Towns and Nature: Grafton, WV: B&O 1911 Depot and Grafton (D) & East Grafton (GN) Towers

Depot: (Satellite)

D Tower: (Satellite)

GN Tower: (Satellite, some comments implied it still exists, but I could not find it.)

Depot

While looking for the location of the D Tower, I discovered that the B&O Station has been restored.

Street View, Aug 2023

It definitely needed some TLC (Tender Loving Care).

Paul Thompson, May 2019

I got a trackside view to confirm that that side has also been restored.

Street View, Aug 2023

Bradley Owen, Jun 2021

Matt Galla posted
Pete Snyder: Taller building on right side of the station was the hotel. Stayed there many times when bringing in trains from Parkersburg. Pretty much had to eat at the Beanery which was on the platform level of the hotel at night Crew rooms were in the 3,4 and 5th floors and there was one bathroom and showers at the end of the each floor hall. TV and Pool table on the second floor. Quite a place. I could write a book. Lol

Darren Stockett posted
Merry Christmas from Grafton, WV.
Dennis DeBruler shared
Dennis DeBruler: Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LiWWg1ktZpi8RXwG9

Thamra Leslie Crawford posted
I can't remember if I ever posted this picture of Grafton, WV. from 1880's or 1890's. Way before the B&O station/hotel were built.
Thomas S Miller: Is that a long viaduct? Coal loading elevated track?
Dennis DeBruler: Thomas S Miller I think it is the later. You can see a slant in the track by the buildings on the left and the coaling dock to the right of the center.
Eric Hansmann: I think this is among the Library of Congress online digital collections.

17 photos, some of which are of the depot and YMCA.

D Tower:

Wade Massie, Aug 2005

Darren Reynolds posted four photos with the comment: "B&Os 'D' Tower Grafton, WV."

I found this photo while researching the previous Barrett Street Bridge. It was probably taken from the that bridge, looking West. In the right background, beyond the end of the depot's platform, is D Tower. I had determined an incorrect location for that tower before I found this photo. Fortunately, I found this photo before I published so that I could throw away all of my mistakes. I studied aerial photos to determine the location only to find that it still stands. Also, the lower-right corner of this photo catches some of the platform for the depot.

Marty Bernard Flickr
Baltimore and Ohio 6513 (GP9), 4476 (F3A), 6431 (GP9), and more at Grafton, West Virginia in July 1963
A Roger Puta Photograph

Bill Rettberg Jr. posted two photos with the comment: "Anyone who has taken in the action in Grafton West Virginia, has stood on this footbridge on the west side of the complex. Action was heaviest here, and every angle worked for good photos. This westbound is turning to head toward Parkersburg then eventually yo Cincinnati."

Curtis Tate: There must be a story about that wrecked hopper behind D Tower.

Randall Hampton shared

Riffle J Roger: The vandalia corp is letting the B&O station fall apart now.

Jim Kelling shared

Richard DeBrosse: The tracks west of Parkersburg to Cincinnati have been abandoned. These tracks still carried passenger service in the 1960’s that was popular with Ohio University (Athens, OH) from Cincinnati area.

[Some comments observe that the town is rundown.]

1
[A nice view of the coaling tower.]

GN Tower

Darren Reynolds posted
B&O "GN" Tower (East Grafton) Grafton,WV. Photo by:Don Killinger
Don't know much about this Tower at all. any information would help...
Ed Bennett: Darren Reynolds it controlled the interlocking on the east end of Grafton for trains arriving from the Montain Subdivision from Cumberland MD. I was a Yardmaster in Grafton for 30 yrs. I'd have to ask on when it closed. One of its unique features was the Operator's access. They road a buggie across 3 Fork creek to get there, later on they did make a "road" to access it. The duties was transferred to D-Tower and upon its closing, onto the Disp in Jax...
Brent Lambiotte: Ed Bennett I remember being told about the cable buggy to go to work there. I worked a few years as an agent-operator in the early 70s; but never worked at GN. I think it's still standing?
Sid McKinney: Arthur Hall if you were going west down the west bound running track ( usually called the X track ) , you had to stop at the scale house and call and get permission to go west of the scale house unless the X light was lit in the window at GN tower. If the X light was lit, you could go past the scale house and were OK to go all the way down the X track to #3 switch box.
Ron Stafford: Monongah Division timetable #2 (March 12, 1978) shows GN still in service...Monongah #3 (March 1, 1980) shows it closed.
Brent Lambiotte: Early 1970s timetable shows this one (GN), GR (in basement of Grafton station, and D Tower were all Continuous (open 24/7).
Darren Reynolds posted

