Elk River Railroad's number 4, an EMD GP9 built for the N&W in 1959, sits with its windows boarded up at the shop complex in Gassaway, WV. Created in 1989 to haul coal to the AEP power plant in Avoca, the Elk River hauled unit 90 car coal trains once a week on almost 100 miles of ex B&O track. However in 1999, the AEP power plant stopped receiving coal from the ELKR, citing poor quality coal. Since then, the railroad has hung on to life storing cars along the line, and repairing cars at this facility in Gassaway.
