Pushing operation on mine runs

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Pete,

I can supply only a little information.  In the early 1970's, as I recall,
the trainmen on the Pocahontas Division had a "sick out," but the engineers
kept working.  Several of us from the office buildings (including a chemist
from the lab in Roanoke Shops) were sent to replace the missing train crews.
Four of us "instant trainmen" were assigned to a train designated BW-2, as I
recall, to take empties from Bluefield, WV, up the Bluestone Branch some 30
miles to Turkey Gap Coal Co. at Wenonah, WV.

The engineer, who was the local chairman of the BLE, was upset to learn that
he would have to operate with this "green" crew.  He complained that he
would have to shove our train of empties some four miles between the last
available wye and the mine, including across three public crossings.  He
finally calmed down, and as we rolled along he sketched out on a piece of
paper the track arrangements that we would be facing.  I recall that we
turned the entire train on the wye so that the caboose led across the public
crossings.  The caboose was then set off on a siding at the mine before we
proceeded to switch out the empties and collect the loads.

There were no radios, so the engineer called upon his experience to judge
when the leading end of the movement reached the limit of the track that he
was shoving into.  One of the "train crew" rode the lead car prepared to
open the angle cock to stop the movement if necessary.  Everything went
well, and on the return trip to Bluefield with the loads the engineer even
complimented us by saying that we had finished up sooner then the regular
train crews did sometimes.

So, this is one shove of four miles, but maybe there were longer ones
elsewhere.

Gordon Hamilton

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 4:10 PM
Subject: Pushing operation on mine runs



> Can anyone comment on the extent to which N&W & VGN used pushing

> movements to get empties to mines that lacked run-arounds?

>

> 1.  What was about the maximum distance that pushing would be used

> before a major effort would be made to find a place to build a

> run-around?

>

> 2.  Would a caboose usually lead the train?

>

> 3.  Were there any special operating techniques used to communicate

> between the loco and the head-end of the train before radios?

>

> 4.  Are "long-distance" pushing movements more common today than in

> steam days?

>

> Pete Groom

>

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