Norfolk & Western History 101 / When Pocahontas Coke Started West - Alex Schust |
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Sidebar |
Coal rate from the Pocahontas Region to Chicago. |
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Coke Contract |
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Map |
This 1903 N&W system map has been annotated to show the coal routing from the N&W to Hooperston, Illinois. The Calumet & Blue Island Railroad was not shown on N&W system maps. Earlier N&W system maps did not show the railroad or its connection north of Columbus, Ohio. |
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This circa 1898 photograph of the Turkey Gap Coal & Coke Company at Ennis, West Virginia, shows three Lake Erie & Western box cars at the coke ovens waiting to be loaded. The car numbers indicate these are 25-ton capacity cars rather than the 15-ton or 20-ton box cars the LE&W also used. (Eastern Regional Coal Archives collection) |
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Sidebar |
The original Deed of Assignment between Illinois Steel, the N&W and the Pocahontas Coal & Coke Company was dated December 31, 1901. The Deed of Assignment was made after USS formed the United States Coal & Coke Company.
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Rails Remembered, Chapter 88 / Enlarging Honaker Tunnel; and a Clinch Valley Excursion - Louis M. Newton |
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The 563 gets under way with No. 5 from Honaker. Note that the engine is carrying green signals, a practice sometimes used on the Clinch Valley when a westbound pusher engine was run as the second section of No. 5. Honaker station is visible at extreme right, with the “grizzly” or “scaffold” car used on the tunnel enlargement project parked on the station siding. (Louis M. Newton photo) |
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This view shows the west end of Honaker Tunnel on April 5, 1957, as preparations were being made to enlarge the 1,060-foot bore. As part of the project, the tunnel would be shortened by the removal of the 45-foot lined section at the west end. (Louis M. Newton photo) |
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Class E-2a 563, N&W’s last surviving Roanoke-built (in 1912) Pacific, pauses with train No. 5 at Honaker on April 5, 1957.
(Louis M. Newton photo) |
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On April 6, 1957, two Y-6 locomotives move west through Honaker. Although not visible in the photo, they are probably pulling a caboose en route to Boody Yard, where they will assemble a tonnage train and return east as a section of CV-84. Note scaffold car at extreme right for the tunnel work. (Louis M. Newton photo) |
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Letter |
Train order No. 53 was addressed to C&E First 88 and was delivered by Agent-Operator Monday at St. Paul on September 28, 1955, and is typical of those issued in the days of steam power and timetable-train order operation on the Clinch Valley District. Running multiple sections of No. 5 was a frequent practice, with the passenger section being the third in this case.
(Louis M. Newton collection) |
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Letter |
Like some other veteran telegraphers, Agent-Operator A. Monday added a little flourish to his handwriting in this “run late” order for No. 5 on November 22, 1956.
(Louis M. Newton collection) |
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Timetable |
Norfolk Division Timetable No. 11, effective April 28, 1957, showed schedule changes already in effect in connection with the consolidation of Nos. 16 and 22 east of Petersburg. In addition, No. 25 was scheduled to run 15 minutes earlier and No. 26, 30 minutes later than previously, because of the time required for additional stops on the Cincinnati District.
(Louis M. Newton collection) |
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Photo |
On May 4, 1957, No. 5 with 10 cars powered by E-2a locomotives 578 and 563, rounds an 11-degree curve at Carterton, Virginia, en route to Norton on an excursion sponsored by the Southern Region of the National Railway Historical Society. (Louis M. Newton photo) |
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An S-1 switcher handles the openair gondola on the rear of the NRHS excursion train at Norton. (Louis M. Newton photo) |
Implementing the Norfolk & Western Vision / Part 4 - Alex Schust |
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Location Destinations |
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Map |
After multiple surveys and plans, the N&W published the planned route for its northwestern connection on its January 1, 1889, system map that was included in the N&W’s 1888 Annual Report. The report noted that surveys were practically complete and the line was located to Ironton, Ohio. |
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Where did the Ohio Extension Start? |
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Ohio Extension Requests for Proposals |
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E.L. Purcell & Brothers had the task of both constructing and repairing sections of the bridle path between Sections 50 to 59 in January 1891 so the bridle path could be used as the county road. The photograph shows an N&W engineer on the county road on Section 50 between War Eagle and Wharncliffe circa 1892.
(West Virginia and Regional History Center, WVU Library, WVRHC collection) |
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This circa-1892 photograph shows an engineering crew and a team of yoked oxen at a wintry Camp 8 on the Tug Fork. The engineering camps, normally consisting of two buildings, were built by contractors and occupied by the resident or assistant engineer and his engineering party of a rod man, tape man, axe man, and cook. The engineer, rod man, and tape man normally had college degrees or some other formal training.
