Why Was Monroe the Engine & Crew Change Point?

[NW Mailing List]

Abram,

Good evening.  I trust you have dug all your turnips for Thanksgiving.  This response is largely speculation by one who grew up in Lynchburg and many times took the train to Monroe and return. That was about 7 miles and cost 50 cents roundtrip.  Cheap fun.  Out to Monroe on No. 18 and back on No. 45.

You will recall that until about 1912 when Southern Railway built the "Lynchburg by-pass" including two high trestles and a half mile or so tunnel as well as a new passenger station (Kemper Street) still in service, the railway descended down to the James River, stopped at Union Station where it crossed the N&W, and then had to climb out of that "hole" heading south. Space along the river was in relative short supply and much already taken by C&O and N&W.  Southern did build a small yard used for interchange with N&W and C&O but it lacked both length and width. Monroe was built in a place the had plenty of almost level space and room for a roundhouse and other servicing facilities You would also recall that Southern had, and still has, Montview Yard just south of the city near Liberty University.  There was a connecting tract at the north end of Montview Yard for interchange with the N&W at Kinney (N&W built a Lynchburg bypass about the same time Southern did) and this was the route taken by the joint Southern/N&W passenger trains (17,18,45,46,41,42 and until the early 1950s 141 and 142 mail trains) and still used today by Amtrak. Montview has a elevation rise in the middle of it which may account (or may not) for why it wasn't made much larger and thereby eliminating the need for Monroe.  Monroe continued in use until the early 1980s and I don't know why it was eliminated at that time. I am further guessing the N&W/Southern merger was somehow a factor but neither Montview nor Kinney were expanded.

Perhaps some other members know more about this and will share it. I noticed when going through Monroe on Amtrak several weeks ago that its significant railroad presence has completely disappeared from the face of the earth.

   Ray Smoot

-----Original Message-----
From: NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org> On Behalf Of NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2024 9:10 PM
To: N&W Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Cc: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Why Was Monroe the Engine & Crew Change Point?

Can anyone provide the history behind Monroe, Va, being chosen as the Eng and crew change point, rather than Lynchburg, for joint N&W/Southern passenger trains? (I could guess at the obvious, but why venture a guess and spoil someone posting the real reason ! )

Second element of the question is: In what year was the Monroe-shuffle implemented ?

Than'kew.

-- abram burnett
edgelord of the turnip underworld
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