Viscose Radford Plant-Viscoe Road, Bridge

[NW Mailing List]

Farmer Jeffries can not add much. Viscoe Road is the name for the access 
road to the site now from Rte 114. The American Viscose was to build a 
factory there after WWII and the N&W built the bridge across the New River 
to give rail access to the proposed site. There is no reference of the 
bridge's construction in the N&W annual reports, but a source of mine says 
the bridge has a date of 1951 on a builders plate. I thought it was a little 
earlier than that. The factory was never built by American Viscose because 
of decreasing demand for its products. For the same reason, its Roanoke 
plant closed in July 1958.

A company, unknown to me, built the large industrial building that is there 
now in the 1970s. AT&T took it over about 1981. Today the whole American 
Viscose site is an industrial park, a housing subdivision and golf course. 
The old RR bridge is being used to extend utilities to that area.

Abram mentions Tom Gravitt. I remember him well and I believe he was the 
second trick yardmaster. I interviewed him for my book in 1975. He was a 
character, but was a good man.

The tie yard explosion occured in November 1953 [I believe]. The yard closed 
its operations in 1955.

Hope this helps a little.

Bud Jeffries

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 7:14 AM
Subject: Re: Viscose Radford Plant-Viscoe Road, Bridge



> AB:

> The name change of the road was simply a local thing. That's what it 

> 'gravitated' to over the years. It happens when there is no operating 

> facility to correct it (keep it right). The correct name should have been 

> Viscose. In addition to the original buildings, the property is now an 

> industrial park that can be reached via VA Rt. 114.

> The girder bridge you saw was probably the AV bridge. The next bridge down 

> would have been Plum Creek on the main line if you were in Radford Yard. I 

> too have discharged a firearm in Radford Yard (early '60's) but at a 

> quail!

> And, yes, you saw the remains (very little by '65) of the tie treating 

> plant, mentioned in a couple of books. It exploded in the early hours of a 

> 1950's morning awakening this writer!

> Maybe farmer Jeffries can add something to this.

> Charlie Long

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

>>From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>Sent: Jan 23, 2007 7:58 PM

>>To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>Subject: Re: Viscose Radford Plant

>>

>>

>>The MapQuest image leave me guessing...  Why is the name of the road spelt 

>>"Viscoe" rather than "Viscose" ?  The foix paux of the the map maker, or 

>>of the political patronage hack in charge of naming roads?

>>

>>There is an interesting website dealing with the Viscose Corporation, put 

>>up by one of the descendents of the man who brought the Viscose process 

>>here from England.

>>

>>I recall being in Radford one day about 1965, with nothing to do.  As I 

>>recall, I was working an away-from-home local, or maybe the 

>>Radford-Bluefield Short Run, and staying on the caboose (as most of us did 

>>back then.)  In my idle hours, I walked to some place that had been 

>>pointed out to me as the former railroad tie processing plant, or perhaps 

>>proposed location for an unbuilt tie processing plant.  There was a 

>>trackless open deck girder bridge across a creek or river and into the 

>>concrete abutments were cast a date in the late 1940s (1946 or 1949, if I 

>>recall correctly.)  Being young and deficient on good judgment, I took a 

>>pistol shot at the numerals on the northeast abutment, and the bullet 

>>riocochetted back in what sounded like very close proximity to my head.

>>

>>Could this be the same place now identified as the proposed Viscose 

>>site...?

>>

>>This was about the time that Tom Gravitt, the 70+-year-old clerk in the 

>>Radford Station overindulged on his daily ritual of going across the 

>>street at lunch hour and knocking off a quart of cold ice cream, and had 

>>to be hospitalized.  How in the world anyone could eat a quart of ice 

>>cream daily and stay as thin as a rail was always a mystery beyond my 

>>comprehension...  Anyone remember Tom?

>>

>>--adb

>

>

>

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