Appalachian and Ohio Railroad summary
Appalachian and Ohio Railroad (AO) is a class III short line railroad that operates in West Virginia. The tracks are owned by CSX Transportation and leased out to P&L Transportation Incorporated, a holding firm in partnership with Paducah and Louisville Railway officers and the Class I railroad. The railroad operates 158 miles of standard-gauge track between Grafton and Cowen to serve several coal mines throughout the state.
History
The Appalachian and Ohio Railroad was once part of the Cowen and Pickens subdivisions of the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, later CSX. By the mid-2000s, the Class I railroad was looking to lease out the branchline cluster between Grafton and Cowen to free up resources. Watco became the successful bidder, and on March 25, 2005, the Appalachian and Ohio began operations. Lease agreements were transferred to Four Rivers Transportation Incorporated on May 15, 2006. The company was renamed in 2012 to P&L Transportation Inc.
Operations
For more than a century, coal trains have been a common sight on the ex-B&O line through the region. It continues today as this burning fuel source is a primary commodity on the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad. The AO serves Arch Resources’ Sentinel Mine, on the Berryburg Industrial Track; United Coal Company’s Carter Roag Mine, at Star Bridge on the Beech Mountain Railroad; and Pristine Energy Transfer Corporation’s Brooks Run Mine, on the Brooks Run Industrial Track at Erbacon. Most of the coal traffic is hauled out to power plants in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, while a small amount is exported. Other freight traffic on the railroad includes logs, lumber, and chemicals.
The diesel locomotive fleet on the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad comes from P&L Transportation’s roster pool ranging from EMD GP38-2s to the larger SD70MACs.
The railroad has trackage rights into CSX’s Grafton Terminal for interchange. Connections with other short lines are made at Alexander with the Beech Mountain Railroad, and Tygart Junction with the West Virginia Central Railroad.
Read more about the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad in Trains’ May 2006 issue.
