After being mostly silent for months, the sound of steel wheels on steel rail and the wail of train horns will return to Norfolk Southern railroad tracks in the Kanawha Valley next week.
"It's going to get noisy again around here real soon," said Steve Wilson, a manager for the Kanawha River Railroad, a new short line railroad that will operate a route from outside of Mullens in Wyoming County, through the Kanawha Valley, and on to Columbus, Ohio.
In February, as part of system-wide cost-cutting efforts, Norfolk Southern suspended operations on most of the Ohio portion of the route. While the portion of track through West Virginia from Point Pleasant through the Kanawha Valley and on southeast, technically remained open, traffic on the line plummeted.
That's when Pittsburg, Kansas-based Watco Companies stepped in, leasing the 309 miles of rail line and creating the Kanawha River Railroad.
The KRR will take over the route at 12:01 a.m. today, with trains set to begin runs early in the week.
Watco spokeswoman Tracie VanBecelaere said the KRR will be Watco's 36th short line railroad and its first in West Virginia.
"At 309 miles, that would also be one of our longer short lines," she said.
Watco operates short line railroads in 17 states, from Washington state to the East Coast, she said.
VanBecelaere said Watco uses a customer-first philosophy that has helped it grow businesses on the other lines it operates.
"We're hoping to see the same growth in West Virginia as well," she said.
"We want to bring life back to the railroad industry in this area," said KRR general manager Derrick Jackson.
In addition to multiple local trains daily, Jackson said KRR will run coal trains approximately every other day, as well as a daily mixed freight manifest that make runs the length of the route, departing from outside of Columbus one day, and returning from Maben, outside of Mullens, the next day.
KRR initially will have 35 employees, Jackson said.
"We anticipate bringing the business back to the area, and bringing jobs back," he said, adding, "We feel like it's good for the local economy all the way around."
Keith Burdette, secretary of commerce and executive director of the state development office, said he's thrilled Watco is taking over operations of the Norfolk Southern line.
"We're pleased to see it happen because rail is having a more and more important role in offering a complete transportation infrastructure in West Virginia," he said.
"We're hopeful they generate enough business, and we can help them generate enough business to be successful," Burdette added.
Jackson said the KRR will operate engines with yellow and black color schemes, and it will lease Norfolk Southern engines.
"We do have plans to paint out one of our local switcher locomotives, and our goal is to get WVU colors on it real soon," he said.
Reach Phil Kabler at
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