Lynchburg bridges, tracks, and connections

[NW Mailing List]

Like Aubrey, I, too can not place where I saw certain information to which
we rae chasing after.

I seem to recall, maybe it was the 1860 Annual Report, that the Orange
Bridge across the James was completed in April or June 1860. I also seem to
recall seeing it somewhere else that the SS and the V&T did have a physical
connection by this time. I could be wrong but I think so. Both were, of
course 5' gauge whereas the O&A was 4' 8.5".

Let me toss another one into the mix for Lynchburg here - once the Orange &
Alexandria lost their shops in Alexandria when the mean and nasty Federals
came in and took over Alexandria on May 24, 1861, they established outdoor
facilities at Gordonsville until General Johnston evacuated south of the
Rappahannock River on March 9, 1862, then established shops in Lynchburg
afterwards.

So where were the O&A temporary shops located down there from 1862 until
they got their property back in 1865 or 1866?

By the way, not directly related to this discussion but does anyone out
there know the exact date the Richmond & Danville bridge across the James
in Richmond was repaired after the Civil War? I have the date for the
Richmond & Petersburg but not the R&D. Any help out there will be
appreciated.

Bob Cohen

Bob Cohen

Where were the "other" depots along the James River?

  I'm curious. Regarding the construction date of the connecting bridge
between the South Side and V&T at the west end of Percival's Island in
Lynchburg . . .

Richard Prince states in his book Pocahontas Coal Carrier that the
Southside RR reached Lynchburg in 1854 and "soon a railroad bridge was
constructed over the south bank so that the tracks of the South Side RR
joined those of the Virginia & Tennessee RR at the joint Lynchburg
passenger station."

He also states: "at this time [1859] connecting railroad service was
available from Norfolk through Petersburg, Lynchburg, Bristol, . . . to
Memphis."

Do other sources seem to indicate that the connecting bridge wasn't
completed until the three roads (N&P, SS, and V&T) were merged in 1870 to
become the A.M.&O. RR.?

  John Garner  Newport VA
  <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
  Subject: Where were the "other" depots along the James River?

  In response to Bob Cohen's  message about the Orange & Alexandria
Railroad reaching Lynchburg, both Christian's and Chambers' books state
that the O&A reached the Amherst County side of the James River and began
operations on January 14, 1860. Until a bridge was built over the James,
Chambers says coaches transported passengers along Rover Road, then across
the covered and wooden Ninth Street bridge to the Lynchburg side and the
existing station of the V&T. Later that year an O&A bridge over the James
was completed and service commenced. However, a freshet in 1871 washed away
bridges of both the O&A and Southside.

  The Orange & Alexandria established a yard on the Lynchburg side of the
river. Although I can not find the source at this minute, I have read in a
Civil War publication of the inconvenience and time consuming process by
which the trucks of  freight cars of different gauges were traded at the
O&A yard.  The O&A was 4' 8-1/2" gauge while the V&T was 5' gauge. Freight
and passengers had to be hauled by wagon to the Southside depot on
Percival's Island.  Remember in an earlier message I described there was
not a physical connection between the V&T and Southside until 1870.

  Aubrey Wiley
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