Operations on the Kanawha & Western Allegheny

In part three of the 9-part Kanawha & Western Allegheny series, Allen Keller delivers an inside look at the operations of the model railroad devised by C.J. Riley. He offers a brief overview of the American Coal Industry during the 1940’s to provide insight into the operations of the Kanawha & Western Allegheny.

The Kanawha & Western Allegheny and the Coal Industry

The Kanawha & Western Allegheny depicts Appalachia during World War II. This period was a time when coal dominated the economy and ruled the lives of everyone. It was an affair much different than present day. It was a time when the coal industry and the government struggled to keep up with the demand for West Virginian coal and diesels were nonexistent.

Allen Keller guides us as we take a trip back in time to West Virginia. We follow a freight train as it moves through Gauley Mills, Cowen, Beech Creek, and Armstrong. You’ll learn more about the towns as the journey proceeds.