Subscribe to download
Blackwood Creek

Blackwood Creek is a fictional route set in Pennsylvania. The route is depicted as a cut back version of a longer route and is just 12 miles in length. Operated by Norfolk Southern, then taken over by an industrial corporation the line went on to become a heritage line whilst remaining very much a freight hauling route. Designed as a switching layout there are many varied industries served, such as paper mill, grain elevators, team tracks, chemical & distribution centers. The route should be worked as a one locomotive operation, manual switches throughout.


Special thanks to: Grahlman1 & JHM Studios



REQUIRED CONTENT: Sherman Hill, Norfolk Southern Coal District (Penn Coal), Ohio Steel 2 or Colton Northern.








If you are interested, the routes recent history is described below, either way happy railroading!





Pennsylvania Railroad's



Whitestake & Aventine

Route



In October 2001 Norfolk Southern signalled its intention to withdraw service from the former Pennsylvanian Whitestake & Aventine route, from Baumann Junction to Fuzak (the remaining five miles to Aventine having been closed previously in 1978) due to what it claimed were 'usustainable costs'. News of this prompted the Kendrick Paper & Packaging Corportion based at Fuzak to enter negotiations with Norfolk Southern with a view to taking on the maintenance & operation of the route milage between Baumann & Fuzak, in the hope of preserving their valuble rail link.

Kendrick Paper & Packaging Corporation in who's interest, amongst others, it was to retain their link to the mainline, were backed up in their endeavour by the industries wishing to retain their own rail links such as the Clear Water Beverage company at Blackwood. These companies entered into negotiations with the Kendrick Corporation, with a view to paying for their rail connection at the same rates Norfolk Southern were currently charging.

In 2003 after 12 month's negotiations, an agreement was reached in that the Kendrick Corporation would take over the maintenance of service and infrastructure on the former Pennsylvanian route between Baumann and Fuzak, including the remaining three quater mile section of the former Spartan branch. Norfolk Southern was to retain responsibility for the remaining track mile from Baumann (Blackwood Creek bridge) to Whitestake and power the daily freight as far as the wye at Baumann, setting it down and picking it up from the 'main'.

The Kendrick Industrial Railroad was born and second hand motive power was duly purchased to haul the daily local service to the paper mill at Fuzak, servicing all industries that signed up to retain their rail connection. The fledgling railroad utilized former MOW sidings in the wye at Baumann as their service point.

Three years later in 2006 the Blackwood Historical Society was formed, this hardy bunch of enthusiasts had a determination to preserve the passenger depot at Blackwood and turn it's use into a museum showcasing the endeavours of local the coal mining history and its railroad.

Since those early days the society has gone on to preserve and restore the depots at Baumann and Blackwood and entered a successful partnership with the Kendrick Corporation and local authorities to run heritage passenger trains over the route on weekends and public holidays between Baumann and Blackwood depots. They shared the cramped service point at Baumann but in the meantime looked at the possibility of purchasing sidings at the old Blackwood sawmill. However this was not to be as the subsequent takeover of the saw mill has seen operations continue on that site. Re-opening the line to Aventine is the societies ultimate goal and the first step to achieving this was the purchase of former coal mine land at Fuzak for development into a heritage railroad museum & workshops in 2008. Over the following five years work continued on the development of the museum and relaying of the short running line linking it to the truncated section at Fuzak paper mill. 2013 marked the start of clearance work to pave the way for track relaying to Cranston. The former station was restored and runround track constructed to form the current eastern terminus.

Hired in power of vintage locomotives is a regular occurence as the Blackwood Historical Society in turn lease the locomotives to power the daily local to Fuzak. This eliminates the Kendrick Corporations requirement to own and maintain a locomotive. In 2015 the society took over operation of what is now known as the Blackwood Creek Railroad. The Kendrick corporation maintain the trackage between their paper mill at Fuzak and Blackwood Creek bridge at Bauman and inturn charge for its use in passenger conveyance.

As of 2016 Blackwood Creek Railroad operate tourist passenger trains over their own track between Fuzak & Cranston and over Kendrick trackage to Baumann depot on public holidays and weekends in addition to weekday local freight operations.

Norfolk Southern retain ownership of trackage from the Blackwood Creek bridge at Baumann up to their mainline connection at Whitestake.



M. Howarth