Midvale - August 19, 1969 A.D.

[NW Mailing List]

Forty years ago, Hurricane Camille began saturating Virginia.? A Shenandoah

Div. crew near Midvale encountered water over the track and stopped.? The

South River was rising.??When contacting the rear end crew to back to

higher ground, they advised that water had also risen above the tracks.

The crew was rescued by helicopter.? 



At 2:30 AM (20th), the Maury?River rose above the N&W tracks and flooded

downtown Glasgow.? Nearby Nelson County received 27" of rain in about

3 hours. Nelson County received more rain, but Rockingham County had

more flood damage.? Southern Railway's No. 47?facing strong rains stopped

south of Charlottesville.? A good thing -? the double tracked Tye River bridge

had been washed away.? Photos in local papers the 21st showed four

strands of rail stretching across the Tye River valley without support.

Wonder if Southern's signals displayed CLEAR.



Following the flood, N&W helicoptered Asst. Gen. Manager Bill Dod and

N&W's bridge "magician" - Henry Dearing, to survey the damage.?The

helicopter flew 20 stranded victims to safety.? 



In all, N&W's Shenandoah Division was flood-damaged in nine different places,

including the double track bridge north of Pkin.? By August 29, N&W had

made sufficient repairs to begin service.? Nos. 17-18-,41 and 42 were rerouted

up the Shenandoah Div. to Waynesboro, then to Charlottesville. 

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? Harry Bundy??

?
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