Williamson, West Virginia

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Williamson, West Virginia: N&W Railway’s Coal Hub

Williamson, West Virginia, in Mingo County at coordinates 37°40′26″N 82°16′37″W and an elevation of 643 feet (196 m), was the Norfolk & Western Railway’s (N&W) primary hub for coal operations in the Pocahontas coalfields, a prolific bituminous coal basin spanning southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. Its location along the Tug Fork River made it central to the N&W’s coal empire, earning the railroad the moniker “King Coal” as coal generated over 70% of its revenue by the mid-20th century.

Early History

Before the N&W arrived in 1892, Williamson was a small settlement, founded in 1860 by the Williamson family as a farming community along the Tug Fork. Incorporated in 1892, its population grew from a few dozen to over 4,000 by 1910, driven by coal mining and rail jobs following the N&W’s extension into the coalfields. The railroad transformed Williamson into a coal-centric hub, establishing a major classification yard to sort and assemble thousands of hopper cars from branch lines like the Tug Fork and Guyandotte.

Yard Features

The Williamson yard featured a roundhouse, coaling towers, water tanks, and repair shops, maintaining steam locomotives like the Class Y6 Mallets, built for heavy coal trains through mountainous grades. These facilities supported the consolidation of coal from nearby mines for shipment to Lambert’s Point in Norfolk, where N&W’s coal piers exported millions of tons annually. The yard employed hundreds of workers, handling the bulk of coal traffic, while Bluefield, 60 miles east, managed broader freight including lumber and merchandise.

Other N&W facilities, like Bluefield’s larger yard and Roanoke’s shops (where locomotives like the J-class were built), supported diverse operations, but Williamson’s proximity to dense mining activity made it the coal hub. Roanoke focused on locomotive manufacturing, and Portsmouth, Ohio, later handled heavy repairs. Bluefield’s role as a division point complemented Williamson by processing mixed freight.

Today

Today, under Norfolk Southern (NS), N&W’s successor since 1982, Williamson’s yard remains active, though scaled back due to coal’s decline. NS operates modern diesels, like SD70ACe units, for coal, grain, and ethanol trains on the Pocahontas Division. Historic elements, like the coaling tower, persist within the yard’s reduced footprint. Williamson’s evolution from a rural outpost to the N&W’s coal heart underscores its critical role, blending historical significance with modern rail operations.

For More Information – Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the collective railroad history data points on this website are verified across multiple sources.

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