“They were artisans the way they carved the
rock. They did it all with their bare hands and
it was overwhelming to see it.”
around it, CSX hopes the Pinkerton tunnel on
the trail may one day be rehabilitated.
In addition to encountering the hilly and
rocky terrain during excavation, crews spent
the entire winter of 2012-2013 doing the
excavation work in waist-high snow and subfreezing temperatures. They also encountered
numerous animals of the wild, as well as nests
of rattlesnakes which posed a special danger.
Various other poisonous snakes were also
encountered during the excavation process.
The excavated rock, stone and earth was
moved to another area about 1,000 feet from
the tunnel, and snake habitats were created on
the site. It was re-seeded and will remain part
of the regional landscape. Metallurgical coal
that was found in the excavation of Pinkerton
tunnel was mined and sold.
“It was amazing that people of that era with
their limited resources were able to build a
tunnel that served the industry for 127 years,”
Ramsey said. “I was in awe of what these
men were able to do back in the day when
Pinkerton tunnel was built. They were artisans
the way they carved the rock. They did it all
with their bare hands and it was overwhelming
to see it.”
The name plates at each end which read
“PINKERTON” each weighed close to 10 tons,
and they, along with the artfully carved “1885”
keystone at the center of the arch, were taken
to the Meyersdale Railroad Museum, where
they will be preserved as part of the tunnel’s
history.
Upon completion of the National Gateway
project, Senex has now turned a great amount
of attention to building Phase II of the Virginia
City Hybrid Energy Center, for Virginia
Domini