Jim Mischke wrote:

Some clarifications:

Practically none of the Wheeling area mills were on the B&O. Nor in
Pittsburgh, either.

The vast, vast majority of coal moving through Benwood (Wheeling) on
B&O was from the Fairmont coal fields, bound for the port of Lorain, bound
for lake customers.

Further, what metallurgical coal B&O did haul to Pittsburgh for coking from
the Connellsville region went via Connellsville, not Benwood.

Many of the mills in Pittsburgh had their own captive mines, usually
upstream on the river system. Good example is J&L, whose mines barged both
metallurgical and steam coal to Pittsburgh and Aliquippa. Not a rail move.

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Thanks for the additional details Jim. While I am a 75 minute drive from
this area, I haven't done as much exploring in the Ohio valley. It has been
enough of an effort to delve into the B&O minutia on the lines between
Grafton, Fairmont, Clarksburg, and Morgantown, but that short Moundsville
Branch to Fostoria Glass is fascinating.

Of course, digging up the Western Maryland details on the Elkins area
consumes most of the prime research time, but it is amazing what details you
stumble across.

Eric Hansmann
Morgantown, W. Va.