Keaton Exhibit

Keaton Exhibit. . , Summers County resident Aubrey Keaton made a significant contribution of railroad equipment, tools, and other memorabilia to the park in early 2005. Mr. Keaton began his career as a railroader in 1956 with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in Columbus, Ohio. Along the way, he was transferred to Russell, Kentucky and Raleigh, West Virginia before settling in the Hinton area in December 1968. He retired in 1998 with over forty-one years of service to the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and CSX Transportation. He spent ten years compiling the collection that he displayed in front of his Pipestem Creek home., A primary feature of the exhibit was two railroad "speeders", also known as "putt, putt" cars because of the sound their lawn-mower like motors made while in operations. After their inception around 1893, the speeder became an integral and important part of railroad maintenance, allowing crews to both inspect their section of railroad as well as transport them to wherever they may be working., While the machine advanced technologically over the years, it remained a rather simple thing usually no more than five or ten feet in length and able to carry 2 to 4 passengers. Eventually, the little contraptions were replaced by today's more economical and useful Hyrail truck systems that allow maintenance vehicles to run on the rails. Other artifacts in the original exhibit included railroad crossing lights, a signal box, a line shack, and various tools.