Switchback v2.0

[NW Mailing List]

I have done some research on what Grant said and I generally concur, but there is more to the story and I think it is worth a few page article in the Arrow to layout the whole story with regards to the development of the trackage through Switchback. The 1907 Stations and Sidings list referred to what became the Elkhorn Branch as the Switchback Branch. 

 

While I cannot see a spur off the westbound main in “Billion Dollar Coalfield,” I have found an N&W drawing from 1942 that shows a small spur from a trailing point switch on the westbound main on the east side of the substation.   

 

The Elkhorn Branch left the main line near the 400,000-gallon water tank at MP 380.39, however construction of the new Elkhorn tunnel in 1947 began on the western approach which required building a new culvert before Bridge 858 could be built. That culvert sat on top of the Elkhorn Branch. The new connection to the Elkhorn Branch had to be moved from MP 380.39 to about MP 380.00 and come down on the east side of new Bridge 858 to connect with the Elkhorn Branch.

 

When the new Elkhorn tunnel was opened it was only double-tracked to Bridge 858. It took another three months to finish the track realignment between Bridge 858 and Lick Branch, which was basically the track through Switchback.

 

While engine crews may have referred to the new track as the Angle Spur, the 1952 Stations and Sidings list referred to it as Elkhorn Branch and the 1959 and 1964 Stations and Sid9ings List referred to it as Left Fork Elkhorn Branch.

 

Interestingly the 1924 Stations and Sidings List noted a switch at MP 380.07 as No. 4 Spur – Appalachian Power Company, switch as MP 380.39 as Switchback Junction – Elkhorn Branch, trailing point switch on eastbound main as Lick Branch Colliery, and trailing point switch on westbound main as Delta Colliery.  Further investigation showed that the No. 4 spur was what was left of the original passing track through Switchback and of no value as a spur for APC since it was a dead end spur on a hill opposite on the far side of the tracks away from the power plant. Presumably Appalachian Power Company was just a name for the spur.  

 

The drawing shows the track layout near MP 380 

 

I will talk to Ken Miller about an Arrow Article.

 

Alex Schust

 

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 10:52 PM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Switchback v2.0

 

Jim, 

You're correct. Well, . . .

. . . As I recall from looking at this decades ago (my disclaimer), the alignment of the Elkhorn Branch beyond its junction switch at Switchback was to be obliterated by fill from the new mainline alignment. To maintain service to Angle Mine during construction, a second switch was cut into the old eastbound main upgrade just below the powerhouse. 

This realignment of Elkhorn Branch, renamed Angle Spur, dropped below the old main to parallel what was to be the new westbound main (as shown in DS00125), then veered away along the hillside, short of what was to be the new Maybeury Bridge, and dropped down to the original branch alignment. When the new westbound main was laid coming off the bridge and parallel to the new spur, a crossover, in effect, was installed between the two tracks as the new junction. 

The junction was referred to as "Angle" by crews, particularly westbound Elkhorn jobs who set off empties here (a lot) during the fifties. This was the first stop for a Vivian mine run out of Bluefield.

Apparently, APCo took advantage and what became a switchback after the old main was taken up, stayed in service as a spur to the substation. Photos from the 1920s in Alex's Billion Dollar Coalfield seem to show a spur in the same location on a trailing-point switch off the westbound main about the time the transformer yard was built.

Grant Carpenter

On 4/21/2021 7:40 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:

I am under the impression that  Archives photo DS00125 shows a connection that was created to a portion of the old main line (at the higher elevation) during the 1950's re-alignment.  You can view what is left of this if you zoom in on the substation area on Google Maps.  Can anyone confirm or refute? 

Jim Cochran

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20210423/3a3cdcc2/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: switchback 1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 637953 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20210423/3a3cdcc2/attachment-0001.jpg>