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No one in Sutersville knows which came first, the train or the town. The two have been linked since Sutersville was settled in 1870.

As the town grew, so did the railroad, hauling more and more coal and steel from the area.

Today, folks barely notice the trains. The blaring whistle and vibrations blend into the rural landscape.

“You needed the railroad to haul the coal and the railroad needed the town, because they produced the coal,” said Ed Smart, 69, who has spent most of his life about two miles up the hill from Sutersville’s train tracks.

Over the years, three crossings went up, but only one — at the edge of town, far from the shops and businesses that line the center — has lights and a guard rail. The other two crossings, one with only lights and the third with just a “Railroad Crossing” sign, are also far from the shops.

At some point — no one remembers when — steps were built leading into the tracks, making it easier for residents to cross directly over the rusty rails.

Dustin’s family now says it will fight in town and council meetings to have a 4-foot concrete retaining wall built on one side of the tracks — something to prevent people from crossing over the tracks.

In the meantime, children look both ways. Mothers warn them: don’t play on the tracks.”

Older residents remember hopping trains as teenagers to get across town. Then, the trains meant prosperity. Sutersville is different today.

Few stores are left. There is June Bugs, Sheree’s Tavern, a bowling alley, a smattering of car garages and Miller’s Place — a 107-year-old convenience store and diner.

The coal mines and steel mills are gone. The lumberyard went bankrupt in 1998. The population has dropped from 755 in 1990 to fewer than 600. Annual per capita income is under $14,000, about half the national average.

Through it all, the trains have been constant. Sutersville wouldn’t exist without the trains, residents figure. No one can imagine what it would be like without them.

“I lay up there in bed and I listen to the whistle. It’s a soothing sound. You lay there and think, where’s that going?” said lifelong resident, Ed Smart.

The trains, though, no longer bring jobs — or people. The train station closed at least 40 years ago. Many young people leave. Older people don’t know why they should stay.