Join us for a ride on the Abingdon Branch

Tue Aug 4 11:42:53 EDT 2015

This is a ride you will want to do again and again because it changes with the seasons. And don’t forget that you pass right by Exit 60 for Rural Retreat on your way to Damascus for this ride. If you have a few minutes on the way out or the way back consider coming into town to check out the Depot where more of Link’s photos were taken. It’s one mile south of the exit and in the middle of town—you can’t miss it. 

Frank Akers for the Rural Retreat Depot Foundation

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 6:28 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Join us for a ride on the Abingdon Branch

RIDING THE ABINGDON BRANCH   AKA: THE VA CREEPER TRAIL

We are pleased to announce that the Norfolk and Western Historical Society is sponsoring the first ever “Putting tracks on the branches event”. Our first trip in this series will be September 19, 2015 on the Norfolk and Western’s Abingdon Branch or as it is known to the rest of the world The Creeper Trail. 

The line started out in the late 1800s as the Virginia and Carolina Railway to haul timber and mineral resources out of the mountains. It was purchased by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1918 and renamed the Abingdon Branch. At its peak, the line ran 55 miles to West Jefferson, NC. This little branch became for the N&W’s little 4-8-0 class M steam locomotives which ran the end of steam in the late 1950’s. The sounds of the hooter whistle went silent and were replaced by the rumble of the 567 EMD prime movers and five chime nathan horn. The line continued operations with diesel locomotives until it was damaged by flooding in 1977.

If you have never biked a rails-to-trail before this is a good one to start with. First, our ride will start at Whitetop station and then ride 15 miles to Damascus all downhill, so very little pedaling is needed.  We will be losing almost 1200 feet in altitude, plus we will be stopping and talking about the history of the line and showing the sites where O Winston Link took some of his most famous photos. So there will be of chances to catch your breath, but you won’t need to. 

We will start our day at the bicycle outfitters in Damascus where we will pick up our bikes and receive basic operating and safety instructions.  We then will board vans for our ride up to Whitetop station where we will gather to start our ride down the trail. While riding down this stretch keep in mind that the 4-8-0s climbed this grade with up to 10 cars and one coach.  Soon we will reach Green Cove, the place of O Winston Link’s famous picture of old maude the horse bowing its head to the steam engine. We will be stopping there for questions and looking though the depot. Then we will ride down to the creek crossing site of another famous O Winston Link photo. Keep in mind during your ride of what the engineer was seeing during your ride and allow yourself to step back to the 50s. Leaving Creek Junction we will ride to our next stop at Taylors Valley. From there we will ride back to Damascus to return our rented bikes. 

We are planning on the ride taking about four hours. This is a very easy ride and it is going to be the first of what we hope are many more branch line tours to come. And believe me if you have never done it you will love it and if you have ridden this before the speakers and their knowledge will give you a new love for this branch. We will have transportation at each of the stopping points if you think this is too much for you to take you down and someone to change tubes if needed. So plan on coming and enjoy putting tracks back on the branch!

Sign up at
http://www.nwhs.org/commissary/SpecialEvent.html

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