N&W in 1911--Pumping station

[NW Mailing List]

On Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 10:43 PM, Dave wrote:


>  Gordon:

>

> I lived in Bluefield VA 1947-1953, and the station was not in the location

> shown on the drawing you attached.  It was definitely between the main line

> and the Clinch Valley line.  It could not have been where the drawing shows

> because by then Virginia Avenue was in place approximately where the dashed

> lines are in the drawing.  The picture I remember also shows the

> little-known electrification of the Clinch Valley line as far as Tip Top.

>

> I'll keep digging.  Maybe the N&WHS archives or the Virginia Tech

> collection will show something.

>


There are several images in the VT collection, which have the usual scant
details about the images.

One is http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns227.jpeg and
I found it by just searching on "Graham" in the imagebase. It has a
handwritten note on the edge stating "Bluefield, Va." and is labeled on the
image as "3588 - N - 3660 - Graham Station." It isn't the sharpest image,
but I could enlarge it enough to see that the signboard does read "Graham"
on the platform. The station building is in the distance, but appears to be
wood.

Another is http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns229.jpegfound
by searching on "Bluefield" in the imagebase. It too is noted as
"Bluefield, Va." on the edge, but is just labeled as "698." This station is
brick, fills the picture, and has "Bluefield, Va" on the station sign.

The Virginia Tech Library also has access to the digital Sanborn maps for
Virginia, so I was able to check out the 1930 and 1938 editions for
Bluefield (the only ones they have available). Both show the station on the
south side of the tracks, next to Virginia Avenue, with a "N&W Ry. Rep.
Shop" inside the wye, along with a small storage building. The 1938 map also
shows Virginia Ave. jogging under two steel bridges at the Virginia Hotel to
go under the Clinch Valley line and the third leg single track of the wye,
then jogging again to go between the bulk plants of the Gulf Oil Corp'n. on
the right (as one heads west) and the Pure Oil Co. on the left before
eventually crossing the Bluestone River. On the 1930 map, these two
businesses didn't exist, but the Thompson Coal Co. was just west of the
location of the Pure Oil location along the Clinch Valley line (both had a
siding into their operations).

Bruce in Blacksburg
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