12 pole line trip

[NW Mailing List]

Gordon,

Enjoyed watching the motorcycle ride --- and experiencing the typical West Virginia frustration when a slower moving vehicle enters the highway just ahead of you and there is no opportunity to pass.

The former railroad bridges, (and the tunnel) now one-lane for vehicles, are fascinating --- and, of course, a sad compromise accepted by WVDOT.

Mike Pierry, Jr.

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 19, 2016, at 9:34 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Jul 19, 2016 at 7:40 AM, Jim wrote:
> 
> > I am planning a trip to follow the roadbed of the 12 pole line from Lenore
> > to Wayne to see what might be left from the N&W.  I believe Dingess tunnel
> > was built by the railroad, and on Google Maps there looks like another
> > tunnel a couple miles South of Breeden that may have been N&W.
> 
> Dig into the list archives (http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/) back in 2009 (for at least one thread, I'm sure there are more) on "N&W in 1910 -- Dingess tunnel" for a discussion about the 12-Pole Line. Gordon Hamilton posted this message about the line with links to the You Tube video of a motorcycle ride on the highway that was built on the right of way.
> 
> Bruce in Blacksburg
> 
> -----
> 
> The six-mile grade of one percent or more against loaded coal trains on the original single-track Twelve Pole mainline extended completely through the 3327-foot-long Dingess Tunnel. The single-track Big Sandy Low Grade Line was opened in December 1904 and was 24.20 miles shorter than the Twelve Pole line. The N&W completed double tracking of the Big Sandy line in 1925 and then abandoned the 54.49 miles of the Twelve Pole line between Lenore and Wayne on September 2, 1933. The N&W's 1933 Annual Report states, "Removal of the rails, ties and other items of value on this line was completed in November, 1933, and 53.78 miles of abandoned right-of-way were conveyed to the State of West Virginia for highway purposes." For those who may have missed the links where they were first posted here, one can experience a motorcycle ride on the state road over the old Twelve Pole line including Dingess and Breeden tunnels by checking out the following: 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu7yGiS54D0 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONCos2I2wTY&feature=related] 
> 
> Gordon Hamilton 
> 
>  
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