58-629: The South Branch Valley Railroad ( reporting mark SBVR ) is a 52.4-mile-long (84.3 km) railroad in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia . The branch line, which parallels the South Branch Potomac River , runs north from Petersburg to Green Spring , where it connects to the national rail network at a junction with the CSX Cumberland Subdivision . The SBVR is owned and operated by
116-646: A cooperage plant. He operated the WLC from the Winchester and Western Railroad Building in Winchester. Due to illness, Cornwell resigned as president and general manager of the company in the summer of 1925. In October 1925, after four years of operation, the Winchester Lumber Corporation filed for bankruptcy with debts estimated at $ 711,000 and assets worth slightly more than half of its debts. The Winchester and Western Railroad Company
174-519: A log boom on the South Branch Potomac River to collect and contain floating logs timbered from nearby forests. They were also corporators and shareholders of the Potomac White Sand Company of Green Spring , West Virginia, following the issue of its incorporation charter on May 10, 1902. This company engaged in the mining, preparation, manufacturing, and distribution of sand and other extracted minerals. On August 20, 1906,
232-695: A 2-digit code indicating the vehicle's register country . The registered keeper of a vehicle is now indicated by a separate Vehicle Keeper Marking (VKM), usually the name of the owning company or an abbreviation thereof, which must be registered with the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and which is unique throughout Europe and parts of Asia and Northern Africa. The VKM must be between two and five letters in length and can use any of
290-655: A group of Kanawha County businessmen and entrepreneurs formed a company designated the West Virginia Railroad Company . The company's objective was to construct a railroad from the Kentucky border extending across the state to West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle . The line's northern terminus was to be designated a location in close proximity to the South Branch along the Maryland border on
348-464: A hyphen. Some examples: When a vehicle is sold it will not normally be transferred to another register. The Czech railways bought large numbers of coaches from ÖBB. The number remained the same but the VKM changed from A-ÖBB to A-ČD. The UIC introduced a uniform numbering system for their members based on a 12-digit number, largely known as UIC number . The third and fourth digit of the number indicated
406-437: A one- to six-digit number. This information is used to uniquely identify every such rail car or locomotive, thus allowing it to be tracked by the railroad it is traveling over, which shares the information with other railroads and customers. In multinational registries, a code indicating the home country may also be included. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) assigns marks to all carriers, under authority granted by
464-700: A predecessor of the CNW, from which the UP inherited it. Similarly, during the breakup of Conrail , the long-retired marks of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and New York Central Railroad (NYC) were temporarily brought back and applied to much of Conrail's fleet to signify which cars and locomotives were to go to CSX (all cars labeled NYC) and which to Norfolk Southern (all cars labeled PRR). Some of these cars still retain their temporary NYC marks. Because of its size, this list has been split into subpages based on
522-745: A rail line connecting Wardensville and the Lost River valley of West Virginia to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Cumberland Valley Railroad at Winchester , Virginia. In addition to serving as the railroad company's president, Cornwell also served on the board of directors of the WWRC. Fellow Romney lawyer and businessman Joshua Soule Zimmerman served as the company's secretary. Residents of Winchester and Frederick County , Virginia purchased $ 75,000 worth of stock in
580-557: A wooden trestle was then constructed across the South Branch. Once it reached the Northwestern Turnpike upstream, another station was opened as the West Romney Station near the mouth of Mill Creek . West Romney Station's post office was later referred to as Vanderlip in honor of a B&O executive following its purchase of Hampshire Southern. Hampshire Southern continued the construction of its line along
638-422: Is a code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain rail transport networks. The code typically reflects the name or identifying number of the owner, lessee, or operator of the equipment, similar to IATA airline designators . In North America , the mark, which consists of an alphabetic code of two to four letters, is stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with
SECTION 10
#1732771804385696-541: The Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company acquired the line, the remaining link to Petersburg was completed and the full length of the railroad's course in the South Branch Valley had been finished. William Cornwell, along with Eugene Ailes (son-in-law to John J. Cornwell), retained their interests in the railroad through their grantor company. After a brief ownership, Moorefield and Virginia transferred
