Mark Totten, president of the C&O Historical Society, is shown with the O-scale model train layout at the Depot. The layout represents St. Albans from the 1950s on one side, and South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä from the 1970s and '80s on the other side.
Mark Totten, president of the C&O Historical Society, is shown with the O-scale model train layout at the Depot. The layout represents St. Albans from the 1950s on one side, and South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä from the 1970s and '80s on the other side.
The historic St. Albans Depot comes alive the first Saturday of each month as volunteers from the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society (C&OHS) welcome visitors, operate model trains, and share stories of the region’s rich railroad history.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests can explore the restored 1906 depot on 400 4th Ave. in St. Albans while enjoying the society’s impressive O-scale model train layout. Half of the display depicts St. Albans during its mid-20th century railroading heyday, including brick streets, commercial buildings along Fourth Avenue, and the long-gone St. Albans Yard Office. The other half portrays South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä in the 1970s and ’80s, when the chemical industry boomed.
“It’s a way to see history up close,†said C&OHS President Mark Totten, of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. “We’re 100 percent volunteer-driven, and we built this layout from the ground up. Every month we run a different train representing a different era, so it’s never the same twice.â€
C&OHS showcases the Depot in partnership with the city of St. Albans, which owns it. “It's on the National Historic Registry, and we are happy to make this a satellite museum for our nonprofit organization here in West Virginia,†Totten said.
Fourth Avenue was once the transportation terminal for the city of St. Albans and the Coal River District, thanks to the C&O Railway. “This was a very busy district for this part of Kanawha County,†Totten said.
The Depot also houses an interpretive museum-in-progress, a gift shop stocked with railroad memorabilia, and unique keepsakes such as Blenko Glass suncatchers in cobalt blue honoring St. Albans Junior High School. Proceeds support ongoing restoration and museum development.
Totten said the society’s long-term plans include restoring the main waiting room to its 1940s wartime appearance and completing a new exhibit space in the middle room. The Depot originally featured three segregated waiting rooms—for men, women, and African Americans—each with its own access to a single ticket office.
The building underwent major restoration in 1993, spearheaded by the St. Albans Women’s Club. The C&OHS now hopes to help secure grants for additional work to ensure the Depot remains a community landmark for decades to come.
While passenger trains haven’t stopped in St. Albans since 1968, Totten doesn’t rule out the possibility of future Amtrak service. “If that ever happens, it would be wonderful to have a modern platform next to this historic building,†he said.
The next C&OHS open day at the Depot is Saturday, Sept. 6.
Train Day
The St. Albans Historic District will host a special Train Day celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the historic brick street in front of the Depot. Visitors can watch trains roll by, ask questions of current and retired railroaders, and take home a piece of history. The event will feature live music, free train whistles for kids, free train rides for kids and adults on the Hoppy Shores Train, craft vendors and food vendors.
Founded in January 1969, the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the American railroad experience. The society collects, preserves, and makes available to the public a wide range of drawings, documents, and artifacts from the history of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.
For more information about C&OHS, visit the group's website at cohs.org.
