Clifton Forge station is a train station in Clifton Forge, Virginia, serving Amtrak's Cardinal line. It is located at 307 East Ridgeway Street.

Clifton Forge, VA
Clifton Forge in November 2005
General information
Location307 East Ridgeway Street
Clifton Forge, Virginia
United States
Coordinates37°48′53″N 79°49′39″W / 37.8146°N 79.8274°W / 37.8146; -79.8274
Owned byCSX Transportation
Line(s)CSX Alleghany Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessiblePlatform only
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: CLF
History
Opened1857
Rebuilt1891
1897
1906
Passengers
FY 20231,572[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
White Sulphur Springs
toward Chicago
Cardinal Staunton
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
White Sulphur Springs
toward Chicago
James Whitcomb Riley
1974-1977
Staunton
Covington
toward Chicago
James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington
1971-1974
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Covington
toward Cincinnati
Main Line Longdale
Terminus Clifton ForgeRichmond via Lynchburg Iron Gate
toward Richmond
Location
Map

History

edit
 
A fantrip calling at Cliffton Forge in 1969. The platform canopy is no longer standing.

The Virginia Central Railroad extended to Clifton Forge in 1857 here, a point originally called Jackson River.[2] The railroad's first station building on the site was constructed in 1891. Passenger operations moved to the nearby Gladys Inn in 1897.[3]

The modern two-story station building is a clapboard structure originally built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1906 as the railway's local offices. It became the passenger station in 1930 when the Gladys Inn was converted into the local YMCA building.[3] It sits just east of a major locomotive fuel facility for CSX Transportation.

Plans

edit
 
The proposed new station, 705 Main Street

In 2013, Amtrak announced that it plans to move the stop to a new station built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society.[4][5] The building is a replica of the original 1891 station,[3] and it is located on Main Street, east of the current facility.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Castro, James E. (2006). The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Arcadia Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 9780738543345.
  3. ^ a b c Tabb, Rick; Dellinger, Josephine; Clifton Forge Woman's Club (2011). Clifton Forge. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 56, 59, 61. ISBN 9780738587905.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-18. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  5. ^ "2018 Town of Clifton Forge Council Goals". 21 August 2018.
edit