754-666: The South Branch Intelligencer . Following this acquisition, Cornwell and his brother added Hampshire to the newspaper's name and included and the South Branch Intelligencer in smaller print within the masthead underneath The Hampshire Review. The Hampshire Review continued to operate from the second floor of the Wirgman Building until 1895 when Cornwell and his brother relocated the newspaper's office and printing plant to
812-557: The U.S. Surface Transportation Board , Transport Canada , and Mexican Government. Railinc , a subsidiary of the AAR, maintains the active reporting marks for the North American rail industry. Under current practice, the first letter must match the initial letter of the railroad name. As it also acts as a Standard Carrier Alpha Code , the reporting mark cannot conflict with codes in use by other nonrail carriers. Marks ending with
870-759: The West Virginia State Rail Authority (SRA), who purchased it from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on October 11, 1978. The purchase made West Virginia the first state to both own and operate a commercial freight railroad. The SRA is headquartered along the SBVR in Moorefield . Most of the SBVR—including its three bridges over the South Branch Potomac River—was destroyed by flooding in 1985. Despite talk of shutting down
928-628: The West Virginia University College of Law , and afterward began practicing law in Romney . In 1890, he and his brother, John J. Cornwell, purchased The Review and South Branch Intelligencer newspapers. Following their acquisition of the South Branch Intelligencer , they renamed the newspaper Hampshire Review . In 1900, Cornwell sold his ownership in the Hampshire Review to his brother John. While he owned
986-728: The $ 700,000 mortgage against the rail line. Cornwell and Eugene Ailes, the son-in-law of his brother John Jacob, served as officers of the conveyancing company for the transaction. The Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company subsequently transferred the rail line to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company in November 1913. Cornwell organized and became the president of the Winchester and Western Railroad Company (WWRC) which had been incorporated in Virginia on August 16, 1916. It received its charter on August 31, 1916, to build and operate
1044-513: The 26 letters of the Latin alphabet . Diacritical marks may also be used, but they are ignored in data processing (for example, Ö is treated as though it is O ). The VKM is preceded by the code for the country (according to the alphabetical coding system described in Appendix 4 to the 1949 convention and Article 45(4) of the 1968 convention on road traffic), where the vehicle is registered and
1102-485: The B&;O line used the train to commute to Romney's senior high school. Passenger service was also popular with those from Petersburg and Moorefield because it allowed a faster and more convenient trip to Cumberland and Martinsburg. However, in the 1930s, the B&O did away with passenger service and focused on freight. The B&O abandoned the line completely in 1978. Out of concern for the region's economy and industries,
1160-494: The B&O mainline. It was also only concerned with connecting the South Branch Valley to the B&O mainline and not connecting it with the rest of the state. Like its predecessor, the company was unable to get the line built. The line finally became a reality on September 1, 1884 when it was completed from Romney to Green Spring by the South Branch Railroad Company . The South Branch Railroad Company
1218-694: The Commissioner of School Lands for Hampshire County in 1900. His brother John Jacob studied law in Cornwell's law office in Romney, and was admitted to the state bar association in 1894. On June 30, 1891, Cornwell married Nannie V. Dellinger (1869–1893) of Middletown , Virginia. They had two children before her death on June 29, 1893. Cornwell's second marriage was to Sophie H. Colston (1878–1928) in Martinsburg , West Virginia on June 14, 1899. She
SECTION 20
#17327718043851276-555: The Cornwell family farm on South Branch Mountain (also known as Jersey Mountain) in Hampshire County in 1869. Cornwell studied jurisprudence at the West Virginia University College of Law and graduated from the institution. He commenced practicing law in Romney, and shortly thereafter, was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County in 1892, and continued to serve in that position until 1900. In addition to serving as Prosecuting Attorney, Cornwell served as
1334-526: The HSRC whose track was laid under his leadership beginning in June 1909. The HSRC line was constructed 18 miles (29 km) from the southern terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's South Branch line at West Romney Station to McNeill ; operations began along this completed section on April 20, 1910. Later in 1910, both freight and passenger service commenced between Romney and Moorefield . By October 1910,
1392-640: The Hampshire Southern Railroad Company (HSRC) was incorporated to facilitate the construction and operation of a rail line along the south branch of the Potomac River connecting Grant and Hardy counties to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Green Spring via West Romney Station at Romney. In addition to Cornwell, the company's corporators included his brother John Jacob, Duncan Sinclar, and his law firm partner Raymond J. Abbaticchio. Cornwell served as president of
