Virginian in 1909--Last Trestle East of Roanoke

[NW Mailing List]

Gordon & Aubrey,

I guess I would tend to believe the valuation report over the newspaper.

That being said, I am curious to know where the mention of the 684' came from. The only 684' bridge is located at MP 204.9, over the Staunton River, 38 miles east of Roanoke. Incidentally, that is the only bridge mentioned that is east of Leesville, as the article stated.

Happy researching in the New Year!

Jeff Sanders


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 10:26 PM
  Subject: Virginian in 1909--Last Trestle East of Roanoke


  This is regarding the message concerning the last trestle built east of Roanoke on the Virginian.

  In the NWHS archives, there is a book entitled, "Tentative Report Prepared by the Carrier's Committee Appointed to Study and Report Upon the Construction Cost Data of the Virginian Railway Company - 1917."  The 262 page document was prepared for the government. A detailed bar graph is a huge, multi-paged foldout on page 74, giving dates for the start of grading, various stages of progress, and final completion for the entire railroad of that date. Last summer I spent two days there in the archives making a working copy of the original which is in poor condition. That bound copy should be in the outer library for examination.

  The  trestle in question is shown clearly on the 1917 bar graph as being the final link between Roanoke and Norfolk and it coincides with a vintage article in the Roanoke Times giving the date as January 5, 1909. It is over Bold Branch according to that article which name and location are confirmed by railroad track charts as located between mileposts 216 and 217. 

  No, it is not 35 miles east of Roanoke but only about 27 miles from the east end of Roanoke yard. At about mileposts 207 and 208, the railroad crosses Goose Creek twice on trestles slightly over 200 feet in length. The trestle over Bold Branch is 11 spans and 480 feet long, according to track charts.  

  More research of primary sources can only help.

  Aubrey Wiley





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