Fwd: New River Extension
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Wed Dec 8 19:02:14 EST 2004
The line to "Snowville" never got more than a few hundread yards from the
mouth of the LIttle River to a place named Miles Landing. Sometimes this
line was referred to as "Miles Branch" but was officially the Radford
Branch. The Radford Branch was constructed by the Radford Southern Compnay
and was to possibly go to Floyd County. Construction began in 1903 and was
completed in 1905 to Miles Landing. It never went further. The line was
abandoned in part and scrapped in 1981.
Bud Jeffries
----- Original Message -----
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "N&W Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Cc: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 11:33 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: New River Extension
> The community of New River is on the west side of the bridge
> crossing the New River just south of downtown Radford (and
> just south of present day Fairlawn). There used to be a
> large (at the turn of the 20th century) hotel in New River.
> The community of New River is mostly along the Bristol Line
> between the New River and Morgan's Cut were the Bristol Line
> climbs up out of the New River Valley towards Dublin.
>
> The following picture from the VT (GO HOKIES!) archives
> illustrates all of this very well. The image can be found at
> http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/F1/NS3722.JPG
> The picture was taken from the Radford side of the New River
> and apparently dates from 1886. The train is on the curved
> bridge of the New River extension. The track just left of the
> steam engine is the Bristol Line. The nearest track is the spur
> from Radford to Snowville (which followed the New River and then
> the Little River). The community of New River can be seen to the
> left of the bridges on the far side of the New River.
>
> If I remember my history correctly the Snowville spur (as well as
> the Bristol Line) were built by the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and
> completed in 1856. The New River extension was built by the
> N&W between 1881 and 1883.
>
> Back Creek does indeed empty into the New River from the west near
> the community of Belspring. Belsping is on the west side of the
> New River. The New River extension stayed along the west bank
> of the New River from the community of New River to Belspring
> and beyond. The new line follows the east side of the New River
> from the Walton area to the ammunitions plant where it crosses the New
> River around Belspring.
>
> Toney Minter
>
> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org said:
>> C * O * R * R *E * C * T * I * O * N
>>
>> It has been called to my attention that the former name of Radford was
> Central Depot instead of New River Depot as I stated in my original
> message
> (actually, I knew this, but just slipped up). Also, a later message by
> Bud
> Jeffries indicates that Back Creek is near Belspring instead of being the
> former name as I speculated (early documents indicate that the name
> Belspring
> antedates the New River Connecting Branch).
>>
>> This begs the question, where were New River Depot and Back Creek
>> located.
> Perusal of mileage given in old timetables, station lists, etc., indicates
> that New River Depot appears to have been on the opposite (west) side of
> the
> river from Radford. This is reinforced by a 1950 USGS topographic map
> which
> identifies a community at the west end of the N&W bridge as, "New River."
> Was
> the New River Depot indeed across the river from Radford?
>>
>> The same map shows a Back Creek crossing under the N&W one-half mile west
>> of
> Belspring. Based on that, it appears that the short-lived junction
> between
> the new line and the west end of the old line may have been located
> there.
>>
>> Comments anyone?
>>
>> Gordon Hamilton
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gordon Hamilton" <gordonshamilton at cox.net>
>> To: "N&W Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 6:56 AM
>> Subject: Re: New River Extension
>>
>>
>> > Ron,
>> >
>> > The 1901 annual report states, "New River Connecting Branch: This line
> was
>> > opened for traffic Oct. 11, 1900. The Company has accepted an Act of
>> the
> General Assembly of Virginia, approved February 15, 1901, authorizing the
> abandonment of the old high-grade line between New River Depot and Back
> Creek,
> in Pulaski County."
>> >
>> > I imagine that the line was abandoned soon after permission was given.
> It
>> > is interesting that the General Assembly, rather that some agency,
> handled
>> > such matters in 1901.
>> >
>> > Of course, New River Depot was the old name for present-day Radford,
>> and
> apparently Back Creek was the old name for present-day Belspring.
>> >
>> > Gordon Hamilton
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> > To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> > Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 10:35 PM
>> > Subject: New River Extension
>> >
>> >
>> > > Does anyone know when the old New River Extension between New River,
>> VA
> (Radford) and Belspring, VA was taken out of service? This would be
>> after
>> > > the construction of the low grade route through Pepper Tunnel in
>> 1900.
> Today Belspring Road (SR 600) follows this former N&W grade between
> Fairlawn
> and Belspring.
>> > >
>> > > Thanks,
>> > > Ron Davis
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > ________________________________________
>> > > NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
>> > > http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
>> >
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
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>
>
> --
> Toney Minter E-mail:tminter at nrao.edu
> NRAO - Green Bank Phone: +1 304 456 2275
> 1 Observatory Road Fax: +1 304 456 2170
> PO Box 2 WWW: www.gb.nrao.edu/~tminter
> Green Bank WV 24944
>
>
>
>
>
>
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