[N&W] RE: A Visit to the Virginian

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

  Please excuse me for running a little late on this reply.
  In regards to C. Wilson,no it's not the Bluestone Branch we were 
wondering about. There is a
  branch we passed on the East side of Clark's Gap. This Branch may be the 
Bluestone. The tracks
  were overgrown and it ran through some people's yards,crossties and rails 
still intact. There were
  places where you could tell there was a mine tipple because a siding 
and/or passing track
  switched off from it. Very interesting piece of history.
  The branch Bill was talking about is the one that switches off from the 
line at Pierpont just
  above Mullens. The switch looks to be intact and the signals are working 
at the crossover. There
  is a minor rockslide blocking the rails about 100 yards above the switch 
but the roadbed and
  rails look to be in pretty fair condition. By the map,this is the branch 
that goes to Milam and
Glen Rodgers up through Polk's Gap. We only observed it as far as where the 
trestle carries
  it over Rt 97 just SE of Twin Falls Resort. Again the roadbed and rails 
seem to be decent
  condition. We hope to follow it as best we can on our next road trip.
  Also it seems that the mine branch at Slab Fork was left intact when the 
mine closed down.
  The switch was cut out of the main line but the rails for the mine are 
still there. They only
  go as far as the little bridge over the hollow by the old supply house. 
 From there they are
  pulled up though parts of the switch at the end of the bridge are still 
there.
  Had a very nice trip,we will do it again.
  Oh,the "paint date" on the highway bridge at Deepwater is 8/52. Not a bad 
paint job for
  being 52 years old!!

John Zuro



From: N&W Mailing List <mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: N&W Mailing List <mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: RE: A Visit to the Virginian
Date: Sun, 02 May 2004 16:28:08 -0400

My gut feeling is that, from a legal standpoint, it would be easier to 
reopen a line with existing rails than lay new rails.  Grade crossings come 
to mind;  I'm sure it's a real pain to get a permit etc. to cross a 
highway.  Having existing rails would grandfather the crossing if it were 
to be reactivated.
Many of these branches may see service in the future.  Mines usually do not 
run out of coal; the coal that is left is simply too far from the mine to 
be economically recoverable.  In the future, new processes may allow that 
coal to be recovered with a profit.  Maybe the railroad is willing to take 
that risk.
Anyone with real knowledge of these things is welcome to correct me.
David Estep
Manassas, VA
(transplanted West Virginian)

PS.  I always go see the VIRGINIAN markings on Deepwater Bridge when I'm in 
the area.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Bill--

Not that it matters all that much, but are you sure those remaining mine 
branches aren't on the old Bluestone Branch of the N&W?

C. Wilson
_________________________________________________________________________________
I don't know about West Virginia, but the long-abandoned branch off the NS
(old N&W) mainline in Pulaski back to the Pulaski Furniture factory still
has rails on it, they just paved over them where they cross the road. There
are trees growing between the rails, but the rails are still there as is the
old steel bridge over Peak's Creek.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I should add that we stopped in Mullens and I saw the restored C-10 caboose 
live for the first time -- made me proud to have provided a little help 
with it.

Bill Mosteller
Falls Church, VA
_________________________________________________________________________________
I believe they disconnect the rails from the main line in order to keep
from having to pay taxes on them in WV, as well as here in VA.  I do
wish it was the other way around.  I think unused rail should be
removed.  To use a metaphor, when a branch on one of my trees dies, I
cut it off instead of leaving it hanging there dead.  I wish railroads
would do the same with dead spurs and branches.
Ben Blevins
_________________________________________________________________________________
This raises a big question that has intrigued me, after I drove 1500 miles
in West Virginia, Kentucky and southwestern Virginia earlier this year,
visiting a lot of  hollows.
I can share my observations with interested persons.

It appears that NS and CSX have evolved their general policies on this, the
CSX being much more apt for some time to pick up rails, avoid the taxes and
also avoid pressures by the communities to cede the lines for tourist or
other local purposes.   I am surprised by the quickness of this action in at
least one case.   Only now do we see NS suddenly wanting to pick up
rails of a whole group of long dormant branches.

On the other hand, we find numerous cases of service being abandoned, only
to resume some years later, given that coal is an economically very unstable
product in the market.

Rather than apply a generalized formula for determining if a branch should
stay put, it seems that what prevails is a general corporate attitude which
can change from time to time.

Warren Crowther
warren at crowther.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "N&W Mailing List" <mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "N&W Mailing List" <mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 9:10 PM
Subject: A Visit to the Virginian

 > Last weekend, John Zuro and I toured the "west end" of the Virginian,
 > Princeton to Deepwater.  Two things to report.  First, we discovered that
 > the Deepwater bridge still has visible Virginian lettering on it, in four
 > places, 45 years later!  I had abandoned hope of seeing such an artifact
 > in service.
 > Second, we noticed several mine branches that are out of service,
 > disconnected from the railroad and generally not usable due to tree growth
 > etc. on the tracks.  The presence of tracks on these branches surprised
 > me.
 > In my native Massachusetts, when service is discontinued on a rail line,
 > the railroad pulls up the rails very soon thereafter.  In addition to the
 > salvage value, the reason is taxes -- disused right-of-way with rails is
 > taxed higher than disused right-of-way without rails.  Are things different
 > in West Virginia?
 >
 > Bill Mosteller
 > Falls Church, VA