B&Os "GN" tower

East Grafton, WV.

Wes Ketchem: That lighting display in the window upstairs was added when they remote controlled it to D Tower. Someone decided that they needed a display to tell trains which track they were going to because they didn't think radio from D Tower would talk that far. It was made from dwarf signal lamp units. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Also train order board wasn't taken down.

Wes Ball posted three photos.

John Gurtler: It closed in 1979.

Bill Rettberg Jr.: Grafton back in the early 70s was bustling with coal trains, and the town itself was a very nice place. Back then the B&O still had its Saint Louis mainline in tact, so there were several manifest and piggyback trains as well. Always liked the service facility with its massive coaling tower. Sorry to hear about the town's decline.

Wes Ball: Most of the buildings along the tracks the roofs are caved in they're abandoned there's really nothing in town that is attractive anymore I couldn't imagine any type of business lasting very long

Brendan Gallagher: Wes Ball this is factually incorrect. Many businesses have opened in Grafton and there are major developments happening throughout town. The Cohen building is going through a major revitalization project and will house a lot of jobs and business. A waterfront project was just announced. Downtown has multiple restaurants and shops.

[Some comments indicate that quite a few train still run through town.]

Wes Ball commented on his post

Dennis DeBruler commented on Wes' comment

What is the significance of this building? The depot was the building to the west of this one.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uo9RRAZLhrVqL7CD6

https://www.vandalia.org/

Joel Biallas: Dennis DeBruler former Rr ymca/hotel

I think the tower was north of the south end of the former bridge across Three Fork Creek, which is in the upper-left corner of this excerpt.

EarthExplorer: Apr 8, 1955 @ 29,000; AR1VEC000010065

An Analysis of Aerial Photos

I learned that there is quite a bit of variance between photos taken by the same photo shoot flight. Here are some examples of those differences. You may want to skip this part because it is not about the depot or towers.

I spent a lot of time looking for the D Tower in this photo, but I could not find it.

EarthExplorer: Apr 8, 1955 @ 29,000; AR1VEC000010065

That photo was the pink square in these search result footprints. (The small red rectangle near the middle of the excerpt indicates the coverage that I want.)

I finally tried the "green square." I did not expect it to be different because it was taken with the same equipment setup just a few seconds after the "pink photo." And I thought the D Tower was the building that is across the tracks from the building that is by the river. Also note that the truss bridge is more distinct in 066 than it is in065. And the shadow of the tall building that is west of the bridge is different. But I learned later when I saw Roger Puta's photo above that the building I thought was the D Tower was some other building.

EarthExplorer: Apr 8, 1955 @ 29,000; AR1VEC000010066

But for the GN Tower, it was the opposite. The aerial I used in the notes is 065 because this is what 066 looked like. So, in the future, if I can't find something, I'll switch to another photo much quicker than I did for this search.

EarthExplorer: Apr 8, 1955 @ 29,000; AR1VEC000010066

Here are the four photos I used to look for the D Tower in the new location. The first two are from the above photos and the second two are from a later flight. As a bonus, I include the bridge, depot, coaling tower, roundhouse and pedestrian bridge. It was the last of these four photos that made me confident that the D Tower was north of where the curved railroad bridge landed on the riverbank. Then when I looked there on a satellite map, I discovered that I didn't need any of these aerial photos because the tower is still standing. Oh well. But I include them as a study of the variance of photos taken just a few seconds apart.