: N&W in 1911 - Pumping station

[NW Mailing List]

According to my notebook sketches, in 1955 the passenger station at 
Bluefield, Va., was on the SOUTH side of the Clinch Valley District main 
line.  A double-connected 12- car siding was on the north side of the Clinch 
Valley main in that area.  A 6-car spur led off the siding to the east serve 
a Gulf Oil Co. facility.  This spur might have been the remnant of one leg 
of a wye that had connected the CV with the Pocahontas District.  A 2-car 
spur led off the siding to the west to serve a Pure Oil Co. facility.

Just west of the passenger station Bridge #1300 carried the CV District main 
line and the 12-car siding mentioned above over US #19 and #460.  Another 
bridge on the 6-car Gulf Oil track also crossed over   US #19 and #460.

On the Pocahontas District main line, a short distance west of the CV 
junction switch, a spur track led to the east to serve 3 small industries. 
Just west of the switch to this track was Bridge #833 over Bluestone River. 
Just west of the bridge on the south side of the main tracks was a pumping 
station.

A Clinch Valley District track chart revised as of July 1, 1961, shows a 
"station" on the south side of the Clinch Valley District main line just 
west of the junction with the Pocahontas District.

Some photos indicate that the electrification might have extended on the CV 
District to the vicinity of the east end of Furnace passing siding.  To my 
knowledge, it never extended to Tip Top.

Louis Newton
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>   1. Re: N&W in 1911--Another five items (NW Mailing List)

>   2. Re: N&W in 1911--Pumping station (NW Mailing List)

>   3. Re: N&W in 1911--Pumping station (NW Mailing List)

>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> Message: 1

> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:35:16 -0500

> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Subject: Re: N&W in 1911--Another five items

> To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Message-ID: <246C51474F064B5B84601C2A3FB0CDA7 at DHKYT081>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

> Gordon,

>

> Many immigrants came to America to work and make enough money to go back 

> home to buy property.

>

> I had one cousin who came to America four times between 1900 and 1910 and 

> worked in the factories in Detroit. He returned to Belarus each time with 

> enough money to buy more land, build a factory, and a brick house. 

> Unforunately he lost of his land in the Russian revolution to the "state," 

> but his decendents still live in the house he built.

>

> My grandfather's brother came to America, made money and went back to 

> Belarus.

>

> I know of a number of people who worked in the coalfields who went back to 

> their native country. There would probably have been more if they were not 

> stopped by World War I.

>

> Many of the men who immigrated to America were not seeking a new land, 

> they were seeking money to go back and have a better life in their native 

> country. Many came without their families. My great uncle came over in 

> 1913, but he wasn't able to bring his wife over until 1923 (after World 

> War I and the Russian Revolution.)

>

> Alex Schust

>

>  ----- Original Message ----- 

>  From: NW Mailing List

>  To: 3N&W Mailing List

>  Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 8:52 AM

>  Subject: N&W in 1911--Another five items

>

>

>  Bluefield Daily Telegraph

>  June 25, 1911

>

>  IN CITY AND COALFIELD

>  ------

>  Quiet Payday Night

>      Last night was probably one of the most quiet payday nights ever 

> known in Bluefield.  The streets were packed with shoppers, but there was 

> very little disorder.  In his rounds, up to an early hour this morning, 

> the Telegraph reporter did not see a single drunk upon the streets.

>  ------

>  Fingers Badly Hurt

>      C. H. Lawson, a well known brakeman on the Norfolk and Western, 

> suffered severe injury to several of his fingers yesterday by having them 

> caught between some large lumps of coal.  The nail of one of the fingers 

> was torn off.

>  ------

>  Received Serious Burns

>      Orrin Dawson while at work at the shops yesterday was severely burned 

> on the face and hands.  He was attending a fire and when the draft was 

> turned on the flames flashed over him.

>  ------

>  Trains Crowded Yesterday

>      The trains coming and going throughout the coalfields were crowded 

> yesterday, and especially last night, the occasion being payday and the 

> attendant festivities.

>  ------

>  Miners Are Scarce

>      There is a scarcity of miners in the field, due to the exodus of 

> foreigners who are going back to their native countries [I wonder why?]

