C&O Passenger Station, Motgomery, W.Va. T-Shirt
From the C&O Historical Society's archive, now added to our C&O structure series t-shirts, we are excited to showcase the 20th century depot at Montgomery, West Virginia. The 1924-built station stood until the 1970s, representing a generation of building design seen throughout the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Located east of the border between the New River Subdivision and the Kanawha Subdivision, the station at Montgomery, also beside the city's downtown storefronts, was a hive of activity on the railroad for its proximity to Handley, the New River Gorge, and the coal industry that boomed throughout the region.
Montgomery also had the unique geographic distinction of being a nearby connection to the Kanawha & Michigan Railroad across the river and the Virginian Railway at nearby Deepwater, West Virginia.
Adding to the importance of this station on the C&O, until 2017, Montgomery was home to the West Virginia Institute of Technology (formerly New River State College). The college was founded in 1895 as the railroad was fueling the industrialization and growth throughout the region and became a four-year college in 1931. Generations of passengers, students, and business travelers arrived at the Montgomery station when the city was a prominent and globally-recognized destination for industry, education, and recreation. In tribute, our selected colors for our Montgomery station shirt are West Virginia Tech's iconic blue and gold.
Amtrak's tri-weekly route The Cardinal still serves Montgomery with a new ADA platform built on the former site of this legendary Chesapeake & Ohio station.
