This is the nearly abandoned mining town of Thurmond, West Virginia, in the New River Gorge National River national park. In its heyday, it was a busy place along the C&O (now CSX) Railroad tracks. The frame building is the old station, now used as a museum and visitors’ center by the National Park Service. Amtrak’s “Cardinal” train stops here three times per week in each direction. There is a small waiting area on the first floor. The bridge over the New River can be seen in the background.

To reach Thurmond, leave US Route 19 at Glen Jean, WV, north of Beckley and follow dead-​end Route 25 down to the river.

Camp Creek State Park in southern West Virginia is a beautiful little park. I’ve gone there many times to hike the trails. It’s surprising that I just noticed this, since I’m a railroad buff. The bell is from a locomotive that was used in removing timber logged in what is now the park. Many of these rail lines were temporary, and the tracks were removed after the timber cutting was completed.

This is the Art Moderne style railroad station in Prince, West Virginia. It was built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1947 as part of a plan to upgrade its passenger service. The station is still used by Amtrak’s “Cardinal” which stops here on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday in both directions. The railroad itself is now a part of CSX.

In the foreground is the original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (now CSX) passenger station in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The ticket office and waiting room were on the second floor, and the porch was a great place to watch trains. It is still an active station, served by Amtrak’s Capitol Limited, running between Washington and Chicago. It is also the end of the line for the MARC commuter rail system which runs on weekdays into Washington DC. Yes, some people ride that far twice a day, even though it’s 73 miles one way!

A new station for Amtrak and MARC has been built just next to the historic one. Most of it is out of sight in the photograph, although the elevated walkway across the tracks is part of it.

This is the restored station of the old Virginian Railway in Princeton, West Virginia. It contains a railroad museum; however, its hours are irregular and I found it to be closed at times when it was advertised to be open.

The Virginian was a coal-​hauling railroad that was merged into the Norfolk and Western Ry in 1959, and is now part of the Norfolk Southern system. In the New River Valley of Virginia, it’s almost a “stealth railroad,” as it winds around through the woods and along the river. There are not many places where it can be viewed from a public road.

The station is located at the lower end of the main business district, near an overpass that spans the tracks. I didn’t see any signs, so locating it could be tricky. But it’s visible from the center of the overpass.