The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — The Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society and the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center have partnered on an exhibit titled “Rails of Memory in Alleghany.”
The exhibit contains original framed artwork, posters, calendars, maps, along with other material produced and loaned by local artists and collectors, reflecting the history of the C&O Railway in the Alleghanies.
The exhibition features the works of several local photographers and artists, including Chuck Almarez, Gavin Dressler, Jeff Bartley, Joel Tucker, Alan Hickman, Mary Lu Clark, Robin Poteet, Mike Thompson and Gertrude White.
Also showcased will be a selection of images by famed industrial photographer William Rittase, whose focus was on C&O operations and people in their characteristic working environments.
In addition, the exhibit includes images specially done for the C&OHS by Vermont artist Charlie Hunter, who was a devoted railfan.
The posters, which were created between 2007-2010, were done in the style of the travel posters of the 1930s and 1940s, and feature Clifton Forge and Richmond, as well as Hinton,W.Va and Huntington, W.Va.
Included in the exhibit is a model of a Heisler geared locomotive.
The Heisler, as well as the Shay and Climax geared locomotives, were designed specifically for mountainous terrain and were used extensively on logging railroads.
Examples of all three types of geared engines can be found on the Cass Scenic Railroad and the Durbin Rocket, both of which operate on portions of the C&O’s former Greenbrier Subdivision in Pocahontas County, W.Va.
The Clifton Forge poster includes an M-1 steam turbine locomotive pulling the named train “The Chessie” past the colonnade canopy, with the Art Deco coaling tower and Rich Patch Mountain in the background.
The exhibit runs through Sunday, Feb. 28.
The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center is located at 439 E. Ridgeway St. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 1-4 p.m.
For more information, contact the C&O Historical Society at 862-2210 or by email cohs@cohs.org; or the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center at 862-4447, or by email at highlandsartsandcraft.org@gmail.com.
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The C&O Historical Society and the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center have partnered on an exhibit titled “Rails of Memory in Alleghany.” Included in the exhibit are a number of artifacts featuring Chessie the Railroad Kitten, used for many years as the C&O’s corporate symbol and in C&O advertising campaigns. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