1450-626: The Potomac White Sand Company of Green Spring following its incorporation in 1902. Cornwell served as the president of the Hampshire Southern Railroad which was constructed under his leadership, beginning in June 1909, and he continued to operate it until 1911 when it was purchased by the Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company. Cornwell organized, and became the president of, the Winchester and Western Railroad which had been incorporated in 1916. In addition to serving as
1508-676: The Potomac. Green Spring and South Branch Depot were considered as possible locations for the line's terminus. The company quickly obtained the authority to build its railroad across the state, especially because it would provide improved access to the Eastern Panhandle and Eastern Seaboard for southwestern West Virginia. The company, however, folded a few years later. Shortly after the West Virginia Railroad Company folded, businessmen and entrepreneurs in
1566-482: The South Branch Valley in 1985. This flood destroyed most of the rail line, including all 3 bridges that crossed the South Branch Potomac River. Despite talk of discontinuing the railroad, re-construction began in 1987. With the completion of re-construction efforts on the railroad in 1989, rail service was once again available to the communities which it serves. The rebirth of the railroad saw
1624-578: The South Branch Valley sought to take matters in their own hands and build a railroad from Petersburg to Green Spring on the B&O's mainline to Cumberland, Maryland and Martinsburg, West Virginia . This goal was reflected in the company's title: the Cumberland, Moorefield and Petersburg Railroad Company . The company's plans differed from the West Virginia Railroad's in that it planned on connecting Petersburg and not Franklin to
1682-682: The VKM BLS. Example for an "Einheitswagen" delivered in 1957: In the United Kingdom, prior to nationalisation, wagons owned by the major railways were marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway concerned; for example, wagons of the Great Western Railway were marked "G W"; those of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway were marked "L M S", etc. The codes were agreed between
1740-456: The WLC acquired 35,000 acres (14,000 ha ; 55 sq mi ) of tracts of mountainous woodlands in Hardy, Hampshire, and Frederick counties in proximity to the Winchester and Western Railroad line. Cornwell served as the president and general manager of the WLC, and planned the construction of twenty sawmills , several general woodworking and finishing plants , power stations , and
1798-674: The WWRC prior to its construction. By May 17, 1921, the Inter-Mountain Construction Company had completed 40 miles (64 km) of the WWRC line between Winchester and Wardensville. The line was serviced by gasoline engine locomotives for hauling freight and passengers . Cornwell organized the subsidiary Winchester Lumber Corporation (WLC) in 1921 for the purpose of developing the timber resources of Hampshire and Hardy counties in West Virginia and Frederick County in Virginia. Under his leadership,
South Branch Valley Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-541: The acquiring company discontinues the name or mark of the acquired company, the discontinued mark is referred to as a "fallen flag" railway. Occasionally, long-disused marks are suddenly revived by the companies which now own them. For example, in recent years, the Union Pacific Railroad has begun to use the mark CMO on newly built covered hoppers, gondolas and five-bay coal hoppers. CMO originally belonged to Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ,
1914-610: The arrival of the valley's Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad in 1991. Running from Romney's Wappocomo Station on West Virginia Route 28 at Wappocomo farm to Moorefield, the "Eagle" takes tourists on a sight-seeing excursion through the Trough. En route to the Trough, passengers view a number of historic sites, namely Valley View , Stoney Lonesome, Mill Meadow, the community of Vanderlip, the Nathaniel Kuykendall House, and other old plantations and farms that remain in
1972-522: The building of additions to the residence using materials from the property's mill, which had been razed around 1908. Cornwell also built a barn and several other ancillary structures on the property. He and his wife sold Mill Meadows in August 1920 to James H. Blue. The HSRC continued to operate this rail line until December 11, 1911, when it was purchased by the Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company. The Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company assumed
2030-408: The company's president, he also served on its board of directors. In 1921, he also organized a subsidiary, Winchester Lumber Corporation, for the purpose of developing the timber resources of Hampshire and Hardy counties in West Virginia and Frederick County in Virginia. Cornwell served as the president and general manager of the Winchester Lumber Corporation. He died in 1926 in Romney, West Virginia and
