ST. MARY’S, WV (SWVO) – West Virginia has become the latest state to join the Virtual Railfan network, with the installation of the state’s first live camera in the small Ohio River town of St. Marys in Pleasants County.
The new camera gives railroad enthusiasts and viewers around the world a live look at trains traveling directly through the town’s downtown business district, along with views of barges passing on the Ohio River.
One of the most unique features of St. Marys is approximately 1,200 feet of railroad tracks running directly down a downtown street, a feature known among railroad enthusiasts as “street running.”
Virtual Railfan is an online platform that operates live-streaming cameras at railroad locations across the United States and beyond. Its cameras allow viewers to watch trains in real time, often around the clock, through YouTube and the company’s website.
The platform has developed a following among railroad enthusiasts, travelers and people interested in watching daily activity in communities across the country.
The addition of St. Marys could also provide a tourism opportunity for the West Virginia community.
Other towns with Virtual Railfan cameras, including La Grange, Kentucky; Altoona, Pennsylvania; and Ashland, Virginia, have become familiar destinations among online railroad enthusiasts. Some viewers who discover these communities through live cameras later travel to experience the locations in person, supporting local restaurants, hotels and businesses.
St. Marys could benefit from similar exposure as viewers become familiar with its unusual downtown railroad and Ohio River setting.
In a video announcing the new camera, St. Marys Mayor Pat Boyles shared the history of the community and explained what makes its railroad distinctive.
“The name of our town is St. Mary’s. We were established in 1849. A gentleman by the name of Alexander Creel was going down the river on a steamboat and had a vision of the mother Mary being at this place and it said to come back and establish a town here. So he did eventually come back by the land and establish the town and he named it St. Mary’s after his vision,” Boyles said.
The mayor also highlighted the railroad’s longstanding presence in the community.
“The railroad has been here since 1883 for over 143 years… The thing that makes us unique is that of all the towns that it goes through… this passes right through the business district in town.”
The camera provides an opportunity to showcase a part of West Virginia that many people outside the region may not otherwise discover.
Unlike cameras positioned along conventional railroad corridors, the St. Marys location offers viewers the chance to watch trains travel through the heart of a small downtown while commercial river traffic moves along the nearby Ohio River.
The combination could make the location particularly appealing to railroad enthusiasts looking for unique places to visit.
For St. Marys, the camera also offers an opportunity to promote the town’s history, downtown businesses and waterfront to a potentially worldwide audience without requiring visitors to be physically present.
Although the camera’s long-term impact on local tourism remains to be seen, the exposure could encourage some viewers to plan trips to the community, as has happened at other popular railroad viewing locations.
Boyles welcomed the addition of St. Marys to the Virtual Railfan network.
“Well, welcome Virtual Rail fans. We’re excited to have you and be a part of your family. We’re looking forward to it.”
With the new camera, St. Marys becomes West Virginia’s first Virtual Railfan location, giving viewers a new way to experience the Mountain State and potentially introducing future visitors to one of its small Ohio River communities.
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