Elk River's Closing Days. A visit to the Elk River Railroad (ELKR) in Gassaway, West Virginia on November 22, 2019 revealed a shortline in survival mode. Gassaway, nicknamed the “little city built upon a West Virginia Hill”, was incorporated in 1905 as a result of the Coal & Coke Railroad. The town was named in honor of Henry Gassaway Davis and was midway between the two terminal points of Elkins and Charleston of the C&CR. The impressive Gassaway Station was built in 1914 and later acquired by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Passenger service ended in 1953. In 1989, CSX sold the line to the ELKR, and the subsequent closure of the mine loadout in Avoca, WV in 1999 was nearly its end. It survived for over two decades on revenue from car repair and storage. Ultimately, a variety of factors, including the distance from the ELKR to interchange with Appalachian & Ohio in Gilmer, WV took its toll, resulting in the closure and dismantling of this portion of the line in March, 2022. All five of the locomotives were acquired by West Virginia Central/Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad.

Prints & Pics: https://www.riverrailphoto.com/eklr

Roster:
ELRK 1 GP10 (née-IC 9337, GP9, 1957)
ELKR 2 GP10 (née-IC 9060, GP9, 1954)
ELKR 3 GP8 (née-WAB 475, GP7, 1952)
ELKR 4 GP9 (née-NW 872, GP9, 1959)
ELKR 5 GP9 (née-NW 885, GP9, 1959)