Blacksburg Grand Union Terminal Station and End-of-Track

[NW Mailing List]

On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 9:59 PM Carl wrote:

> The Blacksburg line looks like a nice little bucolic back-woodsy line to
> model. Were there any industries along the line to switch? Is there a track
> map?
>
> The pictures in the current journal show a combine on the trains right
> behind the engine. I assume that the combine would be part of any pick ups
> or set out moves the train had to make. Must have been tough for the
> engineer to see where he was backing up.
>

The Blacksburg Branch started as the Virginia Anthracite Coal & Railway
Co., built to move anthracite coal from the mines at Merrimac to the N&W at
Christiansburg. There was a demand so the line was extended to Blacksburg
to provide freight and passenger service. There were also grand plans to
extend the line north to Brush Mountain and iron ore deposits.

The company ran on a shoestring and eventually declared bankruptcy. It was
sold at auction on the Montgomery County courthouse steps. The N&W was one
of the bidders but backed off when it was discovered that one of the
bidders was sent by the company to drive up the price. The N&W eventually
bought the line, making it the Blacksburg Branch.

There was a coal wharf across Water Street (now Draper Road) at Clay Street
where coal was unloaded for the VPI power plant and for several coal
dealers in town. There was a lumber yard at the end of the line across Main
Street from the station (the Blacksburg town hall now occupies the station
site). The branch also delivered LCL freight to the station.

When part of the line was abandoned to get the coal wharf out of the middle
of town, it was relocated to the south side of VA 114 in Montgomery County
(now in the town limits of Christiansburg). The line continued almost to
the trestle that crossed the former Virginian tracks to provide a tail
track for a new siding that was put in to service the Corning glass
factory. That remains the sole reason for the line to exist; the coal wharf
was closed down when delivery of coal for Virginia Tech was moved to Max
Meadows.

Details of the initial abandonment and photos can be found at
https://nwhistory.info/locations/BlacksburgBranch/index.php

Bruce in Blacksburg
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