2088-1020: The equipment used in these services. This may also apply to commuter rail, for example Metrolink in Southern California uses the reporting mark SCAX because the equipment is owned by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority —which owns the Metrolink system—even though it is operated by Amtrak. This is why the reporting mark for CSX Transportation , which is an operating railroad, is CSXT instead of CSX. Private (non-common carrier) freight car owners in Mexico were issued, up until around 1990, reporting marks ending in two X's, possibly to signify that their cars followed different regulations (such as bans on friction bearing trucks) than their American counterparts and so their viability for interchange service
2146-571: The first floor of their new brick building on West Main Street. In 1900, Cornwell sold his ownership in the Hampshire Review to his brother, and in 1902, he moved to Fairmont. Cornwell and brother John Jacob were corporators and shareholders of the South Branch Boom and Lumber Company following the issue of its incorporation charter on May 1, 1901. Its principal office was located in Romney, West Virginia. The company constructed
2204-448: The first letter of the reporting mark: A railway vehicle must be registered in the relevant state's National Vehicle Register (NVR), as part of which process it will be assigned a 12-digit European Vehicle Number (EVN). The EVN schema is essentially the same as that used by the earlier UIC numbering systems for tractive vehicles and wagons , except that it replaces the 2-digit vehicle owner's code (see § Europe 1964 to 2005 ) with
2262-592: The letter "X" are assigned to companies or individuals who own railcars, but are not operating railroads; for example, the TTX Company (formerly Trailer Train Company) is named for its original reporting mark of TTX. In another example, the reporting mark for state-funded Amtrak services in California is CDTX (whereas the usual Amtrak mark is AMTK) because the state transportation agency ( Caltrans ) owns
2320-406: The line to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company got a hold of the branch line in 1913. As part of the B&O, the line became known as the South Branch line. Initially its passenger service did well, especially in Hampshire County after schools in the county's western half were consolidated. Students from Green Spring, Springfield, and other points along
2378-572: The newspaper The Review from C. F. Poland, who assured the newspaper's subscribers in a November 6, 1890, farewell editorial that the new owners would continue to publish the Review while following " Jeffersonian principles." At the time they purchased the newspaper, The Review used the Wirgman Building 's second floor for its offices and printing plant. Later that same year, they purchased The Review' s rival newspaper in Romney,
South Branch Valley Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-575: The newspaper, Cornwell served as the Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County (1892–1900). In addition to serving as Prosecuting Attorney, he served as the Commissioner of School Lands for Hampshire County in 1900. In 1902, he relocated to Fairmont , where he engaged in the practice of law until 1910. He and his brother, John were corporators and shareholders of the South Branch Boom and Lumber Company following its incorporation in 1901. They were also corporators and shareholders of
2494-572: The owner of a reporting mark is taken over by another company, the old mark becomes the property of the new company. For example, when the Union Pacific Railroad (mark UP) acquired the Chicago and North Western Railway (mark CNW) in 1995, it retained the CNW mark rather than immediately repaint all acquired equipment. Some companies own several marks that are used to identify different classes of cars, such as boxcars or gondolas. If
2552-405: The owner, or more precisely the keeper of the vehicle. Thus each UIC member got a two-digit owner code . With the introduction of national vehicle registers this code became a country code. Some vehicles had to be renumbered as a consequence. The Swiss company BLS Lötschbergbahn had the owner code 63. When their vehicles were registered, they got numbers with the country code 85 for Switzerland and
2610-593: The railroad after the flood, reconstruction began two years later. The SBVR is the host line for the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad , which is headquartered in Romney . While the mainline of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had already been constructed through Hampshire County in the 1840s along the Potomac River, there existed no rail line linking with the South Branch Potomac River Valley. As early as 1875,
2668-577: The railways and registered with the Ministry of Railways , Government of India . William B. Cornwell William Benjamin Cornwell (November 25, 1864 – April 8, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessperson, newspaper editor and publisher, and railroad and timber executive in the U.S. state of West Virginia . He was an older brother of writer and newspaper publisher Marshall S. Cornwell (1871–1898) and of West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell (1867–1953). Cornwell studied jurisprudence at
