Clifton Forge station

Clifton Forge station is a train station in Clifton Forge, Virginia, serving Amtrak's Cardinal line. It is located at 307 East Ridgeway Street.

Clifton Forge, VA
Clifton Forge in November 2005
General information
Location	307 East Ridgeway Street Clifton Forge, Virginia United States
Coordinates	37.8146°N 79.8274°W / 37.8146; -79.8274
Owned by	CSX Transportation
Line(s)	CSX Alleghany Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Platform only
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: CLF
History
Opened	1857
Rebuilt	1891 1897 1906
Passengers
FY 2024	1,720[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station White Sulphur Springs toward Chicago Cardinal Staunton toward New York
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station White Sulphur Springs toward Chicago James Whitcomb Riley 1974-1977 Staunton toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington 1971-1974 Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station Low Moor toward Cincinnati Main Line Longdale toward Washington, D.C. or Phoebus Terminus Richmond and Alleghany Railroad Iron Gate toward Richmond
Location

History

A fantrip calling at Cliffton Forge in 1969. The platform canopy is no longer standing.

The Virginia Central Railroad extended to Clifton Forge in 1857, a point originally called Jackson River.^[2] The railroad's first station building on the site was constructed in 1891. Passenger operations moved to the nearby Gladys Inn in 1897.^[3]

The modern two-story station building is a clapboard structure originally built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1906 as the railway's local offices. It became the passenger station in 1930 when the Gladys Inn was converted into the local YMCA building.^[3] It sits just east of a major locomotive fuel facility for CSX Transportation.

Plans

The proposed new station, 705 Main Street

In 2013, Amtrak announced that it planned to move the stop to a new station built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society.^[4][5] The building is a replica of the original 1891 station,^[3] and it is located on Main Street, east of the current facility.