Tidewater in 1907 -- World Record?

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Mon Jun 30 12:11:53 EDT 2008


Harry: You have the Kellysville connections backwards. The original connection allowed eastbounds to cross from N&W to Vgn. (I guess the westbound empties would have had to back to get from N&W to Vgn). The connection did not cross New River, but did allow N&W trains to cross it on the Vgn at Glen Lyn. Later, when the state of Virginia wanted the Vgn right of way through the narrows, The Kellysville connection was reversed, so that eastbound Vgn trains crossed over to N&W (and westbounds ran straight across too), and the new crossover east of Narrows got them back to the Vgn, crossing New River on a new bridge. Jim Nichols

Hind - sight is 20/20. This wasn't my observation,
but rather one of the late R. D. Painter, N&W. Following
the merger with the VGN, N&W built a connection with
the VGN across the New River west of Glen Lyn.
Eastward coal trains from Bluefield had to back thru
the connection, crossing the New River to reach the
VGN, then head east to Roanoke. For empty trains to
Elmore, they merely headed thru the connection.
Later this connection was changed so that eastbound
coal trains from Bluefield merely headed across the river.
Having sold the former VGN right-of-way to improve the
alignment of U.S. 460, N&W then built a connection
across the New River east of Narrows (and west of
Celco).

But suppose N&W had built the connection, not east of
Narrows, but rather to cross the New River east of
Belspring to hook up with the VGN near the horseshoe
curve mentioned ? Service to Celanese could be
maintained thru the connection at Klotz (?) provided the
former VGN was kept it place Klotz-Celco. The "pipe
dream" connection was timetable west of the Whitethorne
helper station and the climb to Merrimac Tunnel, so the
pusher district would not have to be altered. Probably
N&W would have restored double track Belspring and
beyond, which would improve traffic flow. The former
VGN track Klotz to the horseshoe curve would be retired.
Harry Bundy

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