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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>February 27,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>ELIMINATES DANGER</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Novel Switch Arrangement in Use at Big Stony
Junction</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> One of the most interesting switches on the
Virginian and Norfolk and Western railways from a railroad safety point of view
is the automatic arrangement which has been installed at the junction of the
Virginian Railway and the Big Stony branch of the Norfolk and Western. The
Virginian Railway crosses this branch at Big Stony Junction and at that point
the tracks are always cleared for the Virginian. In case the Norfolk and
Western wishes to use the tracks, a switch must be thrown and to do this the
Norfolk and Western man has to enter a small house which is always kept
locked. He unlocks it and enters and the door automatically closes on him
so that he cannot open it to leave the building until he has again thrown open
the switch so that the Virginian trains have the right of way. Of course
he cannot do this until the Big Stony branch train has left the switch. As
soon as the train has gone over and the switch is again opened for the Virginian
then the door automatically opens and he can leave the building, the door of
which is again automatically locked and cannot be opened until the proper key is
again inserted in the lock. In this way there is positively no danger of a
wreck at any time, as the track is open for the Virginian at all times except
when a Norfolk and Western train is crossing.</DIV>
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<DIV align=left>[<EM>This is a strange attempt to eliminate human error, but
there is no mention of any signal to let an approaching Virginian crew know that
the crossing ahead may be blocked by the N&W train. Also, I wonder how
long it was before the automatic locking door got out of order in some
way--maybe by a human who did not like the idea of being confined on a hot
day.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>