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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>More information and a map of the loops can be
found in Louis Newton's book-RAILS REMEMBERED VOL. 3, which may still be
available in the Commissary.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>David Lugar</FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">NW
Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org
href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">3N&W Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, May 06, 2009 9:59
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> N&W in 1909--Big Stony</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">This is a follow up to the Bluefield Daily
Telegraph articles posted April 13 and May 5 on the Mailing List about the Big
Stony RR, later the N&W's Potts Valley Branch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">The first newspaper article described the
loops near Waiteville, WV, as "...rivaling the far-famed loop of Cripple
Creek, Colo." I am attaching a portion of the USGS 1932 15"
Waiteville topo map showing the loops. Too bad we can't ride that line
today!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">You can trace the loops on Google Earth by
entering "Waiteville, WV" in the "Fly to" field. It takes a little
practice to discern it but there is a subtle difference in the trees that
reveals where the roadbed was once located. It helps to be familiar with
the course of the tracks on the topo map.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">More details about this N&W branch
can be found in John Joseph's well-researched article in the July/August 2002
issue of <EM>The Arrow</EM>. For one thing, the most recent
newspaper article stated that the branch had only two bridges, whereas
Joseph's article</FONT> <FONT face="Times New Roman">lists four
large trestles on the loops alone, with heights varying from 46' to 109' and
from lengths varying from 475' to 800'. Pity the poor reporter of 1909
trying to write an article in his office based on secondhand info gleaned from
primitive communications.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Note on the topo map at Ray there is a
peculiar railroad track that appears to go straight up Potts Mountain to the
Virginia state line. This is obviously the narrow gauge cable-operated
line described in Joseph's article. He states that the narrow gauge
tracks extended on across the mountain and down the Virginia side of the
mountain to Johns Creek Valley where narrow gauge Shay locomotives brought log
cars to the base of the incline. They were then hauled to the top by a
steam hoisting station located at the top of the mountain and then lowered to
Ray for transloading onto N&W cars there. That operation would have
been really interesting to have seen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Script size=6>Gordon Hamilton</FONT></DIV>
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