Virginian Railway Electrification/Riding the N&W Steam Clips

[NW Mailing List]

On Wed, Apr 6, 2016, at 7:13 AM, Ray wrote:

Please remind me:  why did N&W eliminate electrification on the mainline in
> WV in the 1950s and the former Virginian west of Roanoke in the early
> 1960s?   Thanks.


The short answer for the N&W is the completion of the new Elkhorn Tunnel
west of Bluefield, which went through Flat Top Mountain at a lower
elevation, easing the eastbound grade. Steam engines were also bigger and
better and could haul as much if not more tonnage on the reduced grade.

On the VGN side, it was a matter of efficiency and coverage. Eastbound coal
out of West Virginia moved on the better grades on the Virginian, with
empties and freight going west on the N&W. When electrics moved the coal to
Roanoke, they then had to be returned to Princeton, either running against
eastbound traffic or being hauled dead in tow. Any coal moving out of
Bluefield couldn't take advantage of the electrification without some sort
of extra switching around Kellysville, so again, less efficient.

In both cases, diesels were ultimately cheaper to run and maintain (vs.
having to keep up all that catenary plus aging power plants).

Bruce in Blacksburg
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20160406/85f4eb1f/attachment.html>