Shrewsbury Spur / 'PA' documents

[NW Mailing List]

Information on the Shrewsbury spur is contained in the new NWHS publication on the Bluestone Branch which will be published this summer. Info on the book is expected to be published on the NWHS website within the next three weeks.

PA No. 11196 refers to the Presential Authority that allowed the spur to be retired. The NWHS Archives has a mixture of PAs, but not a serially numbered complete set. Some are a complete packet on the PA and others are just a page in a larger book.

Some Excerpts on Shrewsbury Spur 

The 1905 Annual Report showed an increase in track mileage on the Right Fork of 0.45 miles which is assumed to be the mileage associated with the Shrewsbury Spur that provided access to the Spring Coal Mining Company, The Shrewsbury Spur, located at MP B-19.98, departed from the Right Fork at the mouth of the Shrewsbury Branch in a 16 degree compound curve on a steep 3.0 percent grade. The spur ascended through a 1 degree 30 minute curve as the rails climbed around a combination 16 degree and compound 10 degree S-curve over Bridge No. 2372. A facing point switch extending off the right hand side extended into the Spring Coal Mining Company where it expanded into four load tracks that extended under the tipple in a 12 degree curve. The tracks then continued upgrade and served to hold empty cars for loading. This tailed out in two tracks at the end of the spur...

... The Spring Mine was originally operated by the Spring Coal Mine Company which signed a siding agreement with N&W on June 1, 1904 and shipped its first coal in October 1904 ... The Spring Coal Company assigned its coal lease to the Solvay Collieries Company on July 31, 1913. 

Solvay Collieries Company
Spring Mine

Solvay Collieries Company signed a siding agreement with the N&W on September 21, 1914 to operate 5,356 feet of tipple track at MP 0+2299 of the Shrewsbury Spur of MP B20+2210 as measured from Bluestone Junction. The Spring Mine was operated under the Solvay Collieries Company name from mid-1913 into 1923 when the company name was changed to Kingston Pocahontas Coal Company. During these approximate 11 years of operation the Spring Mine produced 1,182,000 tons of coal.

Kingston Pocahontas Coal Company
Springton Mine

... produced 4,867,000 tons of coal before being shut down in 1942 after producing 5,798 tons of coal that year. The N&W retired the Shrewsbury Spur on September 2, 1942 under PA 11196.
Overall the coal lease produced 6,964,239 tons of coal from its opening in 1904 until its closing in 1942. 

Alex Schust
    
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 1:06 PM
  Subject: Shrewsbury Spur / 'PA' documents


  I'm looking for information on a short coal producing branch known as the 'Shewsbury Spur' which came off the Bluestone Extension and served the Kingston Pocahontas Coal Co.

  The January 1, 1968 Pocahontas District track chart makes reference to a 'Retired - P.A. #11196'. Is this some type of authorization for abandonment? Is there anywhere I can obtain a copy?

  Other 'P.A.'s I would be interested in (all for coal producing lines) are: 9571, 9654, 9655, 10845, 16037, 16068 and 16984. Is it possible the NWRHS archives in Roanoke has copies of these?

  Regards,

  Ron  





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