Catlettsburg, KY
The former "Amshack" at Catlettsburg in March 2017
General information
LocationWinchester Avenue at 10th Street
Catlettsburg, Kentucky, U.S.
Coordinates38°26′3.57″N 82°36′21.69″W / 38.4343250°N 82.6060250°W / 38.4343250; -82.6060250
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeCAT
History
OpenedMarch 24, 1975[1]
ClosedMarch 11, 1998[2]
Previous namesTri-State Station (1975–1988)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
South Portsmouth
toward Chicago
 Cardinal
1977–1998
 Huntington
toward New York
Terminus Hilltopper
1977–1979
 Williamson
toward Boston South
South Portsmouth
toward Chicago
 James Whitcomb Riley
1975–1977
 Huntington
toward Washington, D.C.
Mountaineer
1975–1977
 Williamson
toward Norfolk
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Ashland
toward Cincinnati
 Main Line Kenova
toward Washington, D.C. or Old Point Comfort
Ashland
Terminus
 Ashland – Elkhorn City Louisa
toward Elkhorn City
Chesapeake and Ohio Depot
Catlettsburg C&O station in April 2014
Catlettsburg station is located in Kentucky
Catlettsburg station
Catlettsburg station is located in the United States
Catlettsburg station
Location26th Street at Panola Street
Catlettsburg, Kentucky
Coordinates38°25′1.29″N 82°35′57.37″W / 38.4170250°N 82.5992694°W / 38.4170250; -82.5992694
NRHP reference No.12000446
Added to NRHPAugust 6, 2012

Catlettsburg is a former Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad station located in downtown Catlettsburg, Kentucky. Opened between 1897 and 1890 to replace an older wooden station, it served trains until 1958. Amtrak trains began stopping at Tri-State Station some 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the north in 1975; it was renamed Catlettsburg around 1988. Amtrak service was moved from Catlettsburg to Ashland in 1998. The C&O station was refurbished from 2004 to 2006 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

History

C&O

The Chattaroi Railroad opened through Catlettsburg in 1880, with a wooden station built to serve the town. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O) soon bought the line. Between 1897 and 1900, the C&O constructed a new brick station; the 1880 station was converted for use as a freight house.[3]

The last C&O trains on the "Big Sandy" ran in 1958, ending passenger service to Catlettsburg, although some intercity trains continued to pass. A clause in the original deed required the property to revert to the heirs of its original owners; the heirs declined, and the property was instead transferred to the city. The freight house burned in 1964.[3]

Amtrak service

1975 map of the James Whitcomb Riley and the Mountaineer showing their split at Tri-State Station

Amtrak took over intercity passenger service in 1971. The James Whitcomb Riley passed through Catlettsburg, stopping at nearby Ashland and Huntington but not Catlettsburg. On July 31, 1974, it was announced that a new station would be constructed at Catlettsburg to allow trains to bypass downtown Ashland. The new system would be jointly funded by Amtrak and the Chesapeake and Ohio.[4] On March 24, 1975, Amtrak abandoned Ashland station and began serving Tri-State Station, located between Catlettsburg and Ashland and named for the three-state area it served.[2] The James Whitcomb Riley was supplemented by the simultaneous addition of the Mountaineer service between Norfolk and Chicago, which ran combined with the James Whitcomb Riley west of Ashland.[1]

The Mountaineer was replaced by the Hilltopper, whose western terminus was at Tri-State Station, on June 1, 1977.[5] Although the James Whitcomb Riley continued to serve stations west of Catlettsburg, the two trains arrived at Tri-State Station hours apart, effectively eliminating connections between the two halves of the Mountaineer's former route.[6]

The James Whitcomb Riley was renamed as the Cardinal later that year; the Hilltopper was discontinued on October 1, 1979, leaving just the Cardinal to serve the station. Around 1988, the station was renamed Catlettsburg.[7] The Cardinal was briefly discontinued September 30, 1981. The train was brought back by Congressional mandate on January 8, 1982. When the train was returned it was cut from seven days a week to three days a week.[8]

The Cardinal served the station until Ashland Transportation Center opened on March 11, 1998.[2] The Tri-State Station building was demolished in late 2018/early 2019 as it is no longer visible on Google Street Views as of Sept 2019.[7]

Restoration

The city used the Catlettsburg station building as a youth center and women's club for a number of years. By 2004 it was in poor condition; a volunteer group restored the building in 2005 and 2006. A historic caboose was acquired and restored next to the station in 2010. The station is used as a visitor's center during the city's annual Labor Day festivities, which attract some 10,000 tourists.[3] The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Archived from the original on 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ashland, KY (AKY)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  3. 1 2 3 "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Depot Catlettsburg. KY" (PDF). Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  4. ↑ "New Amtrak Station to Serve Huntington". The Charleston Daily Mail. July 31, 1974. p. 23. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak News. 4 (11). 15 June 1977. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. January 8, 1978. p. 35. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  7. 1 2 Nagasaki, Hikki. "Catlettsburg (Tri-State Station), Kentucky (CAT)". TrainWeb – USA Rail Guide. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ Amtrak National Timetable, April 26, 1982, p. 34 http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19810426&item=0035 Archived 2022-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
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