The year 2016 has been quite a roller-coaster ride for fans of the former NYC West Virginia Secondary between Columbus, OH and near Summerville, WV via Athens, Point Pleasant, and Charleston. To kick the year off, NS had confirmed stirred up rumors of the mothballing most of the Ohio portion of the Secondary and rerouting the two time freights and coal trains across the ex-Virginian line to Elmore and Gilbert. Fast forward to summer of 2016, when WATCO Companies announced the formation of the Kanawha River Railroad to take over operations of the entire West Virginia Secondary as well as most of the steep Princeton-Deepwater District. Today's KN380, seen here departing Hobson Yard, will be the last time freight of 2016 as the KNWA looks back on a successful reboot of service to the Chemical Valley of Kanawha County, including three coal mines still loading south of Dickinson Yard in Quincy, breathing fresh life into a once dying rail line. Here's to a great year, WATCO!
