Mullins Middle Track

[NW Mailing List]

Jim,

Pocahontas and Bluestone Branch mine runs returning east to Bluefield 
needed to set off their west coal upon reaching the main line at 
Bluestone. Flat Top Yard and Mullins Middle Track were used to store 
these loads for Elkhorn crews out of Bluefield to pick up and forward to 
Eckman and after about 1950, River crews to forward to Williamson. When 
cleared of loads, westbound Elkhorn crews would stop to set off empties 
for pick up by outbound mine runs the next day. The middle track's west 
end joined the WB main and east end joined the EB main with hand-throws 
for trailing-point moves.

So far, all I have for time frame is that it came out by the sixties 
after the decline of coal in the area, particularly westbound. A related 
item of interest in Division archives was a study to add a middle track 
for west coal at Bluestone versus expanding Flat Top Yard. The middle 
track would have minimized the reverse haul east of west coal, but the 
yard expansion was less costly and was built about August of 1926. The 
Mullins Middle Track was situated in bottom land that should have had a 
lower build cost, but was even farther east.

Grant Carpenter

On 8/3/2016 10:30 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:
> Google maps shows what appears to be remnants of a middle siding just 
> East of Falls Mills.  Anybody know what this might have been used for, 
> when it was in place, when it was removed, etc.?
> Thanks,
> Jim Cochran

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