Blacksburg Grand Union Terminal Station and End-of-Track

[NW Mailing List]

Ray,

If you go to the archives website and search 'Rolling Stock', 'N&W Steam 
Locomotives', 'Class M', and filter for '375' you'll find a wonderful 
series of May, 1956 photos by Thieme of the operation you describe. He 
took photos from some very rarely seen angles and locations just outside 
the C'burg yard including great photos of the Blacksburg Branch's bridge 
over Crab Creek. The Huckleberry's standard practice was to depart the 
C'burg station backing the train (loco trailing and pointed west) to the 
Kingston Branch. Every photo I've ever seen of the Huckleberry in 
Blacksburg shows the loco facing forward towards Main St. (i.e. never 
tender towards Main St.). I hope you enjoy this series of Thieme photos 
as much as I have. One photo shows a man standing at the opposite end of 
the Crab Creek bridge after the northbound train has passed. I wonder if 
that is Herbert Harwood? That was a favorite photo location for him.

Happy New Year to all on the list!

John Garner, Newport, VA.


I know the Blacksburg train departed the Cambria yard on the Kingston 
Branch and not long thereafter passed over the N&W main on a bridge.I 
would like to know the route from where it left the Kingston Branch to 
the bridge over the N&W main. Specficly, did it pull out the Kingston 
Branch a short way, then back through a switch with a bridge over Crab 
Creek and on to the track passing over the bridge over the main OR was 
there a switch close to where the Kingston Branch left the Cambria yard 
that connected track over Crab Creek to track over the bridge over the 
main without the necessity of pulling (or backing) up the Kingston 
Branch? The answer to this question will make clear whether these trains 
arrived in Blacksburg with the engine on the front if they departed 
Christiansburg (Cambria) with the engine on the front.

Thank you.

      Ray Smoot