could make it even more difficult.This type of switching control was once very common and now has mostly vanished. Electric motors now do the switching work here and they are controlled not locally but from CSX's headquarters in Florida.If you are interested Youtube has a great 15 minute film from 2000 that covers how the interlock tower just up the line from here, across from Hancock MD, was operated. At the 3:13 mark in the film you can see this "Z" Tower. That tower is now also gone.https://youtu.be/1EJEdV0OFDA?si=CqgQJUav1vsFulJN [The video above.]
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