2726-762: The railways and registered with the Railway Clearing House . In India, wagons owned by the Indian Railways are marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway divisions concerned along with the Hindi abbreviation; for example, trains of the Western Railway zone are marked "WR" and "प रे"; those of the Central Railway zone are marked "CR" and "मध्य", etc. The codes are agreed between
2784-434: The remainder of the rail line was completed and operations began from Moorefield to Petersburg . In May 1910, Cornwell and his wife purchased a property known as Mill Meadows, located at the confluence of Mill Creek and the South Branch Potomac River near Vanderlip. Cornwell made significant improvements to the property, including the construction of a bridge over Mill Creek connecting the residence to U.S. Route 50 , and
2842-480: The state of West Virginia purchased the line. The West Virginia State Rail Authority (SRA) purchased the line from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on October 11, 1978. Upon purchasing the B&O's South Branch line, West Virginia became the first state in the United States to both own and operate a commercial freight railroad. The state's ownership was almost short lived as a result of major flooding in
2900-563: The turn of the 20th century. Once again, the task would be up to the local citizens of Hampshire County. In 1909, the Hampshire Southern Railroad Company led by William B. Cornwell (brother of Governor John J. Cornwell ) of Romney began construction of its rail line south. The construction commenced from the Romney Depot north of town and then proceeded across the property of Valley View farm where
2958-404: The valley. While in the Trough, passengers view the bald eagles that have made their nesting grounds there, hence the train's name. Communities are listed from the southern terminus of the SBVR to its northern terminus on the Potomac. Also included are the B&O's old railroad post and express offices that may or may not have had permanent residents. Reporting mark A reporting mark
SECTION 50
#17327718043853016-412: The western bank of the South Branch through The Trough and into Hardy County. By 1910, the first trains providing freight and passenger service between Romney and Moorefield were in service and the line lay completed from Moorefield to Green Spring. Once the line's construction to Moorefield was fulfilled, Hampshire Southern soon sold the line to the Moorefield and Virginia Railroad Company in 1911. Once
3074-553: Was interred next to his first wife Nannie and second wife Sophie at Indian Mound Cemetery . William Benjamin Cornwell was born in Hampshire County, West Virginia on November 25, 1864, the eldest child and son of Jacob H. Cornwell and his wife Mary Eleanor Taylor. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved the family west to Ritchie County , West Virginia, where his mother's twin brother John Taylor and uncle Eli Taylor were residing. Cornwell and his family returned to
3132-544: Was another group of local entrepreneurs, including Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Alexander W. Monroe , who were especially concerned with connecting Romney to the B&O mainline because of its key location along the Northwestern Turnpike (today's US 50 ). While the company intended to extend its railroad south to Petersburg via Moorefield , it did not occur until after
3190-480: Was impaired. This often resulted in five-letter reporting marks, an option not otherwise allowed by the AAR. Companies owning trailers used in trailer-on-flatcar service are assigned marks ending with the letter "Z", and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association , which maintains the list of Standard Carrier Alpha Codes, assigns marks ending in "U" to owners of intermodal containers . The standard ISO 6346 covers identifiers for intermodal containers. When
3248-574: Was rendered unconscious after a large longcase clock in a hallway toppled over, striking him on the head, and knocking him down. The longcase clock inflicted a severe wound to the back of Cornwell's head. He received first aid treatment from a physician present at the residence and was taken to his Winchester home where he regained consciousness. Cornwell died as a result of ventricular hypertrophy at 5:00 p.m. on April 8, 1926, in Romney, West Virginia. Dr. Robert W. Dailey had attended Cornwell from March 13, 1925, until his death. Cornwell
3306-541: Was the daughter of W. B. Colston and his wife Minnie Colston of Martinsburg. Cornwell relocated to Fairmont in 1902, and engaged in the practice of law there. In 1906, lawyer Raymond J. Abbaticchio arrived in Fairmont and entered Cornwell's law office and later became a junior member of the law firm of Cornwell & Abbaticchio. They maintained their partnership until Cornwell's departure from Fairmont in 1910. In 1890, shortly after Cornwell began practicing law in Romney, he and his brother John Jacob Cornwell purchased
3364-414: Was unaffected by the bankruptcy of its subsidiary. As a member of the Winchester business community, Cornwell was a founding member and director of the Winchester Rotary International Club in 1921, and served as chairman of the club's initial nominating committee. In December 1923, while visiting the Winchester residence of W. A. Baker, a fellow director of the Winchester and Western Railroad, Cornwell
#384615