

Note: No two pieces of wood look alike. Within a board, two sections can have different coloration. The wood samples below are generic swatches to give you some idea about whether the wood is dark or light. The actual woods may vary in color.
Railroads have been a strong part of Americana for centuries. As the population of the US spread to the west, so did trains. The depots scattered in towns and cities across our nation stand as reminders of a time past. Trains today are almost exclusively for transporting goods rather than people, but we should not forget the impact they had on our nation. Many of the depots, including most in my collection, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three of my woods come from the Baltimore and Ohio Museum in Baltimore. Two are from antique locomotives which were damaged during the President’s Day snow storm in 2003. The third is from the historic roundhouse, which is the centerpiece of the B&O Museum. Others represent depots from around West Virginia.
Wood Source | History of Wood | Wood Sample |
---|---|---|
Gassaway Depot - Braxton County Oak |
Photo by: Brian M. Powell [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons | |
Gassaway Depot - Braxton County Maple | This wood was reclaimed from the Gassaway Depot, also known as Coal & Coke Railway Company Depot, is a historic railway depot located at Gassaway. It was built in 1914, by the Coal and Coke Railway and later acquired by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. | |
Grafton B&O Depot - Taylor County Poplar |
Photo by: Brian M. Powell [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons | |
Grafton B&O Roundhouse - Taylor County Pine |
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Grafton Willard Hotel - Taylor County Pine |
Photo by: Brian M. Powell [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons | |
Huntington Heavy Repair Shop - Cabell County Walnut | This old growth walnut was reclaimed from a building which was built in 1889 and has been known as the Huntington Store Room, the C&O Shop, and most recently as the Huntington Heavy Repair Shop. The building was demolished in the spring of 2017. | |
Lost Creek Depot - Harrison County Poplar |
Photo by: Ceh2624 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons | |
Mannington Depot - Marion County Oak | The Mannington Depot was established in 1852 serving as a link to the Ohio River and the western frontier. This wood was reclaimed from the current structure which was built in 1906 and closed in 1957. | |
Salem Depot - Harrison County Oak | The current depot was built in 1912. In 1985, an historical 129-year era of rail service ended for Salem when the last scheduled train traveled the tracks through the city. | |
Western Maryland Depot - Tucker County Oak |
Photo by: Generic1139 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons | |
Weston Depot - Lewis County Oak | This old growth oak was reclaimed from the Weston Train Depot which was built in the late 1800s. The building later served as the Weston Cannery and more recently the Bus Garage for Lewis County Schools. | |
B&O #600 J.C. Davis Cab Chestnut Maryland |
Inspired by the collection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum | |
Thatcher Perkins B&O #117 Maryland Oak |
Inspired by the collection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum | |
Mt. Clare Station Roundhouse Maryland Pine |
Inspired by the collection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum |