Virginian in 1909--Last Trestle East of Roanoke

[NW Mailing List]

This is regarding the message concerning the last trestle built east  of 
Roanoke on the Virginian.
 
In the NWHS archives, there is a book entitled, "Tentative Report Prepared  
by the Carrier's Committee Appointed to Study and Report Upon the Construction  
Cost Data of the Virginian Railway Company - 1917."  The 262 page document  
was prepared for the government. A detailed bar graph is a huge,  multi-paged 
foldout on page 74, giving dates for the start of grading,  various stages of 
progress, and final completion for the entire railroad of  that date. Last 
summer I spent two days there in the archives making a working  copy of the 
original which is in poor condition. That bound  copy should be in the outer library 
for examination.
 
The  trestle in question is shown clearly on the 1917 bar graph as  being the 
final link between Roanoke and Norfolk and it coincides with a vintage  
article in the Roanoke Times giving the date as January 5, 1909. It is over Bold  
Branch according to that article which name and location are confirmed  by 
railroad track charts as located between mileposts 216 and 217. 
 
No, it is not 35 miles east of Roanoke but only about 27 miles from the  east 
end of Roanoke yard. At about mileposts 207 and 208, the railroad crosses  
Goose Creek twice on trestles slightly over 200 feet in length. The trestle over 
 Bold Branch is 11 spans and 480 feet long, according to track charts.  
 
More research of primary sources can only help.
 
Aubrey Wiley
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