Help unravel mystery on river bottom

[NW Mailing List]

On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 4:56 PM, Roger wrote:


> From Roanoke Times:

>

> Help unravel mystery on river bottom

>

> This summer, a technical crew mapped the floor of the New River near

> Interstate 81 in preparation for bridge work. While gathering contours

> needed to design new bridges, the crew saw evidence of a submerged object

> believed to be a train car.

>

> So how did a train car end up on the river bottom? How long has it been

> there? What railroad was involved? Where are the tracks?

>

> If you have facts that might lead to some answers, please contact reporter

> Jeff Sturgeon at (540) 381-1661 or jeff.sturgeon at roanoke.com.

>

>

>> http://blogs.roanoke.com/theburgs/2011/10/03/help-unravel-mystery-on-river-bottom/

>>

>

> --------------------------

>

>  Well this is most likely a N&W car from the branch line from Radford. Was

> used in construction of the Claytor Lake Dam. Branch originally built for

> some grand plan going somewhere I can't remember. Any ideas on the car in

> the river, if it is a railroad car??

>


Had to dig deep into the memory going back to days as a reporter with the
Radford News Journal (late '70s) when I was digging around in various files
and archives and remembered running across mention of the "Radford and
Willis Southern Railway" in various places. I don't remember if that is the
actual Radford Branch line that started at JC where the Bristol line crosses
the New River. The railroad did exist, since there is are two photographs
published in "The Radford Record Album"* in 1915.

The record for the photo of the workers mentions the "Radford Southern
Railroad and Mining Company," which I found listed in my 1998 publication of
"Manuscript Sources for Railroad History Research in the Special Collections
Department of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech." The records for
the corporation were part of the N&W archives and covered a period from
1899-1911. "Chartered in Virginia (1898) for the purpose of constructing a
railroad from Radford, Virginia, to a point in Patrick County, Virginia, and
developing timber and mineral lands in the area. Controlled by the Norfolk
and Western Railway after 1903; dissolved in 1912. Records include
stockholders' and directors' minutes (1899-1911, 1 vol.)."

So on to the branch. The line from JC served Lynchburg Foundary and went out
through the West End of Radford and somewhat along the New River to the
Little River. If one pans the Google map view a little bit, the piers are
still there for the trestle across the Little River (bridge 1728, 94 feet).
The Radford Branch (on my 70's-vintage track chart) ended right at the
trestle, at MP 4.17. The tracks continued across the trestle to serve the
Radford Limestone Co. and A. P. Co. (Appalachian Power) at Claytor Dam.

Going to the full catalog of the Library of Virginia and searching on
"Claytor Dam" turns up 28 images, 10 of which pertain to the construction of
the dam in the 1930s. Unfortunately, the images don't display so I can't
verify what I remember seeing, a trestle across the river not far below the
dam construction. The Virginia Tech archives does have some images,
including one construction photo (
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/localhistory/full/lh358.jpeg) but it
doesn't give the same downstream view I remember.

If indeed the item in the river is a railroad car, it traveled some distance
from any location where it might have started its trip. If it dropped off
the trestle over the Little River or off a construction trestle across the
New River, it took a heavy volume of water to move that car down the river
several hundred feet. Going to the National Weather Service and poking
around gets one to the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page, where
one can look at the data from the various river gauges around the area.
Clicking on the one for Radford turns up this tidbit, that the highest
Historical Crest was 35.96 ft on 08/14/1940. The next closest in the way of
historical floods (based on when the Radford Branch was in service) are
18.64 ft on 10/01/1959
17.00 ft on 09/18/1945
16.86 ft on 12/08/1950
15.33 ft on 04/06/1957
13.95 ft on 05/12/1961

So there are potential times when something could have been swept into the
river. It will take a little more time to do the research to determine if
anyone (N&W or Radford Limestone) had some rolling stock go missing.

Bruce in Blacksburg

-------------------------

Supporting Details: The Radford and Willis photos were found via a Google
search that led to here:
http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas86&local_base=clas86


URL (Click on link)
http://image.lva.virginia.gov/VDLP/Radford/images/68a.j
Title A force at work on the Radford-Willis Southern Railway
Publication Not after 1915.
Material 1 photographic print : b&w.
Gen. note Title from caption.
Gen. note Photograph published in: Radford record album. Radford,
Gen. note Radford record album is part of the collection at the R
Format Computer file. Richmond, Va. : Library of Virginia, 199
Subject - Corporate Radford Southern Railroad and Mining Company -- Photogr
Subject - Corporate Radford Southern Railroad and Mining Company -- People
Subject - Topical Men. -- Virginia -- Radford -- Photographic prints.
Subject -Geographic Radford (Va.) -- Photographs.
Genre/Form Photographic prints -- Virginia -- Radford.
Added Entry Radford Public Library (Radford, Va.)
Added Title Radford record album.
System Number 001132137
__________________

URL (Click on link) http://image.lva.virginia.gov/VDLP/Radford/images/68d.j
Title Judge Robt. Gardner, 2nd Vice-President, Radford-Willis
Other Title Judge Robert Gardner, Second Vice-President, Radford-Wi
Publication Not after 1915.
Material 1 photographic print : b&w.
Gen. note Title from caption.
Gen. note Photograph published in: Radford record album. Radford,
Gen. note Radford record album is part of the collection at the R
Format Computer file. Richmond, Va. : Library of Virginia, 199
Subject - Personal Gardner, Robert -- Portraits.
Subject - Topical Men. -- Virginia -- Radford -- Portraits.
Subject - Topical Judges. -- Virginia -- Radford -- Portraits.
Subject -Geographic Radford (Va.) -- Photographs.
Genre/Form Photographic prints -- Virginia -- Radford.
Genre/Form Portraits -- Virginia -- Radford.
Added Entry Radford Public Library (Radford, Va.)
Added Title Radford record album.
System Number 001132140

---------------------------------------

*A personal inscription opens the Radford Record Album, a book of
photographs Wise Worrell, editor of the Radford Record, collected and
presented to Dr. McConnell, then president of Radford State Normal School:
"To Dr. J. P. McConnell/ With Compliments of Wise Worrell/ Dec. 15, 1915".


In his introduction to the album, Worrell states, "(w)ritten descriptions of
cities, towns, and localities are numerous and frequent, but photographic
narratives, embracing the people, places. . . and activities of a community
are rare in comparison." The 1915 publication of the Radford Record Album
captures three years of life in this small community.

Photos of local dignitaries such as Dr. McConnell, Dr. J. A. Noblin, Health
Officer, and Hon. J. Hoge Tyler, ex-governor of Virginia, appear here, as
well as the first faculty group of Radford State Normal School (now Radford
University).

Scenes of the New River and Radford in the distance lend a sleepy air to
this collection of photographs. Graduates of the State Normal School,
literary societies, workers posing in front of Radford Willis Southern
Railway--all offer rare glimpses into the lives of Radford's citizens before
the first World War. Momentos of people and places in the past exist, if
only for a short time, in our thoughts. The Radford Public Library holds
this photo album in trust.

The online collection consists of 228 photographs. From
http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/opac/radfordabout.htm
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