Midvale - August 19, 1969 A.D.

[NW Mailing List]

I have heard from the Southern guys that the signals did read clear.
 
Richard D. Shell
Troutville, VA
 
 
In a message dated 8/19/2009 11:45:12 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:




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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