Monroe engine and crew change point explained

[NW Mailing List]

Brother Turnip Master and all others so interested:

The reason for Monroe was simple and has been at least partially explained
here already: the steep grade into and out Lynchburg by SOUTHERN Railway.
It doesn't involve TURNIPS in ANY way, shape, or form.

In part here is some basic history:

The original Orange & Alexandria RR grade from Charlottesville and points
north was not completed until early 1860, April something or other I recall
but don't hold me to that please. Getting the first "Orange Bridge" as it
was long called into Lynchburg from the north took more time than
anticipated. Of course it was completed just in time for that little 4-year
fiasco also known as the American Civil War.

The O&A went thru various ownership and reorganizational changes in the
1860s and August 23, 1881, and after building and opening the first line to
Danville's environs in 1874 or so, continued until the last reorganization
from Richmond & Danville ownership to become Southern Railway in late June
1894.

It wasn't until sometime in the 1870s that some sort of closer rail
connections were made down in the bottom lands there at Lynchburg,
Percival's Island or thereabouts between the Virginia Midland and AM&O,
future N&W.

Until June 1, 1886 I think while the former O&A and now N&W crossed at
grade, there was another problem to be dealt with: gauge differential as
the north-south R&D/former O&A was 4' 8.5", whereas the east-west N&W line
was voila 5 feet or Southern gauge. That was finally rectified on May
31-June1, 1886 throughout the south in a 2-day epic change of somewhere
between 13,000 and 15,000 miles of track changed during that short period.
They had essentially copied what Lackawanna had done 1876 when they reduced
its gauge from 6' to standard, and Erie waited seven years to do the same
thing in 1883.

Still the steep grade persisted at the Lynchburg bottom land right along
the James River.

Just three years out of receivership, in 1897 Southern finally saw the
wisdom in having a yard 7 miles north of the bottom grade and created
Monroe. That also became the division pint between the Washington Division
and what became the Danville Division. Monroe lasted into the 1980s but to
visit today is little more than a wide spot along the r-o-w. In the early
1900s, N&W had troubles creating its belt line which also went thru the
bottom lands but finally prevailed after a number of years of dealing with
the local politicos.

Southern as the early 1900s evolved, slowly built its "beltline" going thru
town and effectively eliminated the grade ............ sort of. I say sort
of since the two separate grades thru Lynchburg north-south continued
another 20 years. That's NO misprint either. BOTH grades were still used
for 20 years.

The new line was opened in 1911 but Kemper Street station as we see it
today was not opened until 1912. A temporary depot was used in that
1911-1912 interim. As soon as everything settled down with the new grade,
most passenger trains used the by-pass or new line through Lynchburg. By
1931 and during the Great Depression, the last two trains were eliminated
using the old "Orange" route. That date was, I recall October 5, 1931. The
old bridge remained in place I think into WW2 when wartime scrap drives
prevailed and it was removed, although unused for 10 or so years by that
time. Today, only some of the concrete piers remain a few miles upstream
from where one might think to look and that's that.

As for Monroe, it remained as a crew base and was the differential point
between the Washington Division and Danville Division. Those 2 divisions
were then combined with the Richmond Division which had gobbled up the old
Norfolk Division in 1932, that combination occurring during the latter
1960s into its Eastern Division.

Backing up a bit, Monroe was where N&W passenger trains from Roanoke and
points west were cut off, re-coaled as needed and returned from whence they
had come. As Southern eliminated steam before the N&W, the interchange
between N&W and Sou trains continued but coal was apparently supplied not
from a chute until N&W quit the steam passenger business. Ken Miller has
told me that apparently N&W was none too happy over using Southern's cheap
coal as it didn't burn as efficiently as what they were used to from their
own properties, but that is likely an even bigger story for elsewhere.

By 1983 or so and following both the N&W-Sou merger and the three
division's combination of the 1960s, not to mention no longer having
passenger trains OR steam, Monroe's days were numbered and it was closed
shortly thereafter.

That's kind of the "Cliff Notes" versions of events but I think this group
can get the picture.

If you desire more, feel free to contact me OFF-list.

Meanwhile I hope you've enjoyed the discussion and brief history lesson
here.

Bob Cohen
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