In the early 1900s, the New York Central (NYC) was one of the biggest rail systems in the U.S. It entered West Virginia at Point Pleasant and ran through Charleston, where it had a station near today’s Capitol Market. Its main yard was in Dickinson, and it shared tracks with the Virginian Railway.

The NYC’s roots in West Virginia began with the Kanawha & Michigan (K&M) Railway, which connected Charleston to Point Pleasant by 1888. It later expanded into coal areas and connected with other railroads. The Kanawha & West Virginia (K&WV) line served the Elk River area and carried coal, timber, and passengers.

In 1910, NYC took over these lines, and they officially became part of the NYC System in 1952. After a failed merger in 1968, the lines became part of Conrail, then Norfolk Southern. In 2016, the Kanawha River Railroad began operating the route.

The NYC’s West Virginia lines mainly hauled coal to factories in Ohio, but passenger service was also important, with up to 12 trains daily in Charleston by 1916.