Company History: This 8 mile line connects a large coal mine at Star Bridge to a connection with the Appalachian & Ohio (formerly B&O) at Alexander, West Virginia. The company was launched at the end of 1953 to re-lay track on the right of way of the old Alexander & Eastern Railroad that had been pulled up in 1940 and converted to a road for logging trucks. The BEEM was closed between 1998 and 2004 when the mine at Star Bridge closed, then re-opened. This line has a unique method of defending against frequent washouts of low bridges. Referred to by the locals as “submarine bridges,” they were made of sloping concrete poured just short of the tops of the rails like a grade crossing. The water flows through culvert style pipes. Flood waters wash over the top of the bridge without damaging the track and service can resume as soon as the water level recedes and the flangeways are cleared. Operations began with Whitcomb switchers but these have since been replaced with Alco switchers.
Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.
Item created by: gdm on 2019-02-12 11:27:51
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