>  ------

>  Gordon Hamilton

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

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> Message: 2

> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:54:11 EST

> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Subject: Re: N&W in 1911--Pumping station

> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

> Message-ID: <17c0c1.27bb1885.3a8ad453 at aol.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>

> Wow.  The documentation, so far, says that in spite of my extremely 

> strong

> memory to the contrary the station was south of the Clinch Valley  track.

> How I'm remembering it wrong is beyond me; at least Jim remembers  it like 

> I

> do, so I'm in good company!

>

> I will keep looking for the photo I remember that would show it where I

> remember it.  I don't think it's the ns229 photograph.  I can't image 

> moving

> a brick station, which might conceivably have happened if Virginia Avenue

> was widened.

>

> Many thanks to everyone who's taken time to research this.  If I do  find

> the photo I remember I'll scan it and contribute; otherwise "case closed"

> and lots of head scratching!

>

> Dave Phelps

>

>

> In a message dated 2/14/2011 12:44:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

>

> On Sun,  Feb 13, 2011 at 10:43 PM, Dave wrote:

>

>

> Gordon:

>

> I lived in Bluefield VA 1947-1953, and the station was not in the 

> location

> shown on the drawing you attached.  It was definitely between  the main

> line and the Clinch Valley line.  It could not have been where  the 

> drawing

> shows because by then Virginia Avenue was in place approximately  where 

> the

> dashed lines are in the drawing.  The picture I remember also  shows the

> little-known electrification of the Clinch Valley line as far as  Tip Top.

>

> I'll keep digging.  Maybe the N&WHS archives or the Virginia  Tech

> collection will show something.

>

>

>

>

> There are several images in the VT collection, which have the usual scant

> details about the images.

>

>

> One is _http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns227.jpeg_

> (http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns227.jpeg)   and I

> found it by just searching on "Graham" in the imagebase. It has a 

> handwritten

> note on the edge stating "Bluefield, Va." and is labeled on the  image as

> "3588 - N - 3660 - Graham Station." It isn't the sharpest image, but  I 

> could

> enlarge it enough to see that the signboard does read "Graham" on the

> platform. The station building is in the distance, but appears to be 

> wood.

>

>

> Another is _http://spec.lib

> .vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns229.jpeg_ 

> (http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns229.jpeg)

> found by searching on "Bluefield" in the imagebase. It too is noted as

> "Bluefield, Va." on the edge, but is just labeled as "698." This station 

> is  brick,

> fills the picture, and has "Bluefield, Va" on the station sign.

>

>

> The Virginia Tech Library also has access to the digital Sanborn maps for

> Virginia, so I was able to check out the 1930 and 1938 editions for

> Bluefield  (the only ones they have available). Both show the station on 

> the south

> side  of the tracks, next to Virginia Avenue, with a "N&W Ry. Rep. Shop"

> inside  the wye, along with a small storage building. The 1938 map also 

> shows

> Virginia  Ave. jogging under two steel bridges at the Virginia Hotel to go

> under the  Clinch Valley line and the third leg single track of the wye, 

> then

> jogging  again to go between the bulk plants of the Gulf Oil Corp'n. on 

> the

> right (as  one heads west) and the Pure Oil Co. on the left before 

> eventually

> crossing  the Bluestone River. On the 1930 map, these two businesses 

> didn't

> exist, but  the Thompson Coal Co. was just west of the location of the 

> Pure

> Oil location  along the Clinch Valley line (both had a siding into their

> operations).

>

>

> Bruce in Blacksburg

>

>

>

>

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> Message: 3

> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:59:19 -0500

> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Subject: Re: N&W in 1911--Pumping station

> To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Message-ID: <E7CAFC10995D41AAAFD1D6D20708A1F0 at DellVostro>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

> Bruce,

>

> I believe the photo "3588 - N - 3660 - Graham Station." is doubtless the 

> view westward at the old wooden combination freight and passenger station 

> at the head of Spruce Street ("Depot Street on modern track charts). 

> Sanborn maps show the freight portion to be east of the passenger portion 

> as in the photo..  Depot Street is exactly at Mile Post 366.0 as 

> apparently referred to in the photo i.d., and a track chart shows a 2 

> degree 16 min. right-hand curve at that point just as in the photo. 

