VGN Passing track west of Merrimac

[NW Mailing List]

On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 7:44 PM, Grant wrote:


> Hey, Bruce.  Nashville's nice, but I miss the old Radford and Pokey.  Trips

> to Bluefield and the Rev. Nichols here in town help keep me grounded.

>

> I seem to recall an unusual signal WB at Merrimac that would normally be an

> automatic, but was control (?).  After cutting off in the tunnel, the

> pusher would get a light to start back down the hill or stop and get in the

> hole at Shelby.  I also recall a short siding at Pepper there on the fill

> above the old Price's Fork Rd underpass.  Guess that's gone, too.

>


There was a "pusher control" signal, as it was marked on the one track
chart I've got, right near where the creek runs under the track not far
from where the Huckleberry crosses the line. According to Rule 118 in
Timetable No. 1 for the Radford Division (effective Sunday, March 1, 1981)

"For the use of westward pusher engines, an indicator located on the north
side of the track west of Merrimac Tunnel at MP V-278.2 will display a
lunar white light when the westward home signal at the west end of Shelby
displays a proceed indication.

Pushers, after cutting off from eastward trains, must obtain the lunar
light for a westward movement.

If the indicator is dark, westward pushers will not proceed beyond it
without first obtaining permission from the dispatcher."

The house track at Pepper is still there, the MOW folks still use it when
they are working on the grade.

John G. asked me about that "VGN" CF cab on Greasy Ridge and went looking,

but never found it.  Any word on it?

>


 Joe went looking for it, too, but it was long gone. I don't know when it
went away or where it went. I'm sure I've got the emails archived
somewhere, but I believe it was Ken Miller who determined that the paint
job was authentic, but the caboose wasn't an actual VGN caboose, based on
some spotting features. I'll have to try to find those messages if I can.
Right now I'm about to wrap up and post scans of aerial photos from the VT
library from 1937 and 1953 that show the Catawba Branch.

Bruce in Blacksburg
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