N&W in 1903 -- Narrows Branch

[NW Mailing List]

Quoting NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>:

It seems thee were more than one of the former Ry bridges still in use in the
60's.  We would ride our bikes to Rocky Gap from Narrows pretty 
regularly.  The
road on the former Ry right-of-way made for minimal effort with its 
virtual lack
of grades.  Several of us got our Boy Scout Bicycling Merit Badges riding back
and forth from Narrows to Rocky Gap. 

Ed Painter - Narrows, VA (Currently Russellville, AR)


>>   *

>   *

>

>   This road crossed Wolf creek in my Grandmother’s (Honaker)

> front field, in Rocky Gap Va.  The thru truss bridge carried the Rt. 

> 61 road to Narrows until it was rebuilt in the 90’s.  I’m

> not sure if the bridge is still standing, I’ll have to jump off

> I77 at Rocky Gap next time I’m up that way to check. 

>

>   R.D. Williams

>

> -------------------------

>

>   FROM: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org

> [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] ON BEHALF OF NW Mailing

> List

> SENT: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 11:44 AM

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> SUBJECT: N&W in 1903 -- Narrows Branch

>

>   SURVEYING FOR RAILROAD UP WOLF CREEK

>

>                                                       ------

>

>       Capt. W. L. Umberger [__?? blurred; best estimate__], the civil

> engineer in charge of the surveyors at work on Wolf Creek, running a

> line up that watercourse from Narrows to Saltville was in the city

> yesterday.  He said the construction of the road is practically

> assured.  This road will open up a section of Virginia rich in

> material resources.  In the territory there are many thousands of

> acres of fine timber, much of it hardwood, iron ore and coal and

> other minerals are found in large quantities. 

>

>   Bluefield Daily Telegraph

>

>   May 21, 1903

>

>   [__This line was built as the standard-gauge New River, Holston and

> Western Railroad Co., and it had been extended in stages  from its

> connection with the N&W at Narrows, VA, to Rocky Gap, VA, 20.6 miles,

> when the N&W acquired the company in December 1912.  But, it continued

> to operate as the NRH&W, and was extended 14 miles to Suiter, VA. in

> 1914.  A 1915 schedule shows a passenger train each way the full

> length of the line.  On June 1, 1919, the NRH&W became the N&W's

> Narrows Branch, but it never reached Saltville.  In 1942 the 4.13

> miles between Suiter and Bastian was abandoned, and in 1946 the

> remainder of the branch was abandoned.  I remember reading long ago

> that the principal argument of the protesters at the abandonment

> hearing was that the abandonment of the railroad would deprive the

> local governments of the tax revenue from the railroad that was

> needed to pay for the paved road that put the railroad out of

> business! __]

>

>   Gordon Hamilton