Railroads, highways and growth of towns

[NW Mailing List]

Neill Herring here in GA.  I have closely followed the history of highway
construction and expansion in Georgia for several decades.
I believe there is a development underway here, and perhaps elsewhere that
may add to the history sketched by Bob Cohen.
Georgia's smaller counties, among the excessive total of 159, have lost
population steadily over my lifetime (born 1947), despite a jump in the
state's population from 3 million to over 10 million today.
Artful drawing of the maps of legislative districts since the middle of the
1960s have maintained a strong rural influence in the state legislature
since that time, under the rule of both political parties.
Rural legislators have consistently advocated for road improvements,
generally putting those ahead of most other rural and small-town needs.
About 20 years ago I noticed that towns with declining populations were
being increasingly connected with 4-lane highways thanks to legislative
pressures.
Those same towns have continued to lose population with their 4 lanes, and
the rate of decline may have actually increased in some cases. 
Expansion of retail shopping options in towns that used to be "too far away"
seems to have played a role in retail siting decisions to the disadvantage
of many locations. 
Transportation improvements have undoubtedly given much to the development
of southern population centers, but it appears it can also adversely affect
those locations to the advantage of the larger among them. 

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Today's Topics:

   1. Small Towns and Railroads (NW Mailing List)
   2. Re: Small Towns and Railroads (NW Mailing List)
   3. Small towns and railroads (NW Mailing List)
   4. Re: Small towns and railroads (NW Mailing List)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 10:06:33 -0400
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>, NW Modeling List
	<nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Small Towns and Railroads
Message-ID: <mailman.3349.1685542016.2544619.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=us-ascii

It is well-known in literary circles that before the coming of the
railroad/s, towns tended to be about 5 or so miles apart so as to make for
easier one-day travel from the farm to the market center of a region. Travel
over those old, dusty roads, often rutted and questionably maintained at
times depending upon the road were the norm and a wagon load maybe once a
week or two behind a 2 or 4 horse team was a true adventure.

Some of those towns grew in size and stature and when railroads came into
planning, the planners wanted to bring their rails to where there could be
waiting needs and services. Other even smaller communities which may have
required even less had a water-tank, hence were called "tank-towns" for the
obvious reason.

As the railroad/s grew and expanded, so did their influence and adaptability
for all kinds of goods and services. Those locales more accomodating grew
more readily than others, as did those that had something needed like water
or wood for fuel, etc.

The N&W history, especially well-documented is the Shenandoah Valley line
that for a $5,000 "inducement" ....... 'er bribe, shall we say, and the
promise of availability of needed goods and services caused the creation of
a little village named Big Lick from a small watering hole and salt source
for cattle to The Magic City and Roanoke. How could brother Moomaw have ever
thought that for the delivery of his promise in 1881 what became the center
of business in the central valley and the heart of a large RR corporation.

Once the RR's came to a region, those 5-mile distances could have been
lengthened a bit as movement between became far easier than over a
waggon-rutted, dirty non-macadamised pathway became less of a necessity.

One need look no further than the line between today's Roanoke and Bristol,
a distance of about 140/150 miles and the towns about every 5 or 10 miles
apart. The same can be seen in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley
from Charles Town (today WV), thru Winchester to Lexington. Towns, some
larger and more prosperous than other smaller ones have blossomed and grown
and others faded to various degrees over time. Of course, today, the rails
aren't as much an absolute necessity as 200 years ago, but the principles
remain.

end of simple history lesson for the day.

Bob Cohen

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 14:23:48 +0000 (UTC)
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: Small Towns and Railroads
Message-ID: <mailman.3355.1685551328.2544619.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I have always wondered why Roanoke (Big Lick) grew & Salem, an older & more
established town & already on the railroad, did not? I have read a book or
two that refers to Salem (&nothing about Big Lick) during the Civil War (War
of Northern Aggression) & the importance of the Virginia & Tennessee
railroad. Was the difference all about Moomaw? Can someone give me the
'short version'?ThanksHerb EdwardsLynchburg


-----Original Message-----
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>; NW Modeling List
<nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Wed, May 31, 2023 10:06 am
Subject: Small Towns and Railroads

It is well-known in literary circles that before the coming of the
railroad/s, towns tended to be about 5 or so miles apart so as to make for
easier one-day travel from the farm to the market center of a region. Travel
over those old, dusty roads, often rutted and questionably maintained at
times depending upon the road were the norm and a wagon load maybe once a
week or two behind a 2 or 4 horse team was a true adventure.

