page_title: South Branch Valley Railroad
hierarchical_section_title: South Branch Valley Railroad
caption_attribution_description: English: South Branch Valley Railroad engine 6240, an 1957 EMD GP9.
context_page_description: The South Branch Valley Railroad consists of a 52.4 mile length of railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia extending north along the South Branch Potomac River from Petersburg to the CSXT mainline at Green Spring adjacent to the Potomac River. At Green Spring, the CSXT mainline connects the SBVR to Cumberland, Maryland to the west and Martinsburg, West Virginia to the east. SBVR has been owned and operated by the West Virginia State Rail Authority since it was sold by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad on October 11, 1978. Upon purchasing the B&O's South Branch line, West Virginia became the first state in the United States to both own and operate a commercial freight railroad. In 1985, major flooding of the South Branch Valley destroyed most of the rail line, including all three bridges that crossed the South Branch Potomac River. Despite talk of shutting down the railroad after the flood, reconstruction began two years later.
  The West Virginia State Rail Authority, owner and operator of the South Branch Valley Railroad, is headquartered in Moorefield. The SBVR is also the host line for the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad stationed in Romney.
context_section_description: The South Branch Valley Railroad (reporting mark SBVR) consists of a 52.4 mile (84.33 km) length of railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia extending north along the South Branch Potomac River from Petersburg to the CSXT mainline at Green Spring adjacent to the Potomac River. At Green Spring, the CSXT mainline connects the SBVR to Cumberland, Maryland to the west and Martinsburg, West Virginia to the east. SBVR has been owned and operated by the West Virginia State Rail Authority (SRA) since it was sold by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad on October 11, 1978. Upon purchasing the B&O's South Branch line, West Virginia became the first state in the United States to both own and operate a commercial freight railroad. In 1985, major flooding of the South Branch Valley destroyed most of the rail line, including all three bridges that crossed the South Branch Potomac River. Despite talk of shutting down the railroad after the flood, reconstruction began two years later.
  The West Virginia State Rail Authority, owner and operator of the South Branch Valley Railroad, is headquartered in Moorefield.  The SBVR is also the host line for the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad stationed in Romney.
caption: SBVR #6240, an EMD GP9
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