Clifton Forge, Va. – The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society is celebrating the completion of a multi-city
event tour that featured several retired railroaders from the region whose long careers earned them a
prestigious dedication in the popular calendar series, “Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Through the New
River Gorge.” These events brought the non-profit organization’s mission to preserve and share the
history of the C&O Railway to the public with volunteer presenters telling first-hand stories about their
varied careers on the C&O Railway and Amtrak, the details from which add their own pages to the history
books.
From November to February, the C&O Historical Society held meet-and-greet events in Clifton Forge,
Virginia and St. Albans, West Virginia, concluding with a final event in Hinton, West Virginia on February
25. Telling stories from their lives and careers were long-time railroad employees Eric S. Pack, Leonard
L. Claytor, and Marvin Plumley, whose years on the railroad spanned from the Chesapeake & Ohio
Railway, through Chessie System, to Amtrak. The trio also signed autographs of the published calendars
that featured printed dedications to each man’s life and career. Written by the C&OHS, these dedications
included portraits and biographies that honor the legacy of these living links to history.
The first-hand history tour featured all living honorees who have been recognized in “Chesapeake & Ohio
Railway Through the New River Gorge.” The remaining retired railroader, Ms. Dorothy Jean Boley of
Hinton, passed away December 13, 2022 at the age of 99. A wartime hire honored in the 2022 version
of the publication, Ms. Boley was the last known C&O Railway “Rosie.”
The meet-and-greet events, a first for the C&O Historical Society in its recent history, not only gave the
public the opportunity to hear railroading stories from first-hand sources, pose for photographs, and take
home a unique piece of history, but also opened several historic venues. In Kanawha County, West
Virginia, a February 4 event utilized the 1907-built St. Albans C&O Railway depot. On February 25, the
railroaders addressed attendees by microphone in downtown Hinton’s historic McCreery Hotel. In both
venues, locals in attendance listened to the retirees share first-hand stories about working in each region
for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, Chessie System, and Amtrak.
According to C&O Historical Society President Mark Totten, the “calendar tour” was a great way to put
the non-profit organization’s mission on center stage for the public to experience in a new way. “We
have been thrilled by this opportunity to bring history to life using first-hand sources.” However, Totten
noted, it would not have been possible without their volunteers, “We have known for years that these
gentlemen are treasures, and we have been honored by the opportunity to show the public how riveting
it is to listen to history through their personal stories from the railroad. We are grateful they lent their
time to tell their stories and help promote our organization.”
According to the C&OHS, Leonard Claytor, Eric Pack, and Marvin Plumley helped captain ‘the machine
through the garden,’ describing how the railroad brought people into the New River Gorge who would
have never otherwise witnessed this part of the country, now the country’s newest national park. Believed
to be two of the last active C&O Railway hires at the time of their retirements, Mr. Pack and Mr. Claytor
added their own pages to history during their illustrious careers, much of which was spent bringing
thousands of people through some of the most rugged terrain in North America on board Amtrak’s
passenger train The Cardinal. Marvin Plumley was the long-time Amtrak agent at the Prince, West Virginia
railway station.
C&O Historical Society President Totten summarized the events and expressed gratitude to people in
two states who made the tour happen, “We were fortunate to have the opportunity to use magnificent
venues such as Mountain Gateway Community College, the St. Albans C&O Depot, and the McCreery
Hotel. Each location’s atmosphere added something special to the event while our storytellers captivated
audiences with their first-hand accounts of history. We were welcomed with open arms by MGCC’s Vice
President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Ben Worth, St. Albans Mayor Scott James, and Stephanie Stiffler and
Victoria Brown of MountainPlex Properties. The rest of our team handled logistics large and small to
make sure everything ran smoothly for our honored guests and for members of the public who attended.”
A limited number of autographed copies of 2023’s “Chesapeake & Ohio Through the New River Gorge”
calendar are available to purchase by contacting the C&O Historical Society’s Business Office by telephone
at 540-862-2210, Monday-Friday, 9 a. m. – 5 p. m.
About the Tour’s Presenters
Mr. Leonard L. Claytor hired onto the C&O on November 10, 1969. He began work in St. Albans, West
Virginia and worked in the yards at South Charleston, Huntington, and Handley. Working through Chessie
System and CSX Transportation at places like the Coal River and Cabin Creek Subdivisions, Mr. Claytor
transitioned to Amtrak in 1985. During these years, he was a well-known fixture on the passenger train
The Cardinal, working the territory the C&OHS’s regional calendar covers and continuing the history and
hospitality of the Chesapeake & Ohio into the 21st century, even as twilight fell on the old railroad.
Growing up in a railroad family, his father, Mr. Howard Winfred Claytor, Sr., retired from the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railway as a track supervisor after 32 years of service. In his career, Leonard Claytor guided
countless numbers of travelers over the C&O Railway’s former territory, retiring as a conductor on
December 19, 2021.
Mr. Eric S. Pack is a retired locomotive engineer, retiring June 26, 2020, after 50 years of combined service
with C&O, C&O/B&O, CSX, and Amtrak. Early in his career, he ran trains from Hinton to Durbin on the
Greenbrier Subdivision. After transitioning to Amtrak, Mr. Pack piloted The Cardinal on the same route
used by the Chesapeake & Ohio in its original east-west connection, through the New River Gorge in all
conditions resulting from mountain railroading’s perils and pitfalls.
Mr. Pack’s father, Cletis Pack, was a railroad car inspector with 30 years of service. His mother, Betty Jo
Pack, was a telegraph operator with 32 years of service. Eric is one of eleven children and the only one
that ended up working for the railroad, where on his first day, he worked at the current location of the
C&O Railway Heritage Center museum in Clifton Forge, Virginia. His maternal grandfather was the
section foreman at Fire Creek, West Virginia when his mother was born. His paternal grandfather cut
cross ties and sold them to the railroad.
Mr. Marvin Plumley of Meadow Bridge, West Virginia was hired onto the C&O Railway in 1967, beginning
a decades-long career working various railroading jobs, including years at Thurmond, Meadow Creek,
Hinton (HX), Raleigh, Gauley, Rainelle, and the White Sulphur Springs depot. From 1984 to 2007, Mr.
Plumley worked for Amtrak as the station agent for Prince, West Virginia, serving the public throughout
the New River Gorge. Today Mr. Plumley is an active C&O Historical Society member and volunteer,
working to preserve and teach the history he witnessed, and promoting the Society’s mission, especially
by contributing to projects at the C&O Railway Heritage Center in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