Some of those towns grew in size and stature and when railroads came into
planning, the planners wanted to bring their rails to where there could be
waiting needs and services. Other even smaller communities which may have
required even less had a water-tank, hence were called "tank-towns" for the
obvious reason.

As the railroad/s grew and expanded, so did their influence and adaptability
for all kinds of goods and services. Those locales more accomodating grew
more readily than others, as did those that had something needed like water
or wood for fuel, etc.

The N&W history, especially well-documented is the Shenandoah Valley line
that for a $5,000 "inducement" ....... 'er bribe, shall we say, and the
promise of availability of needed goods and services caused the creation of
a little village named Big Lick from a small watering hole and salt source
for cattle to The Magic City and Roanoke. How could brother Moomaw have ever
thought that for the delivery of his promise in 1881 what became the center
of business in the central valley and the heart of a large RR corporation.

Once the RR's came to a region, those 5-mile distances could have been
lengthened a bit as movement between became far easier than over a
waggon-rutted, dirty non-macadamised pathway became less of a necessity.

One need look no further than the line between today's Roanoke and Bristol,
a distance of about 140/150 miles and the towns about every 5 or 10 miles
apart. The same can be seen in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley
from Charles Town (today WV), thru Winchester to Lexington. Towns, some
larger and more prosperous than other smaller ones have blossomed and grown
and others faded to various degrees over time. Of course, today, the rails
aren't as much an absolute necessity as 200 years ago, but the principles
remain.

end of simple history lesson for the day.

Bob Cohen
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 15:03:42 +0000 (UTC)
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: NWHS LIST <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Small towns and railroads
Message-ID: <mailman.3356.1685551340.2544619.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Fascinating read by Bob Cohen on the impact the railroads had on towns as
the rails were laid down. 
I have been heavily going through the archives for maps and drawings for the
Cincinnati district, the Peavine.
It is amazing the amount of work that was done on the line very early on.
Surveys, line changes, seems like almost every inch was moved back then. 
Then the impact of the railroad had on all these little towns either
directly having a business with rail service, or just the ability to get
products to and fro much quicker the before the railroad came to town.
Then there is the opposite effect. Highways, trucks and cars slowly began
chewing away at the people and companies that had depended on the railroad
were moving towards other modes of transportation.  
If you really did deep into the archives, it is a sad fascinating world that
has gone by the wayside for the loss of industry America as a whole has
lost.
I had no idea how vast the history of the Peavine was until the archives
beckoned me to explore, and now I am lost in history as are the small towns
and railroads I am exploring. 

Jeff Wood


------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 18:50:32 +0100
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: Small towns and railroads
Message-ID: <mailman.3373.1685561865.2544619.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Richard Hood,
West Dorset,
England
Over here before the invention of railways, unless you were rich (coach and
horses) or in the military, no body travelled  more than 20 miles from their
home village. By 1850 not only could you travel all over the country, but
people moved too cities from the country as the industrial revolution
provided good jobs.

On Wed, 31 May 2023, 17:42 NW Mailing List, <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:

> Fascinating read by Bob Cohen on the impact the railroads had on towns 
> as the rails were laid down.
> I have been heavily going through the archives for maps and drawings 
> for the Cincinnati district, the Peavine.
> It is amazing the amount of work that was done on the line very early on.
> Surveys, line changes, seems like almost every inch was moved back then.
> Then the impact of the railroad had on all these little towns either 
> directly having a business with rail service, or just the ability to 
> get products to and fro much quicker the before the railroad came to town.
> Then there is the opposite effect. Highways, trucks and cars slowly 
> began chewing away at the people and companies that had depended on 
> the railroad were moving towards other modes of transportation.
> If you really did deep into the archives, it is a sad fascinating 
> world that has gone by the wayside for the loss of industry America as 
> a whole has lost.
> I had no idea how vast the history of the Peavine was until the 
> archives beckoned me to explore, and now I am lost in history as are 
> the small towns and railroads I am exploring.
>
> Jeff Wood
> ________________________________________
> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
> To change your subscription go to
> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at 
> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
>
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