54th Anniversary of Hurricane Camille Tye River Bridge

[NW Mailing List]

 The damage at Tye River which occurred on the 20th received some coverage in newspapers.  What was NOT included was an incident involving Train No. 17.  As the southbound approached Tye River, visibility was limited to about one car length.  Because the welded rail on the bridge remained in tact, the southward signal north of the crossing displayed "CLEAR". Despite the higher speed limit, the engine crew was running at restricted speed and the train stopped just feet short of plunging into the Tye River.  Eventually, the train was hauled backwards to Charlottesville and detoured via C&O to the Shenandoah Division, then the usual route to Bristol.  After the bridge was repaired (the double track bridge went to a single track bridge) Southern Rwy. placed joints on the rails on each side of the bridge.  Harry Bundy
    On Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 06:12:08 AM EDT, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  
 
  Gordon Hamilton said: "Bob, Your post about the anniversary of Hurricane Camille's damage to to the Southern Railway's Tye River bridge reminds me of my experience with the aftermath of Camille's damage to the N&W's Shenandoah Division line, which suffered extensive damage, but nothing compare to the loss of the Southern's Tye River bridge. Consequently, the N&W was able to return the Shenandoah line to service before the Southern's Type River bridge, providing a detour route for Southern passenger trains. I received a phone call from my good friend Bruce Sterzing (N&W Law Department Solicitor, later president of the D&H Ry) asking if I wanted to join him in riding one of the first trains on the Shenandoah line since Camille, Southern No. 18, the Birmingham Special on September 5.? I ready agreed.? We both had passes marked, "Good on engines and freight trains," so accessing the cab of the F3a lead unit was no problem, but the crowd was a bit of a surprise because in addition to the regular crew and Bruce and me there was also John Rehor (who wrote the monumental book, The Nickel Plate Story and had been transferred to the Safety Department in Roanoke) and a Southern Road Foreman of Engines.

The main flood damage began somewhere around Buffalo Forge and continued as we proceeded north (by compass).? The damage was unbelievable.? We observed a stream so small that we could barely see it, but it had completely devastated the valley that it was in.? The crew pointed out the foundation of a house where seven people died. North of Stanley we got a "stop and proceed" signal, and we eased up to some diesel units ahead of us only to discover that a double-barreled (crew terminology for a train with a pusher) coal train had buckled some hopper cars, blocking us on the single track.? We next backed No. 18 to the siding at Stanley where the units were uncoupled and run through the siding and coupled to the opposite end of No. 18 for the trip back to Waynesboro, where the plan was to switch to the C&O Ry. for a "detour of the detour" to get to Washington that way.? We all transferred to the FP7a diesel unit at the opposite end of the consist, and the crew set up the controls on that unit for our return trip south.? We had gone only a couple of miles when the engineer called out, "we don't have any brakes."? There was a moment of silence from all of us before he said "we are starting down the mountain, and we don't have any brakes."? At that the Southern RFE reached over the engineer's shoulder and moved the automatic brake valve into the emergency position, stopping the train.? After determining that the brake valve was indeed inoperative in the service application zone, the Southern RFE said to the N&W engineer, "let me run it.? I am more experienced in this than you are."? So, the Southern guy ran the train and made service applications of the brakes by carefully moving the automatic brake valve handle almost into the emergency zone, which would bleed off enough air to make a service application, but not enough to initiate an emergency application.

When we got back to Shenandoah, and another crew change, Bruce and I determined that there was a freight train called for Roanoke that we could ride back home.? So, even though the Southern RFE invited us to continue on to Washington with the train, Bruce and I decided to return to Roanoke on the freight train caboose (remember them?), ending an eventful journey.

Gordon Hamilton"

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I rode down on the first southbound train 41 from Alexandria via Manassas and Front Royal to Roanoke, then back on train 42. That was a 24 hour round trip and nearly all the way south I rode in a vestibule with the top dutch door open. Paul Campbell was an extra conductor called for the trip south and I still see him occasionally. "Dog-Face" McCauley was the baggage master. Train 41 departed Alexandria at the usual time near midnight; we reached Front Royal shortly before daybreak. This was my first glimpse of the Shenandoah Division at it was about a week after Camille's devastation had been repaired.

Thanks for the recollections, Gordon.

Frank Scheer
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