Wheeling & Lake Erie's Valley Line to Reopen?

On the Unofficial Wheeling & Lake Erie Fanpage on Facebook a story was posted saying the modern day W&LE may bring a large section of the Valley Line (Pittsburg Junction to Warrenton) back to life. The Wheeling has received a decision from the Surface Transportation Board allowing it an exemption to operate a 14.6 mile section of its formerly abandoned Valley Line.

Here's an excerpt from the decision covering the two different sections of track.

Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company (W&LE) a Class II rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 C.F.R. § 1150.31[1] to operate approximately 14.6 miles of trackage in Harrison and Jefferson Counties, Ohio consisting of two segments:  (a) between milepost 188.5 and milepost 189.1 near Unionvale and (b) between milepost 191.5 near Adena and milepost 205.54 near Warrenton.  Both segments are part of a previously abandoned rail line known as the Valley Line.

 This lets the Wheeling operate from Pittsburg Junction to Kenwood where a big stone operation already occupies the mainline past Unionvale near Kenwood. The other section runs west from Warrenton at the Ohio River past Dillonvale, Adena and through the Adena Tunnel. The missing 2.4 miles between 189.1 and 191.5 is left out for obvious reasons for now as seen below.

W&LE Toledo mainline washout at MP 191.5, just west of the Adena Tunnel. 11-29-2014 Chris Ellis photo

Perhaps there might be a future plan to rebuild this section? Maybe state funding is the goal to help rebuild? Either way this is exciting news, the Wheeling must have some kind of plan for this section of railroad. I wouldn't expect major levels of traffic but just to catch one train traveling this line again would be a pretty awesome experience!


For more reading here's a link to the STB's decision.

https://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/9855c1fb354da09b85257f1f000b5f79/5d6db4652dd37d2385258026004beed2?OpenDocument