A white sign is enscribed
with the history of the viaduct and also lets you know you're
approaching it, so look on your left for the valley it crosses.
Watch closely or you'll drive right past it - the viaduct is
above you and there's no good place to pulloff right in front
of it. The road doesn't offer the greatest position for photographs
or watching trains but its an interesting historical and scenic
highlight. For a better view, head back to Rowlesburg and cross
the Cheat River and the Kingwood sub track on County Road 51.
After crossing the Kingwood sub, take a left onto County Road
80, the Manheim Road and proceed about 1 mile until you reach
the small town of Manheim. From Manheim, you can see the viaduct
across the river on the opposite shore. Because of the growth
of trees, the best time for photographs is when the leaves are
off the trees. You'll need a high powered lense, I'd say greater
than a 150* to get a good closeup although lesser powered lenses
can accomplish a wider shot. Best time with light on the viaduct
is in the morning with the sun to the east, behind you. http://www.wvrail.railfan.net/rfmtsub2.html ......The next valley crossed
by the Mountain Subdivision is the steep Tray Run Valley which
is bridged by a large stone four arch viaduct. This double track
stone structure is the third viaduct to be built over Tray Run
in 1907 after the original cast iron bridge was replaced in 1887
with a wrought iron design. During the Civil War the original
viaduct was a major target of roving bands of Confederates insurgents
and also of the great Jones - Imboden raid of 1863, both of which
failed to destroy or even damage the structure resulting in the
viaduct being included on the back of West Virginia's state seal.
http://www.wvrail.railfan.net/cheatriver.html Caption on lithograph reads:
"The Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteers, under Colonel
Irwine, crossing the tray run viaduct, near Cheat River, on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On its way to Rowlesburg, Va., the
Sixteenth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers crossed the Tray Run Viaduct,
one of the most remarkable engineering works on the whole line
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It spans a deep gorge in
the mountains six hundred feet in width, and at a height of one
hundred and sixty feet above the bed of the ravine. The roadway
is supported on iron columns, secured and braced in a peculiar
manner, and placed on a solid mass of masonry, which fills up
the bottom of the run. The scenery at this point is equal to
anything in the world, combining the choicest materials of mountain,
forest and river."- Frank Leslie, 1896 |
With Union troops in control of western Virginia, Confederate leaders chose to harass Union troops and confiscate supplies. In the spring of 1863, General John D. Imboden designed a raid to destroy portions of the B&O Railroad and break up the Restored Government of Virginia in session in Wheeling. With a force of 3,400 men, Imboden marched out from Staunton, Virginia, on April 20. General William E. Jones led a group of 1,300 from Lacey Springs, Virginia, the following day. Imboden's men marched through Beverly and captured the town of Buckhannon on April 29. Jones joined Imboden at Buckhannon after failing to destroy the B&O line at Rowlesburg in Preston County, capturing Morgantown and destroying the railroad bridge at Fairmont. On May 6, Jones' troops marched from Weston through West Union and Cairo. Three days later, he destroyed 150,000 barrels of oil and the oil works at Burning Springs in Wirt County. On May 14, Jones joined Imboden at Summersville before retreating into Virginia. Although it succeeded in destroying property and industry, driving away livestock, and occupying the attention of Union troops which might have been used elsewhere, the Jones-Imboden Raid failed to destroy significant portions of the B&O or break up the Restored Government of Virginia. http://www.callwva.com/heritage/civilwar.cfm Near Rowlesburg in Preston County, visit the Tray Run Viaduct, constructed prior to 1872. Built for a single railroad track, the curved viaduct had viewing platforms on each side for passengers. This viaduct is pictured on the reverse side of West Virginia's state seal. http://www.westvirginia.com/mountaineer/articles.cfm
Excerpt from Artists' Excursion
Over the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road by Porte Crayon (David
Hunter Strother) A short call at the "Oakland Mountain House," then a rapid run over Cranberry Summit, and down the mountain for twelve miles, by grades similar to those by which we ascended, brought us to the famous Cheat River, whose amber waters roll through mountain gorges two thousand feet in depth. We have tried our pen on less imposing scenes, but here we are dumb. Possibly we started on too high a key in the outset, like the enthusiastic Frenchman with his "grande! superbe! magnifique!" and, having exhausted our superlatives, have no resource but to shrug our shoulders and say, "Ah, very pretty!" The Cheat River region is
the great scenic lion of the road, as the Tray Run Viaduct is
the mechanical wonder. At this last-mentioned point the train
laid by for several hours to give the artists, poets, and photographers
an opportunity to exercise their faculties. The road here is
located along the steep mountain-side, about three hundred feet
above the bed of the river. Over a ravine making down at right
angles with the main gorge the viaduct in question is constructed,
carrying the track 225 feet above its base. The structure is
as admirable for its light and graceful form as for its evident
strength and the imperishable durability of its material. From
the high embankment that overlooks the river one may see the
line of the road for some distance up and down; and nowhere else,
perhaps, does the result of human labor lose so little in the
immediate comparison with the grander works of nature. One wonders
alternately at the vastness of the obstacles and the completeness
of the achievement in surmounting them. Painting by Edward Beyer Tray Run Viaduct (On Cheat
River B&O R.R.) "The structure of the Viaduct is of cast iron, connected by wrought iron bolts and rods. They consist of columns inclined so as to give greater width of base and more stability, connected by arches of open work - the whole system firmly united by proper ties. The columns rest on pedestals, supported on the stone walls built across the deep beds of the ravines. The length of the Viaduct is 445 feet, and its height from the top of the wall, 58 feet. The deepest part of the stone wall is about 100 feet. The top of the Bridge is nearly 300 feet from the water. Width on the top between the parapet railings (which are 4 feet high), 28 feet. The floor is of heavy planking between the floor beams supporting the rails. "This beautiful and substantial Viaduct was designed by Mr. Albert Fink, assistant engineer, and built under the direction of B. H. Latrobe, chief engineer. The cost of this structure was $36,049. The whole of the iron construction was made at the Company's shops at Mount Clare, under the direction of Mr. James Clark." http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/beyer/text_virginian.html#viaduct |
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