> "Graham" on the sign would indicate a time period prior to the name change 

> to Bluefield, VA, in 1924 and the construction of the new brick station 

> that same year.

>

> I believe that the photo of the brick station agrees in all details with 

> the proposed station shown on the plan drawing that I submitted 

> previously.  I believe the view is looking westward along the Clinch 

> Valley line.  The photo shows the back side of a semaphore signal that 

> could be the home signal for an eastbound train approaching the junction 

> (the lower arm appears to be obscured by the platform canopy).  Also, an 

> N&W electrification diagram shows that only electrified track on the 

> Clinch Valley was 4,000 feet of the main track as shown in the photo 

> (electrification ended at the west end of Furnace siding).  The track 

> leading off to the right at the bottom of the photo shows up in the plan 

> as a stub track that curves to the north.  Also, the freight cars in the 

> distance in the photo appear to be on the west leg of the wye shown on the 

> plan.

>

> Additionally, the plan includes a representation of  both platform 

> canopies that appear in the photo, even including the four posts under the 

> canopy in the foreground of the photo.  The second canopy can be seen in 

> the distance as shown on the plan.  The platform truck crossing appears to 

> be where the crew of men is working--just where it shows on the plan. 

> Also, at the left edge of the photo is what appears to be the corner of a 

> handrailing, and that is just where the steps down to the pedestrian 

> underpass shows on the plan.  Even the extent of the concreted area on the 

> near side of the station agrees with the plan.

>

> I don't intend this to end the discussion, but I would like to see any 

> other evidence indicating whether the brick station was located south of 

> the Clinch Valley track or otherwise.

>

> Gordon Hamilton

>

>  ----- Original Message ----- 

>  From: NW Mailing List

>  To: NW Mailing List

>  Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 11:16 AM

>  Subject: Re: N&W in 1911--Pumping station

>

>

>  On Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 10:43 PM, Dave wrote:

>

>    Gordon:

>

>    I lived in Bluefield VA 1947-1953, and the station was not in the 

> location shown on the drawing you attached.  It was definitely between the 

> main line and the Clinch Valley line.  It could not have been where the 

> drawing shows because by then Virginia Avenue was in place approximately 

> where the dashed lines are in the drawing.  The picture I remember also 

> shows the little-known electrification of the Clinch Valley line as far as 

> Tip Top.

>

>    I'll keep digging.  Maybe the N&WHS archives or the Virginia Tech 

> collection will show something.

>

>

>  There are several images in the VT collection, which have the usual scant 

> details about the images.

>

>

>  One is http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns227.jpeg 

> and I found it by just searching on "Graham" in the imagebase. It has a 

> handwritten note on the edge stating "Bluefield, Va." and is labeled on 

> the image as "3588 - N - 3660 - Graham Station." It isn't the sharpest 

> image, but I could enlarge it enough to see that the signboard does read 

> "Graham" on the platform. The station building is in the distance, but 

> appears to be wood.

>

>

>  Another is 

> http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns229.jpeg found by 

> searching on "Bluefield" in the imagebase. It too is noted as "Bluefield, 

> Va." on the edge, but is just labeled as "698." This station is brick, 

> fills the picture, and has "Bluefield, Va" on the station sign.

>

>

>  The Virginia Tech Library also has access to the digital Sanborn maps for 

> Virginia, so I was able to check out the 1930 and 1938 editions for 

> Bluefield (the only ones they have available). Both show the station on 

> the south side of the tracks, next to Virginia Avenue, with a "N&W Ry. 

> Rep. Shop" inside the wye, along with a small storage building. The 1938 

> map also shows Virginia Ave. jogging under two steel bridges at the 

> Virginia Hotel to go under the Clinch Valley line and the third leg single 

> track of the wye, then jogging again to go between the bulk plants of the 

> Gulf Oil Corp'n. on the right (as one heads west) and the Pure Oil Co. on 

> the left before eventually crossing the Bluestone River. On the 1930 map, 

> these two businesses didn't exist, but the Thompson Coal Co. was just west 

> of the location of the Pure Oil location along the Clinch Valley line 

> (both had a siding into their operations).

>

>

>  Bruce in Blacksburg

>

>

>

>

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>

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