ONE LAST THING
Photo courtesy of Eastern Regional Coal Archives
LOCOMOTIVE LEAVES LIVES IN LIMBO
A train wrecked in Coaldale in the Appalachian coalfields of southern West Virginia during the early days of coal mining . This would have been a devastating hit to a coal town . Small steam engines used to transport coal from the Mill Creek Coal & Coke Mines . In the 1880 ’ s , the first mining company was established in the Coaldale area when John Cooper and his two sons started the Mill Creek Coal & Coke Company . Coal & Coke Railway , had been built to tap the coal and timberlands of central West Virginia and became part of the B & O in 1917 . The B & O ’ s lines in West Virginia were part of its main line to Cincinnati and St . Louis , and carried a huge merchandise and passenger trade in addition to coal . As the railway expanded , coal became more available for marketing and the coal fields prospered .
47 � SOUTH � MARCH-APRIL ’ 24