[N&W] Incident at Algren, Va.

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Sometime, probably in the late 40's, a Virginian train approached the
automatic interlocking with the SAL at Algren.  An SAL train had
already gotten the signal and was occupying the diamond when the
VGN train knifed through it.  The engineer, S. H. Kirby, told me that
he was unable to stop clear of the diamond because someone had
blocked the air on the last 10 cars in the train.  Kirby spent quite
some time in Merryview Hospital in Portsmouth. He was the
engineer that brought the last No. 3 into Roanoke.

I spent an afternoon in the Norfolk library trying to find it in the
Virginian Pilot microfiilm.  No luck.  It, for some reason, was
never investigated by the ICC.  Would you have any dates, engine
number, etc. for this incident ?
                                                                    Thanks,
                                                                     Harry 
Bundy