Mann's Creek Railroad

The Mann's Creek Railroad was constructed in 1886 to haul coal and lumber for the Babcock Coal and Coke Company, which owned and operated the line.[2] The line followed Mann's Creek, a tributary of the New River,[3] from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's mainline at Sewell for approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the community of Clifftop.[1]

Due to the area's rugged terrain, construction of the line required numerous retaining walls and demolition of numerous cliffs. A 35-foot (11 m) high, 224-foot (68 m) long timber trestle was constructed over Glade Creek on a sharp horseshoe curve where the line deviated from the Mann's Creek in order to gain elevation.[1][2] At Clifftop were the Babcock Coal and Coke Company's coal mines,[2] which the railroad served by hauling coal down to 193 beehive coke ovens along the C&O mainline at Sewell.[1][2]