Blacksburg Grand Union Terminal Station and End-of-Track

[NW Mailing List]

John and Bruce,

Thanks for your additional information. If I understand this correctly, the train generally departed the Cambria station backing up the Kingston Branch, stopping just past the switch to the Blacksburg Branch, then moving forward (engine first) after the switch to the Blacksburg Branch was opened passing over Crab Creek, the N&W main, and on to Blacksburg, engine first.

And as Bruce observed, the train from Radford to Cambria would have to run “backwards” in order for the engine to be on the west end backing up the Kingston Branch.

After I am sure the boa-constrictors are frozen for the winter, I may walk the right of way or close to it to see exactly where the switch and the Crab Creek bridge were.

    Ray

And the Thieme photos, as usual, were of great interest.
Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 1, 2025, at 12:52 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>
> 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
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