The Not-So-Great Train Robbery (Attempt)

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I've been researching and collecting data on the "Better Farming Special"
trains that operated for several years after the turn of the last centry.
Several were a joint project between the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
the Norfolk & Western Railway. Others were run by the state Department of
Agriculture and Immigration and operated over the Southern and C&O across
Virginia. One of the resources I found was through the Library of Virginia,
where it has been working to digitize its extensive collection of
newspapers from Virginia and West Virginia. The database can be searched by
keyword and narrowed down by dates or publications. I've had some luck at
finding information about the trains, including an extensive story in the
Richmond Times Dispatch after the first trip. I've also run across small
gems like this one that was published in Tazewell about an incident near
Wytheville.

Bruce in Blacksburg
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Tazewell Republican, Volume 17, Number 52, 24 December 1908

TOOK SPIKES FROM RAIL.
Three Successive Attempts to Derail Train Near Wythevllle.

Wytheville, Va., Dec. 19.--An attempt was made Thursday to wreck passenger
train No. 42 on the Norfolk and Western about a mile and a half west of
Wytheville by placing ties on the track and taking spikes from some of the
rails. The ties were struck and shivered, but fortunately the engine was
not thrown from the track, and cleared the obstruction for the train.
Sheriff Brown was called on, and responded with his bloodhounds. The trail
was struck at once and followed without stop or hindrance for eight miles,
when for some unknown cause there was a break and the trail was not
recovered.

Brown is very reticent about it, and further developments may be expected.
This is the third attempt to wreck trains in the neighborhood within three
past successive nights. Wednesday night the mail bag was stolen from the
rack where it had been placed at Crockett's Depot, a few miles from the
scene of the attempted wreck, to be taken up by No. 42. The next day the
remains of the bag were found, it having been burnt, and again Sheriff
Brown took his dogs up, and after an eighteen hour trail landed his quarry
Thursday in the person of Harman Brown, who lives near Crockett Brown is
now in jail.
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