Twelve Pole Fast Line (Naugatuck to Kenova)

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Harry 

      That 155 lb. rail must have come off the Lenore Branch maybe sure did not come off the Kenova to East Lynn portion best I remember there was not anything that  heavy mostly  85 and 100. All jointed rail cinder ballast and a lot of hand hewed ties . When it was rebuilt the first time they replaced 8 of every 10 ties all the rail Kenova to the mine and trains loads of rock . 

 

Larry Evans 

 

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Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2022 2:41 PM
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Subject: Re: Twelve Pole Fast Line (Naugatuck to Kenova)

 





.  (The distance from Naugatuck to Ceredo/Kenova was between 70 and 80 miles, via the Twelve Pole... I do not ahve a Time Table.) 

 

N&W's Scioto Div. TimeTable #32 (eff. 01/06/1929) shows the distance Kenova to Naugatuck to be 83.5 miles.  That part from Naugatuck to Lenore may still be in service to serve Milstone Yard. The time table shows local passenger trains Nos. 27-28 operating via the Twelve Pole between Kenova and Williamson - 11 station stops and 8 flag stops.  Four hours transit time.

 

The old Twelve Pole grade was bypassed by the 59-mile long, low-grade Big Sandy line (the present line) in 1904, and  was thereafter abandoned in pieces.  

 

About the Big Sandy (a.k.a. "The Tadpole" )-- There was ten miles of 155 # PS rail used as an experiment.  In 1977-78, it was decided that it would be replaced with

132# rail because the extra cost wasn't worth it.  The 155# rail was taken up, brought to Roanoke,  ends cut off, welded, then relayed to the Pocahontas Division. 

 

Traffic Control was in service between Tunnel #7 and M. P. NA-57 east of Kenova on the eastward main track ONLY.  One night, No. 3 was directed to the westward main track to dodge a stalled coal train.  No "right of track" order, clearance card, just word of mouth.  The Scioto Division had its own methods of conducting transportation, In the words of the late R. D. Painter of Operations Planning "In 1959, the N&W merged with the Virginian Railway.  in 1964, N&W merged with the Nickel Plate, Wabash, and P&WV.  Someday N&W will merge with the Scioto Div."

                                                                Harry Bundy (a.k.a. "BU")

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