Locomotives - Chesapeake And Ohio Railroad 2-8-0 Type Engine Number 204 Hauling Coal

by J Craig Thorpe

Title

Locomotives - Chesapeake And Ohio Railroad 2-8-0 Type Engine Number 204 Hauling Coal

Artist

J Craig Thorpe

Medium

Painting - Oil On Watercolor Paper

Description

West Virginia's introduction to rail transportation was the result of an expansion of the Virginia Central Railroad. The Civil War had halted the progress of the railway to the point that Virginia Central workers were forced to pull up portions of their own track to obtain supplies for the maintenance of other sections. However, by 1865 the entire line was back in service. Three years later, the Virginia Central merged with the Covington & Ohio, becoming the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad (C&O). In 1869 it came under the control of California railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington, builder of both the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific lines. On January 29, 1873, the route from Richmond, Virginia, to the Ohio River (near the West Virginia/Kentucky border) was completed. The western terminus of this route was the newly-formed city of Huntington, named for its founder. During West Virginia's early years of statehood, this railway provided one of the biggest boons to the state's economy. It prompted the mining of coal from the lower walls of the mineral-rich canyon it traversed and ended a century-long search for a more accessible route across southern West Virginia. Pictured on this handsome artwork is C&O engine No. 204. This 2-8-0, known as a "Consolidation" type, was built by Richmond Locomotive in 1890. C&O is now part of CSX Transportation, and its heavy coal trains still rumble over the C&O's original route.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1994 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB14932

Uploaded

April 20th, 2022

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