The Abandoned Tunnel: #17

Tunnel #17 was a bonus--we were looking for #13 and were, once again, going the wrong way. A passing hiker told us, "There's an abandoned tunnel about a half mile from here." Abandoned? Why yes, I wanted to see that!

This tunnel was bypassed during the "clearances" project in the early 1960's, when the B&O Railroad decided it would be worth the trouble to widen and heighten the many tunnels on the line from Grafton to Parkersburg--or in some cases, to "daylight" the tunnels by blasting out the tops, and in at least two cases, to abandon a tunnel entirely and build a new tunnel or blast out a new cut close by. In retrospect, this expensive and dangerous project was too late. Rail service was already giving way to other means of transportation, and in 20 years or so the line between Clarksburg and Parkersburg would be closed down.

One of 36 bridges on the rail trail

In the case of Tunnel #17, a new cut was created, leaving the old tunnel no longer needed. I suppose blastig techniques had improved a great deal in the 100 years between the construction of the rail line in the 1860's and the improvements being made in the 1960's. Another reason, according to the website WVNC Rails, is that the rock in some areas was not stable enough to allow for tunnel enlargement.

Off to one side of the traill, the tunnel portal. 

We found the tunnel to be in surprisingly good conditions considering it was put out of service some 50 years ago. There are two dates on this tunnel. On one end the marker says 1867, and on the other, 1868. Perhaps it took a full year to complete? This tunnel is 452 feet long, so not one of the longer ones.

The date is barely visible in this photo, 1867.

A bit ghostly? Inside the tunnelsthe temperature stay lower than the outside temperatures, which is probably what created this misty illusion....right?...

Larry opted not to walk through but I was curious (and we know what curiosity did to the cat!). I wondered if the tunnel was passable, and it had a curve that looked intriguing. So in I went. "See you on the other side!" Larry said, and I wondered if he was talking earthly or heavenly sides.

The light at the end! 

I was intrigued by this odd mark on the wall. 

There was some deterioration of the stonework in the tunnel, and the fact that it was stone and not brick made me wonder if brick was added to the other tunnels on the line during the clearance project. It seems likely.

I believe this stone "cup" holding wild plans may have been a ventilation or seepage trough.

And the date, 1868.

This is the location of the former Tunnel #16, I believe. 14, 15, and 16 were all daylighted during the clearance project.

I made it through unscathed, and did indeed meet Larry on the other side.  We walked back to the van, and drove to the right place to find our actual goal for the day, Tunnel #13, the Bond's Creek tunnel.


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