The long-dormant storefronts of Thurmond, West Virginia were brought to life in the fall of 1986 when the town was chosen as the location for shooting the film “Matewan”, an historical account of the mining management/labor struggle in Matewan, WV. Not only was the town totally rebranded from a C&O mining community to a settlement on the N&W some 100 miles away, even the railroad elements underwent a makeover. Here the “iconic” C&O cantilever that was so sought after by rail photographers in its last years has been disguised as a full signal bridge and painted black. The signal maintainers better push away from the dinner table a little sooner if the railroad has to resort to publishing weight limits on the signal structures.
