Norfolk Division middle tracks

[NW Mailing List]

Thank you everyone for your replies!  I appreciate it!  Seeing as how
I'm one of the few signalmen on the railroad who is interested in its
history, I get a lot of questions from the people I work with about
"why" and "where", and so on and so forth.

Just last week I was telling the Suffolk signal maintainer where the
old Dwight coal track and power house used to be.  After I explained
it to him, he said "Oh, so that is what that is!".  And, he's a 30
year man.

We are knee deep in the Petersburg to Norfolk signal project.  This is
the most extensive and complicated signal project I've ever been
involved in.  I wondered why this stretch of track had never been
signaled in both directions in the first place, but everyone's
explanations of how the middle tracks were used made that clear.
Thanks!

Ben Blevins


On 4/4/13, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

> Ben:

>

> You can add Thaxton middle track, between Bedford and Montvale, removed

> in 1958, just after the Thaxton station, retired in 1957. Frank Gibson

>

> On 4/4/2013 5:22 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:

>> Ben -

>>

>> I don't know the exact date(s) they were removed, however I'm inclined

>> to say it was likely sometime in the 1960's.  I'd like to know for

>> certain myself.  The purpose of the center sidings were to allow

>> passenger trains to bypass slower coal trains and time freights

>> without occupying the opposing mainline track. There were middle

>> tracks along the Norfolk Division mainline at the following locations:

>>

>> Juniper (full length still in use)

>> Myrtle

>> Dwight/Zuni

>> Ivor (a short section still remains in use)

>> Wakefield

>> Waverly

>> Poe

>> Sutherland

>> Ford

>> Wilsons

>> Blackstone

>> Nottoway

>> Burkeville

>> Pamplin

>> Appomattox

>> Bedford

>> Montvale

>> Villamont

>> Bonsack

>>

>> Jeff Hawkins

>>

>> www.railsinvirginia.com

>> www.railfirephotography.com

>>

>>

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

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

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

>> *Sent: *Thursday, April 4, 2013 5:36:51 AM

>> *Subject: *Norfolk Division middle tracks

>>

>> Can anyone tell me when the middle tracks were removed on the Norfolk

>> Division?  I have seen where there used to be middle tracks at Myrtle,

>> Dwight, and Waverly that I've noticed.

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Ben Blevins

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