signals under electrification

Wed Mar 8 11:14:32 EST 2017

A little more than five miles of relocated main line, including the new double tracked tunnel, was placed in service on June 26, 1950 between Cooper and Lick Branch.  This ended N&W’s electric operation.  When the new line and tunnel opened, only the eastbound track was in place, while westbound traffic with steam continued using the old grade and the old single track tunnel for about three months until the second (westbound) track was completed through the new tunnel on the relocated main line.  During 1950-52, another five miles of the old double track main line between Lick Branch and North Fork was relocated with major grade revisions and completed.  The whole Elkhorn project was done from 1947 to 1952.

Bud Jeffries

From: NW Mailing List 
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 10:08 AM
To: NW Mailing List 
Subject: Re: signals under electrification

Eastbound traffic used the entire new line from day one. If the new bridge at Cooper was unfinished, it would have been only the westbound track. 

Jim Nichols 

On Tuesday, March 7, 2017 5:36 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

Jim, thanks for the clarification on the re-alignment,  I am still a bit fuzzy on the actual sequence/extent of the new construction.  I went back and read page 92 of Mason's book which indicates that in June of '50 they put into operation an Eastbound only bypass through the new tunnel which allowed the discontinuation of all electrified operations.  Westbound traffic still used the old tunnel for a period of time (anybody know exactly when the use of the old tunnel was discontinued entirely?).  I get the impression that the new bridge at Coopers may not have been completely finished by 06/50 and that even the Eastbound traffic may have switched back over to the older line somewhere between the tunnel and the bridge.  I'm not really sure where this would have taken place because I believe the older line was higher than the new line in this section for the most part.  I would also like to know exactly where the new bypass tied into the old line on the West end.  Mason says just past Maybeury bridge, but again there is a significant grade differential until you get West to about the point where the spur went down into the "bottom".  Not really sure of the precise location of this switch either, the pictures I have seen show a water tank just East of the diverging point which is East of the power house, but I believe it would have been East of the point where the Lick Branch spur left the main.  Any additional information would be most welcome. 
Jim Cochran  

On Mon, Mar 6, 2017 at 8:49 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

  The re-alignment did not take place prior to the end of the electrification. The new tunnel was the first part, and the re-alignment west of Maybeury took place after that. So there was never any problem with the wires. Based on the photos, it looks like PL's were not installed until after the wires were dropped. That probably would have made them the newest ones on the system. By the way: they did not become CPL's until years later.

  Jim Nichols

  On Monday, March 6, 2017 5:43 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

  Thanks to Jim, Mason and especially Harry for the information.  Harry, I agree that the 01/01 date is suspect not only because of the foliage, but also, since the new tunnel wasn't opened until June, I don't think they could have removed the wire prior.  But that does bring up and interesting side question.  They were  re-aligning the grade from Northfork to Coopers for 2 or 3 years prior to ending electrified operations.  I assume much of the traffic though the old tunnel still needed electric units for the same reasons they were brought on in the first place, so I would further assume that to get the electrics where they needed to go, they had to maintain the whole electrified section actively while the construction was taking place by either moving components as they moved the right of way, or building new stuff, which seems a bit of a waste knowing that it was only going to be used for a couple years.  Did they de-electrify any of the main or branches prior to throwing the big switch when the new tunnel was placed in service? 
  Also, I ran across archive item NW01199 (attached) labelled as Powhatan showing a signal bridge that was clearly build for the electrification (latticed supports) with PL signals, but the shot was obviously post electric operations because the wires are all gone, there are no other supports in site, and the tops of the supports that would have carried the high-tension lines have even been removed.  Can't draw any conclusions about my original proposition because there's no way to know if the PLs were installed prior to the end of electric operations, but environmental kudos to N&W for re-using infrastructure.  I'm still on the hunt for evidence of PLs being used in the electrified section.
  Jim Cochran

  On Tue, Feb 28, 2017 at 7:49 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

    Jim:
    If you go to the NWHS website, you can view Negative NG100054
    made at Vivian, WV.  Catenary has been removed, but one semaphore
    appears.  Note the trainman walking around Bottom Creek Curve.
    He may be en route to a telephone to get the dispatcher to "talk" him
    by the eastward signal.  Date shows as 01/01/1950, but with all the
    vegetation showing, that may not be correct date.     Harry Bundy

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