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<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">David,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Thank you for covering my oversight. I
was talking with Louis at Archives today about his account of the Potts Valley
branch and I realized that I should have mentioned it here.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Louis' Vol. 3 is available at:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://www.nwhs.org/commissary/Books-Others.html">http://www.nwhs.org/commissary/Books-Others.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">about half way down the screen, Catalog
No. <FONT size=2><FONT
color=#707070>SKU# <STRONG>138.25</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Gordon Hamilton</FONT></DIV>
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<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">NW Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 07, 2009 8:43
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: N&W in 1909--Big
Stony</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<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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<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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