Blacksburg Grand Union Terminal Station and End-of-Track - Coordinates ???

[NW Mailing List]

The VT steam power plant is at 37.232369433728834, -80.42063221650687
according to google. Its my understanding the power plant is now gas
powered. The google image shows lots of coal in the coal yard but it's
mostly empty now (last time I checked). I have seen the turbine in the
past. They used to do maintenance on the turbine in the summer months.

- Roger Link


On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 6:14 AM NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

> Mr. Harper --
>
> Can you give me coordinates for the VPI Power House ?
>
> I almost froze to death one night shoving six (?) loads of coal out there
> from Christiansburg. I was on Time Freight No. 94 and when reporting at
> East Bluefield, they handed us a message saying our train would have hot
> loads on the head end for VPI Power House, which was just about out of
> coal. We were to cut off and tie our train down on the Eastward Main Track
> at Pelton, and shove the loads out the Blacksburg Branch to the power
> house.  Memory tells me that Eddie Hoag, of Bland, was the Conductor that
> night.  The temperature was about ten degrees and there was a wind. I was
> given the job of riding on top of the first load as we shoved through the
> darkness. No radios back then, so everything was by hand signals.  I almost
> froze and it took a good two days hours before I felt warm again. Maturity
> of vision tells me that I should have stopped the move and retreated to the
> engine to get warm... perhaps several times. Some things are not safe, and
> some work plans are just plain needless
>  ly stupid. But when you are young and new, you do what you are told
> without question.
>
> This happened not long after the branch had been stubbed off.
>
> If you can help with coordinates, I would be obliged.
>
> I had a similar experience one night riding a flat car ahead of the engine
> and shoving all the way from Forest to just west of Lynchburg, down the
> Lynchburg Old Line.  Another ignorant move which could have been done quite
> safely the next day by the Local Freight.  But that is a story for another
> day ...
>
> -- abram burnett
> Still a Frozen Turnip !
> .
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