Shenandoah Division roadway relocations

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 10:23:11 EDT
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Re: ... Shenandoah Valley Railroad

Frank,

I can't speak for the north end, or even positively
for the south end, but several line changes seem to
apparent. The one that I do know positively 
was the curve going into "Concrete", now MP 120.2 or
so. I was told this was done due to sinking roadbed.
It sure took out a nice high speed curve!

I've been told that the line crossed Rt.250 at grade
in Waynesboro (Basic). Another possible relocation
looks to be just south of Greenville (Cold Spring)
going south up grade.

Jimmy Lisle


June 19, 2005

Hello, Jimmy:

Thanks for the information.  There is some curious
information I've come across recently that prompted my
original question about right-of-way locations.  A
booklet published by the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in
an unspecified year between 1880 and 1889 stated that
as one is heading south on a train, at Boyce the
"Saratoga" mansion is visible on the right side of the
train.

I thought this might have been an error, but then came
across a map of Shenandoah Valley railroads and the
location of iron ore deposits in relation to these
routes.  It is labeled as drawn in 1880, just around
the time the upper reaches of the Shenandoah Valley
Railroad were operational.  It shows "Boyceville" on
the map, with the line slightly to the east of
"Saratoga" --in other words, visible on the right side
of a train heading South.

The route would have traversed an open field about
1/4-mile east of the present alignment to satisfy
these two early 1880s historical references.  However,
a 2005 visual inspection doesn't show evidence of
railroad grading in that area.  I would expect that
any significant relocation would be discussed in an
annual report, but I'm missing SV RR reports 1 and 2
that cover 1881 and 1882.

Boyce wasn't incorporated until 1910.  "Boyceville"
was wherever Millwood Pike (the present Virginia Route
723) intersected the railroad.  It could be the name
change from Boyceville to Boyce was prompted by more
than just the railroad's desire to not have
"Boyceville" and "Berryville" town names just six
miles apart because of possible train order
mis-readings.

Happy Father's Day to Father Time,

Frank