Blacksburg Grand Union Terminal Station and End-of-Track

[NW Mailing List]

John,

Thank for the overlay. Very helpful

Regarding why the branch was shortened, I have heard that was related to the runway lengthening at the VT airport and the construction of the Rt 460 bypass (avoid needing to build a bridge).I also suspect (this is conjecture) that with the closure of the coal mine at Merrimac the traffic was not sufficient to make the branch profitable
Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 29, 2024, at 8:43 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> Ray,
> 
> Why was the Blacksburg Branch shortened in 1966? Was extending the airport's runway a factor?
> 
> For those interested I've attached an overlay of the branch's end in current downtown Blacksburg.
> 
> John Garner
> <N&W Blacksburg Branch overlay.jpg>
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