Virginia Rails - The Buffalo Sub

CSX's Buffalo Subdivision

Current Owner: CSX Transportation (Via the C&O in 1987)

Previous Owner(s):

The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (1912 - 1987)

Constructed: The initial segment between Man, West Virginia, and Craneco, West Virginia, finished construction in 1912. The branch was extended to Lorado, West Virginia, in 1915, Pardee, West Virginia, in 1917, Saunders, West Virginia, in 1920, and finally to its current end in 1945. Numerous now abandoned branches extended off the line at Accoville, West Virginia, Lorado, and Pardee.

Connections:

Man Junction, WV (CLU 0.0) - Connection with the CSX Logan Subdivision

Current Businesses:

Guyandotte Mining, LLC Fanco Loadout - Braeholm, WV (CLU 4.6)
Coronado Global Resources Pardee Loadout - Saunders, WV (CLU 13.4)

CSX Huntington East Division Employee Timetable

Effective Saturday, January 1st, 2005

CSX Buffalo Subdivision Subdivision Photo Albums

CSX R251

A single CSX ES44AH leads westbound empty export coal train R251-30 as it approaches Midway Road in Kistler, West Virginia, at 8:49 A.M. on December 30th, 2023. This 110 car empty bottom dump train is heading to the last active loader on the branch at Saunders, West Virginia, at the end of the line. This operation, which CSX refers to as "Pardee", loads both domestic and export trains just about every day. Long before Pardee and all associated coal mining infrastructure was built, the Lorado Coal Mining Company operated the Lorado No. 5 mine and tipple. This facility would become infamous in 1972 as the dam holding the operation's refuse pile, also known as "gob" pile, burst leading to the Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972 which killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of buildings along Buffalo Creek.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R251-30 is seen approaching Low Ash Road in the community of Crown, West Virginia, at 8:54 A.M. on December 30th, 2023. Located about 250 feet behind the photographer (me) was the old H. B. Summers Coal Company tipple. The Low Ash Coal Company tipple was located ahead of me just before the curve in the rails. The gravel road to the left of the locomotive is Meriah Drive. Note the emergency sign to the right noting this crossing is at mile post CLU 2.71. R251-30 was crawling through here, typical of many coal branch lines throughout Appalachia.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX General Electric ES44AH #860 leads westbound empty export hopper train R251-30 across the Buffalo Creek's Right Fork in Accoville, West Virginia, at 8:57 A.M. on December 30th, 2023. This 110 car train will load at the sole remaining active loadout located at the end of the line near Saunders, West Virginia. This facility, owned by Coronado Global Resources under their Greenbrier Minerals banner, loads both export and domestic unit trains destined for steel mills in the midwest and ports in Tidewater Virginia. Coronado and CSX coal the loadout "Pardee" while the preparation plant is called "Elk Lick". As of 2025, four underground coal mines and one surface mine feed into the Elk Lick Prep Plant. Back to the train, this mine run originated out of Logan, West Virginia, and had originally run out of Newport News, Virginia, as the E211-28. After splitting in Peach Creek Yard, one half went to Pardee as seen here while the other half went to another Logan County loadout. Once the train arrived at Pardee, it was loaded, sent back to Peach Creek Yard, resymboled C207-30, and sent back out to the piers at Newport News.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX ES44AH #807 and CSX CM44AC #7212 are on the rear of westbound empty hopper train R251-30 as it crosses Braeholm Hill Road at Braeholm, West Virginia, at 9:01 A.M. on December 30th, 2023. After the train is loaded at Pardee, these two locomotives will pull the train back to Peach Creek Yard north of Logan, West Virginia. The Sherman Coal Company tipple, later Huddleston Coal & Coke Company, was located just behind the photographer (me).

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253

The last of the three bay hoppers are loaded at the Pardee Loadout near the community of Saunders, West Virginia, at 1:33 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. Note the truck dump to the right of the image, coal from Coronado's off location mines, such as the Eagle No. 1 complex, get transported to the Elk Lick Prep Plant by truck for processing. This train ran from Russell to Peach Creek as the E009-22 before being taken to the loadout empty sometime later. Once loaded, the train has a long journey ahead of it, having to go all the way to East Chicago, Illinois.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 idles near Pardee, West Virginia, at 2:43 P.M. on December 28th, 2023, after loading the last car at the Pardee Loadout. The Lorado No. 2 tipple was located just out of frame to the left of the last visible coal hopper. I was all excited when the train began to accelerate west only for the train to sit at Lorado for an hour and half before finally departing for good.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

After sitting here at Lorado, West Virginia, for approximately an hour and a half, the crew van has arrived with the rest of the crew to proceed west. The train arrived here after loading the train around 2:52 P.M. and departed around 4:15 P.M. Further up the tracks, near where the coal hoppers are curving away to the left, the old Lorain Coal & Dock Company No. 2 tipple existed. Like many of the other original coal operations, nothing remains of this once extensive facility.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

