Two Questions related to Petersburg Va

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This coach ran through to and from Washington. There was a fairly long layover in Richmond while waiting for an RF&P connecting train.

The public timetable issued March 6, 1955 shows a through coach leaving
Norfolk at 1:40 PM, arr. Petersburg 3:05 PM, lv. Petersburg at 3:25 PM on
an ACL "Short Run" (N&W power; ACL crew), arr. Richmond 4:05 PM, then
RF&P #16 lv. Richmond at 5:20 PM and arr. Washington 7:35 PM.

It required a cross-platform transfer at Petersburg, but it was possible
to lv. Norfolk on No. 25 at 7:15 AM  and be in Richmond at 9:35 AM. 





Also, attached is a photo of an interlocking tower that appears to be once located at the west end of Broadway Yard in Petersburg. Anyone have any history of this tower, i.e. name, date built, date razed, etc.?

The name of that interlocking was City Point Branch Junction.  Norfolk
Division Time Table #8 (eff. Sept. 26, 1954) shows  operator/levermen
were assigned 24/7.  The next timetable I have (#11 eff. 04/28/57), it's
in Traffic Control territory Poe to Ice House Crossing (Petersburg).
I'll try to find additional information from the ICC inventory of 1916-17
next archives session.  

There was a hair-raising incident that happened at City Point Branch
Junction in the early 70s.  The ABDW brake valve had been introduced.
It would react to even the slightest brake pipe reduction.  Special
instructions were posted that when making a cut, brake pipe pressure
would be reduced to 30 lbs. (?) and when the meter steadied at 30,
the engineer would sound the whistle to make the cut. Only then
was the brakeman to slowly close the angle cock and pull the pin.
Crewe had arranged with Lamberts Point to run a hopper train with
only 40 empties in order to fill out with more empties at Broadway Yard.
After stopping on the slope towards to Appomattox River, the head
brakeman immediately made the cut, not waiting for the signal.  The
engine passed City Point Branch Junction, then backed into Broadway
Yard for the pick up.  While the head end crew was there, it took a
few minutes, but the ABDW brake valve reacted, released the brakes
on the 40 empties (and caboose) and they started downhill.  The
Conductor was thinking - "Gosh, they made a fast pick-up",  It was
only after he spotted his crew waving "STOP" as he passed Broadway
that he realized he was in command of a "runaway".  Harry Bundy





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