Appalachian Coal Fields and Railroads

This project started with a desire to better understand the interrelationships between the different railroads in the Appalachians. For example, I never understood how the New York Central ended up working coal fields in southern West Virginia. Now I know they came in through Ohio and not the east. Or who were the major players in the eastern Ohio coal fields; now I know there were several including the B&O, C&O, Pennsy, NYC, and even the DT&I. It was also interesting to me to see the dramatic difference between lines in the coalfields and those in the surrounding areas. While most of the nation is covered in a web of mainlines stretching between points, the Appalachian coal fields are marked with hundreds of spidery capilaries extending from the mainline arteries and reaching up into the hills like twisted fingers. Just one look at the map (even withouth the gray outline of the coal fields), and you can tell immediately where the mountains and coal were.

This project has also expanded my list of what I would consider "Appalachian Coal Haulers." Using the definition of any railroad which worked the large bituminous coal field which spanned the Appalachians, there are dozens of roads which are not currently on the site including the Pennsy, NYC, Bessemer and Lake Erie, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, Penn Central and more--I will include all of these roads on ARM once viewers like you can contribute prototype photos of these railroads working the coal fields or model photos. Someday, ARM may even expand to include the anthracite fields in eastern Pennsylvania which would add the Erie, Delaware Lackwanna & Western, Lehigh Valley, Reading and Erie Lackwanna, but I'm not to that point yet.

To get the most out of this map, you'll want to view the full version by clicking on it. Some of the railroads use similar colors, so it's helpful to have at least an idea of where the railroad operated (for example, the Tennessee Railroad and the P&LE use similar colors, but if you know the Tennessee Railroad operated in Tennessee, you'll be able to find the right one, and remember, the "Interstate Railroad" only served Virginia, so don't confuse its orange with the DT&I in Ohio). Also, I don't have the exact dates lines were abandoned, only which railroad abandoned them, so the dashed lines show approximate periods of abandonment. If you have information to make these maps more accurate, please contact me.

I will add more of these maps for later eras to show mergers and the track attrition over time, so keep checking this page.

Coal Field Map 1940-1960 (click to view larger version)