Tug

[NW Mailing List]

Yes, Tug Tower was located facing the original junction with three main
tracks out front plus two "new" mains around back.  The closest main was
the original  through downtown Welch, later referred to as Welch Loop.  The
next main over was the Tug Fork eastbound, then the Tug Fork westbound with
crossovers between each main and signals everywhere.  Check out the photo
on page 206 in "Billion Dollar Coalfield."  Except for one branch track,
it's all gone.

Grant Carpenter


> Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2013

> Subject: Re: Signals

>

> Tug was on the south side of the main in the crotch of the junction, but

its 

> CTC board faced away from the main (toward the Tug Fork Branch), so the L 

> was indeed for eastbound movement.

>

> EdKing

>

> Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013

> Subject: RE: Signals

>

> Eastbound automatic signals were numbered for the nearest even tenth of a

> mile, westbounds for the nearest odd tenth.  Numbered for their control

> lever on the TC panel, powered turnouts were odd-numbered and control

> signals were even-numbered.  Eastbound control signals and their westbound

> counterparts shared the same number.  They were differentiated by the

> suffix "L" or "R" for the left or right lever position (center was stop)

> indicating the desired direction of travel on the board as well as on the

> tracks outside of the tower, at least on the Pocahontas Division.  Not all

> towers faced the same side of the main, so east and westbound control

> signals swapped the "L" and "R" along the line.  Towers at Bluestone,

> Eckman and Iaeger were on the south side, so east was to the right, thus

> their EB control signal numbers ended in "R."  "HQ" (Bluefield) and Tug

> were on the north side, so their EB control signals ended in "L" and WB

> signals in "R."  A letter suffix would further distinguish signals with

the

> same number.

>

> Grant Carpenter

>

> > Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013

>>

> > Now, back in that time period, all signals in CTC territory were

> > numbered.  The automatic (or intermediate) signals between control

> > points were numbered by milepost location generally speaking.  The

> > interlocking numbers corresponded with the number on the CTC machine

> > the dispatcher used to operate the signals.  For the end of steam,

> > that interlocking number plate should have a letter S centered under

> > the number portion of the plate.

> >[. . .]

> >

> > Ben Blevins

> > Lead Signalman

>