Helpers: Roanoke to Christiansburg

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

At 5:58 PM -0400 10/12/06, Ed King wrote:

>Abram -

> 

>When did they "Cure" the problem at Ball's Hole, and how?  Did they fill in, or relocate the railroad?

> 

>EdKing

>

>Writeth Jeff Hawkins:

> 

> >>

>It is interesting to know that helpers were even used east of Elliston since the westbound grade really doesn't start until that point.

><<

> 

>They wouldn't have needed helpers at all, had it not been for Ball's Hole west of Singer.

> 

>-- abram burnett

>


Didn't know the name of the place/grade/whatever, but there is still a dip and climb west of Singer.  Per my track charts, the grade at the crossovers at Singer is flat, then it goes down at 0.70% while the track is making a series of short 4-degree right curves (4.0, 4.0, 4.4, 4.7.4.5, all with elevations of 3.00 or 3.50). The grade eases to -0.50 while going through a 2.5-degree left curve ending at MP 274.  There is a short tangent dropping at -0.29, then a short section in a 3-degree righthand curve. At about MP 274.5, the grade changes to climb 0.70 percent, then changes to 1.20 percent, all while the track is in a long 2-degree lefthand curve (the Roanoke/Montgomery County line is in the middle of this). This is the curve that runs behind Wilson's Restaurant (that burned-out building on the left just after crossing the Roanoke River on U.S. 11/460).  There is a section of tangent where Cove Hollow Road and the quarry road cross the tracks, with a break in the grade to +0.78. The grade flattens around the quarry crossing, climbs again (at +1.34 then +1.10) before dropping and flattening as the line curves through "East Elliston" before reaching Elliston proper.

"Back in the day" we (the Blacksburg bunch who ran around this area) always heard the section behind Wilson's referred to "Tyarts Hill" or "Tyart Hill" (spelled phonetically). Someone explained was a corruption of "Tie Yard" due to a tie yard being located there or near there, although that was never confirmed.

There was also an eastbound "automatic" signal just east of the Cove Road crossing, but the function of that signal was never clearly explained by some of the N&W types we talked to.  The assumption was that it gave some advance warning of the status of the signal at Singer so an engineer could react accordingly with that eastbound downgrade, then climb to Singer There was a "companion" westbound signal, and Inspect Train signals, at about MP 274.3, but these were removed when the blocks and signals through there were upgraded in the '80s.

See the late-'70s chart pages at http://filebox.vt.edu/users/bharper/nwrwy/RadfordN2.pdf and http://filebox.vt.edu/users/bharper/nwrwy/RadfordN3.pdf.


-- 
Bruce in Blacksburg         === In the heart of N&W territory. ===

Bruce B. Harper                              (540)231-4360
University Relations/Web Communications  bharper at vt.edu
Virginia Tech        Blacksburg, Virginia  26060
See N&W WWW Page at http://filebox.vt.edu/users/bharper/nwrwy/