Exploring the Abandoned Rail Town of Thurmond, West Virginia

Published 2023-09-11
We visited the town of Thurmond, West Virginia that is located in the central part of New River Gorge National Park. This is an old abandoned rail town that sprung up because of the coal mining here. The NPS keeps the buildings and area here preserved and open to park visitors to explore. The bridge that crosses the river is very interesting in itself.
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All Comments (21)
  • @DAKOTANSHELBY
    I plan on visiting the New River Gorge Bridge the next time I am in WV. My parents and their parents were from West Virgina. Randolph County. They moved to Cleveland in late 50s for work and most of the remaining family followed. I now live in West Michigan where I made my home. I still have relatives in Cleveland and enjoy viewing the steel mill there in The Flats. Really liked your Bethlehem Steel Mill Tour. I'm back now from Arnfest 2023 in IL. Visited with Mr. Pete and Keith R.
  • Great video! My great grandfather was the roundhouse/engine shop foreman at Thurmond from the early 1920’s till around 1950. The original buildings burned down in the early 90’s, he learned to be a machinist in the navy during WW1. We Love Thurmonds history.
  • @ericcone4654
    Great video Adam and Abby! Love the rail/road bridge. Thanks for sharing.
  • We were in that part of West Virginia last year...a beautiful part of our great country. Stay safe...
  • @sploofyog8211
    So My Fiances family is from Hinton, WV and we come up from Charlotte, NC every year for Train Days! Next time we come we are most definitely coming to see Thurmond Next time we come to Hinton! I had no clue of Thurmond until a Youtube video I came across which lead me to this video! Love WV as a whole because of how beautiful it is but i have an obsession with history and old towns!
  • @aquablue3803
    Luv it❤❤❤❤❤❤😂❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
  • @tonyn3123
    My hometown had a coal chute almost identical to the one in Thurmond. It's since been torn down. When I wasn't run off by railroad employees, I (just a kid) liked to go look at the coal chute when I was walking nearby. The L&N railroad also constructed a reservoir 3-4 miles away to supply the engines with water. It is still very much used by locals. Can you imagine just how many rivets were heated and set during the truss bridge construction. A structural engineer once stated that hot set rivets lasted longer than bolted connections since the setting eliminated all voids and thus future corrosion was minimized. Interesting.
  • Is there any chance this hike you’re on is near the new river gorge in WV? That would be insane if if I recognize this from a shot of the stairs
  • @larrycleeton
    My wife and I once rode a steam train up the Gorge back in the late 80's or early 90's. It slowed as it passed through Thurmond. I remember the fancy bank building and the coal tower. I don't think the steam train operates any more.
  • @tnbrett1273
    If you want to see some trains, I highly recommend you check out the Cass scenic railway in Cass, WV. You can go for a ride on an old Shay steam locomotive. They are some very unique machines.
  • @mazchen
    The tower looks like the Zombies would be waiting just around the corner....
  • @keithmcmurray188
    Hobo shoestring also has a video on YouTube of Thurman WV. Cool to see that you made it there also.👍👍💰💰
  • @richardcrook3427
    I believe this is still an active railroad. The Cardinal, which runs three times each week between Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York, passes by the station three times each week in both directions.