Flood Aid Sent in Rail Passenger Cars

The West Virginia-based Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society has shipped cleaning supplies, food and other items by rail to help victims of the recent flooding in the group’s home state.

The donations were sent in two passenger cars owned by the group in cooperation with Amtrak, which attached them to the rear of the eastbound Cardinal.

The car was unloaded in White Sulphur Springs, which is located in a region hard hit by the flooding. The donated goods were taken to a distribution center.

The group, based in Huntington, received more than $300 in membership donations and another $400 from the community.

The passenger cars continued on to Washington for an Independence Day event.

NS Donates $25K to Help W.Va. Flood Victims

The Norfolk Southern Foundation is donating $25,000 to help West Virginia get back on its feet after a series of thunderstorms last week dumped up to 7 inches on parts of the state and the subsequent flooding resulted in the deaths of 26 people.

Thousands were forced out of their homes with more than 1,200 homes destroyed by the flooding or the fires that erupted.

The storm was the third deadliest in state history.

NS said it will send its donation to the American Red Cross, which is helping displaced West Virginians cope.

“The American Red Cross has the proven track record for delivering fast and effective help when disaster hits,” said Jim Squires, NS chairman, president, and CEO. “If our support can provide even the smallest measure of relief for our West Virginia employees, business partners, and neighbors, then we consider ourselves fortunate and grateful to be able to provide it.”

The flooding disrupted railroad operations for four days, but rail service has since resumed operating.

CSX Moving Again in West Virginia

CSX has slowly begun restoring traffic to its lines in West Virginia that were closed after flooding washed out tracks and dumped debris on the right of way.

On Monday trains began using the Alleghany and New River subdivisions between Clifton Forge, Virginia, and Handley, West Virginia.

Some traffic had been held in Clifton Forge since last week when a storm dumped up to 7 inches of rain on parts of the Mountain State.

The mix of traffic included intermodal, manifest freight, grain and unit coal trains.

The Sewell Valley Subdivision near Rainelle, West Virginia, was still closed.

Although Amtrak’s Cardinal is expected to return to service on Wednesday, it will operate only between Chicago and Huntington, West Virginia.

The equipment will turn back on Wednesday night and return to Chicago. No arrangements have been made for passengers traveling to points between Huntington and Washington.

Work trains have been busy the past few days trying to repair the damage and get the tracks back into operation.

The aftermath of the flooding came as the Florence Division took over responsibility for the routes most damaged by the flooding.

CSX last week closed its Huntington Division and transferred control of its rail lines to other divisions.

Storm Damage has CSX Still Recovering in W.Va.

The flooding from a severe storm that struck CSX hard in West Virginia late last week still had rail operations stymied on Monday.

CSX was particularly hit hard on its former Chesapeake & Ohio mainline between Hinton, West Virginia, and Clifton Forge, Virginia.

Washouts and debris on the tracks of the Alleghany Subdivision have halted rail traffic in the wake of the storm, which dumped up to 7 inches of rain in some areas.

Trains magazine reported on Monday that much of the track infrastructure near Caldwell, West Virginia, had been washed out.

Similar, although less severe, damage was reported on the New River Subdivision.

A railroad spokesperson said CSX continues to assess the damage and make repairs. Where feasible, traffic has been re-routed around the hard-hit areas.

CSX expected to resume limited operations on Monday. Amtrak’s Chicago-New York Cardinal, which uses the affected tracks, will not resume running over its regular route until Wednesday.

The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad operated its weekend tourist trains and other all attractions.

It had canceled last Friday its Cheat Mountain Salamander train.