Ball's Hole Revisited

[NW Mailing List]

According to Abram’s Radford Div Telegraph list Ball’s BA is 1.3 miles east of Elliston.

According to my calculation that places it right about at the old US Hwy 460 single-lane, eastbound overpass that was finally bypassed maybe 20 years ago (see attached).

His list also states it’s 2.4 miles east of present Singer. That puts you at the RR bridge over the Roanoke River by the old meat packing plant (see attached).

These two points are about 0.4 miles apart.  Any thoughts as to which, if either, is correct? Seems like an earlier discussion on the list placed Ball’s considerably farther east towards Singer but I can’t locate that now. Trying to figure what topography made this place so complicated/dangerous.   Thanks.

 

In steam days:

 

1.3 miles east of Elliston       https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=11387

 

2.4 miles west of Singer      https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=55482

 

John Garner

 

From: NW Mailing List [mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org] 
Sent: Friday, March 5, 2021 1:29 PM
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Ball's Hole Revisited

 

We have had a number of discussions about Ball's Hole on the Radford Division, about its location, operating through it, and its replacement as Singer. I've been cruising through issues of the Salem Sentinel in the digital newspaper archive of the Library of Virginia (https://virginiachronicle.com/). This weekly paper has news from around the region, nice neighborly info about who is visiting who and who is traveling, etc. There is an irregular column with Radford Division news and a regular column of "Balls Siding Jottings" each week. It is mostly about people but it does have occasional tidbits about the railroad, such as this one:

 

Salem Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 27, 29 August 1899, pg. 2

Balls Siding Jottings.

Mr. Johnson Fry, of Lurich, Va., is at work with a force of men building road-bed in “Ball’s Hole.” After he completes this, a force of men will pull the track and raise the elevation, which will be a great improvement on the present track, as “Ball’s Hole” has a wide reputation as being one of the most dangerous places on the N. & W. system.

 So this helps nail down a little bit more about that "dip" in the railroad and an effort to try to improve it.

 

Bruce in Blacksburg

 

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