Radford bridge

[NW Mailing List]

Sure is nice to get all this expert info on the old ROW. Must have been a typo in the "Class J" book photo caption on page 5. It said 1887, but it's an excellent photo of the curved bridge.
 
And it is (was?) Northside Flower Shop where the old ROW (Rt. 600) meets Rt 11 there Charlie. (Also, it was Carl Long whose name I was trying to remember.)
 
And Bruce's GIS photo 
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The better view is via the Pulaski County GIS site, with the aerial photolayer turned on.See http://www.netgis.pulaskicountyva.gov/pulaski/index.php You can zoom inevencloser with better resolution, to the point where you can check out thewestbound trainwith empties. With the view zoomed in to where the scale reads 1320, it iseasy to seeCrosstie Lane in Parrott. There is an interesting triangle in the propertylines there, whichseems to indicate where the original line came off the river. I've posted aPDF of theview on my website, seehttp://filebox.vt.edu/users/bharper/nwrwy/OldMainLine2.pdf Bruce in Blacksburg-------
shows where the old ROW meets the "new" cutoff to Walton all right. Just off the bottom edge of the 
pdf file photo is Back Creek, just like Bud said.
 
Now, I just wonder if anyone knows how "Schooler Hill" got it's name...? Old family name maybe?
 
 
Thanks for all the info, gentlemen.
Vince Albert.
 

> Message: 1> Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 12:41:54 -0400 (GMT-04:00)> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> Subject: Re: Radford bridge> > Thanks, Bud, for the additional info. I knew you would have it! Was I right, or close, concerning the flower shop?> Charlie Long> > -----Original Message-----> >From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> >Sent: Jun 2, 2008 11:55 PM> >To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> >Subject: Re: Radford bridge> >> >This reply probably addresses a couple of mailing list items.> >> >In the early 1880s, a line began at the west side of the New River that would extend to open up the Pocahontas coalfields. The first load of coal was dispatched in March 1883 eastward to Norfolk. Trains leaving Radford for coalfields proceeded westward across the New River bridge on the Bristol line [at the present site], then would reverse direction to proceed to Bluefield. The shelf visible today near the west side of the bridge is where this line began. The eastbound trains from Bluefield had to reverse direction to continue east toward Radford and beyond. Obviously this was a very awkward and expensive way to send and receive trains over the New River line.> >> >In 1888, a new curved bridge was completed, next to the Bristol line bridge. The curved bridge created a wye. Trains leaving Radford for the Pocahontas region could now proceed across the new bridge without having to reverse direction that was previously required. The line followed the current road now known as Hazel Hollow Road to the highway bridge then curved to the left following a side of the draw to a point that today is Route 600 or Belspring Road. As a boy I remember the old highway followed the old RR road bed until the new four-lane road was completed in 1949 when a new highway bridge was built connecting Radford and Fairlawn. The original road bed continued upgrade to about where the golf driving range is today and this "hill" was known as Schooler Hill. The line then descended down to Belspring in the vicinity of Back Creek where it progressed westward along the New River like today.> >> >The hill was a real operational challenge since it rose 78 feet per mile eastbound and 86 feet per mile westbound and was about 11 miles in length. To reduce grade and reduce operating expenses, the new N&W Ry began building a new low-grade line from what is now known as Walton to Belspring. The new line reduced grades to 11 feet per mile eastbound and curves from 14 to six degrees, and was shorter by 4.3 miles. It went into service on October 11, 1900 and the Va. General Assembly authorized the N&W to abandoned the old line on February 15, 1901.> >> >In the archives there is a folder of correspondence about the disposition of the old New River curved bridge. I do not have copies of this file but most of it was dated about 1904-5 and I believe in 1905 there is a document about a portion of the old bridge being used on the Galax line which Robb Fisher referenced below. I do not have any information about when the line was stopped being used but railroads, the N&W not being excepted, tend to get rid of something when approved for abandonment, especially something as costly as using the Schooler Hill line.> >> >The N&W said that savings for using the new line was greater than the interest to pay for the new construction which included the 3500+ foot Pepper Tunnel and a bridge across the New River at the tunnel. The line was certainly out by 1907 and the Jamestown Exposition.> >> >Bud Jeffries> >> >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> >To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>> >Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 3:15 AM> >Subject: RE: Radford bridge> >> >> >> > >>> [Does anyone know when this wye track and the second bridge were fully> >>> abandoned?> >>> Was everything taken out of service with the completion of the Walton/Cowan> >>> line? Or> >>> was this piece kept in service for a while, which could explain how the> >>> Exposition> >>> specials served Radford -- run forward from Walton to Radford, cross the> >>> river and> >>> turn on the New River wye, then run forward back through Radford and on out> >>> of town.]> >>> Bruce in Blacksburg> >> > >> > >> > >> Bridge 802 (IIRC) was completely abandoned before 1908... it was reused on the North Carolina branch (where it crossed over US 52).> >> > >> Robb Fisher> >> RFDI> >> 

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