Two CSX General Electric products haul 110 loaded three bay hoppers destined for Peach Creek Yard just north of Logan, West Virginia. The train is grinding through the curve passed the Lorado, West Virginia, Family Dollar at 4:18 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. The train is approaching the Inspiration Lane grade crossing on its trek west down the Buffalo Creek Subdivision.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 passes some elaborate shrubbery in Lorado, West Virginia, at 4:23 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. The old Lorado Coal & Dock Company No. 1 tipple was located just behind the train, maybe 100 feet. Say what you want about the house collection on Buffalo Creek but every abode is unique and colorful. Beats the cookie cutter communities that infect Northern Virginia where I live.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 crosses Dingess Branch Road in Craneco, West Virginia, at 4:33 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. Note the facility in the background, this is Coronado Global Resources' Eagle No. 1 Mine which opened in 2019. This mine is one of the many that feed into Coronado's Elk Lick Prep Plant in Saunders to the east. Coal is trucked from this operation to the plant a few miles up Buffalo Creek. As of 2023, Pardee loaded coal from a number of different mines including Eagle No. 1. Other mines include the Toney Fork Surface Mine, Powellton No. 1, and the Lower War Eagle Mine in Wyoming County. Unfortunately, due to economic fluctuations in met coal prices during 2025, a few of Coronado's mines have decreased production. However, loading at Pardee is still occurring at a consistent pace.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

ES44AH #3128 leads R253-28 as it approaches Gardenia Lane in Craneco, West Virginia, at 4:37 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. When the Chesapeake & Ohio first built the Buffalo Creek Subdivision in 1912, Craneco was the terminus. As more coal operations sprung up further up Buffalo Creek, the branch was extended accordingly. Interestingly, the first few years after the Buffalo Creek Sub was built, it was actually considered a part of the C&O's Guyandotte Valley Branch as a whole, not a smaller segment as it is now. A typical passenger train would run from Barboursville to Craneco.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 approaches the Lundale Freewill Baptist Church in Lundale, West Virginia, at 4:40 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. The Lundale Coal Company No. 1 tipple was located behind the locomotive, about 100 feet, and some of the ruins of the plant can still be seen on Google Maps. The plant operated until 1978 before shutting down and was one of the longest operating plants on all of Buffalo Creek.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 grinds through the curve at Stowe, West Virginia, at 4:47 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. Behind the green roofed house once sat the Long Flame Coal Company's tipple. The Guyan Eagle Coal Company's No. 4 plant was located to the right of the Long Flame Coal Co. tipple across Buffalo Creek. Twilight Alley, the gravel road paralleling the tracks, allows for a scenic confluence of roadway and railway right of way.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 is seen crossing the Cartwright Branch Road grade crossing in Crites, West Virginia, at 4;52 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. With 110 cars of coking coal, this train will contribute to the manufacture of hundreds of tons of steel. The Elk Lick Preparation Plant, which feeds into the Pardee loadout, processes coal solely used in the steel making process. Many of the Logan County coal properties are also coking coal plants. Coal Mac's now idled Snap Creek plant was one of the few facilities that also prepared steam coal for utilities.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

Two CSX General Electric products drift down the Buffalo Creek Sub near Latrobe, West Virginia, with loaded mine run R253-28 at 4:59 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. This mine run had gone on duty at 10:00 A.M. sharp but took quite a while to get moving after finishing loading the train. Unfortunately, by the time they reached Fanco, I had run out of light thanks to this delay and had to call it a day.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX R253-28 approaches the Rock Castel Drive grade crossing in Latrobe, West Virginia, at 4:56 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. On this trip, I was able to see both an export and domestic coal train running to and from Coronado's Pardee Loadout. These trains can be easily distinguished as the domestic trains are almost always made up of three bay hoppers while the exports are made up of steel bethgons. Pardee and Emmett are the only two facilities near Logan that consistently ship both of these types of these trains.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX loaded mine run R253-28 approaches Wooden Fence Lane in Robinette, West Virginia, at 5:08 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. I was working with very little light at this point and had forgotten to raise the ISO. Oh well, this was a once in a lifetime chase so I'll include it here. Buffalo Creek Road is the larger road that is in the foreground. Buffalo Creek itself is located directly behind the photographer.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX loaded mine run R253-28 approaches Amburgey Lane in Robinette, West Virginia, at 5:06 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. The tipple of the Madne Coal Company was located near where the curve in the coal hoppers ends. The tipple of the Procker Eagle Coal Company was located directly behind the photographer about 100 feet. For Buffalo Creek, the houses on the right are some of the nicest that I saw on my trip. Hopefully they were purchased with funds from the Pittston legal case following the Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972. Realistically, probably not as Pittston was able to evade justice due to a general "lack of evidence".

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

Loaded mine run R253-28 is seen adjacent to Buffalo Creek Road in Amherstdale, West Virginia, at 5:10 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. At this point in the day, the crew had been on duty approximately seven hours. One reason for the delay was that the crew had a few remaining cars to load at Pardee before departing. Amherst Coal Company's No. 1 tipple was located about 500 feet behind the photographer (me).

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

CSX ES44AH #3128 leads eastbound loaded domestic coal train R253-28 passed Black Hawk Mining's idled Fanco Loadout at 5:17 P.M. on December 28th, 2023. This 110 car train loaded at Coronado's Pardee Loadout in Saunders and is destined for the Indiana Harbor Coke Company in East Chicago, Illinois. Once arrived at Peach Creek Yard in Logan, West Virginia, the train was resymboled as C631-27 for Gibson, Indiana. Once at Gibson, the train was interchanged with the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad for the final leg to East Chicago. Although it's hard to make out due to the lack of light, the train is made up entirely of three bay hoppers. It had been about four years since Fanco last loaded a train and the now 40 year old flood loader was beginning to show its age. The structure was built by Diamond Shamrock in 1986 to load coal mined at the Calvin Branch Surface Mine into railcars.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

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