(WVRHC collection) |
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Table |
Contractors for the Ohio Extension |
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One of the challenges in constructing the Ohio Extension was getting supplies to the engineers and work crews working on the railroad. One solution was to hire contractors to deliver the supplies by boat as shown in this circa 1892 photograph of a barge loaded with supplies for the engineers and crews working on the Ohio Extension along the Tug Fork and Big Sandy Rivers. A February 1890 journal entry for First Division engineer assistant engineer J.J. Sperry operating out of Elkhorn noted charges for building eight boats including the lumber, nails, and rope. The boats were used to move the parties of both Sperry and E.R. Wright along Elkhorn Creek and the Tug Fork. One of the March bills was for $14.05 for the value of A. Rafrelje’s personal property lost when his boat was upset on the Tug River.
(WVRHC collection) |
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Table |
"List of Bridges on 1st 40 Miles from Credo"
Ohio Extension Section 1 started near North Fork, West Virginia, and ran through Section 191 located at Coal Grove, Ohio. While Survey Station 0+00 was located at MP N-385+3245 for Section 1, there were multiple surveys with new Stations 0+00 on the Ohio Extension. Survey Station 0+00 for the western end of the Ohio Extension near Ceredo was located about 1.4 miles east and south of the Kenova Yard turntable. This survey went west to Station 139+19 and it went south and east for some undetermined distance. Because the N&W built the Ohio Extension south and east from Ceredo and west and north from North Fork it numbered the bridges as No. 1 from both directions. This chart shows the bridge numbers and locations for the first 19 bridges from Ceredo. The result of this numbering system is Bridge No. 59 over Millers Creek in Section 95 and Bridge No. 59 in Section 78. Since Bridge No. 1 at North Fork was numbered Bridge No. 877 and the Ohio River bridge was Bridge No. 1034, the original Ohio Extension was built with 158 bridges in West Virginia. At the time stone arch bridges did not receive numbers.
(N&WHS Archives collection) |
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Tunnel No. 1 and Bridge No. 3 (No. 879 ) are shown in this circa 1892 photograph. (WVRHC collection) |
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Bridge No. 879 is shown in this postcard view after Tunnel No. 1 was daylighted during double tracking and became known as “Dead Mans’s Cut” between North Fork and Keystone. (N&WHS Archives collection) |
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Obstruction of Navigation |
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Scioto Valley Division
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Scheduled Train Service Starts Between Kenova and Columbus
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Timetable |
Feb 7, 1892, service between Columbus and Kenova. |
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Timetable |
Service from Kenova to Dunlow. |
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N&W Class O-7 No. 521 (former Scioto Valley Railway No. 3) was photographed on September 25, 1892, hauling the first train over the Ohio Extension. The photograph was taken at the summit of the Ohio Extension near the west portal of Dingess Tunnel on Section 114. Laying main line track on the Ohio Extension was completed at 4:45pm on September 22, 1892, after the last two miles of track were laid about 100 miles east of Kenova. Three miles of track were laid on both September 20 and September 21. The September 30, 1892, Roanoke Times reported that a special train left Roanoke at 8am on September 24 for the first complete trip over the Ohio Extension. The party on the train consisted of Vice President Charles Eddy, Vice President and General Manager Joseph Sands, Chief Engineer W.W. Coe, General Superintendent of the Western Division A.C. Hippey, Superintendent Joseph Robertson of the Scioto Valley Division, and Mr. Sands’ private secretary, Frank Helvestine. They made a through trip to Columbus, Ohio, and returned to Roanoke on September 29 at 4:30pm.
(Norfolk Southern Corporation collection) |
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Chart |
This portion of the engineering progress profile drawing is from the 2nd Division, 1st Residency, and displays the progress over Sections 91 to 130. The earliest completion date found on the chart is June 1890 and the latest is July 1892. The 12-inch portion shown below is the summit of the Ohio Extension just beyond the west portal of the Dingess Tunnel. The progress chart lists a 2,000-foot siding running from Survey Station 748 to Survey Station 768. Survey Station 0+00 was located on Section 100 near Naugatuck. The Progress Chart is over 45 feet long.
(N&WHS Archives collection) |
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Photo |
This circa 1892 photograph shows locomotive 61 with a bridge work train on Bridge No. 20 near Hemphill, West Virginia. When the Ohio Extension was constructed it stayed on the south side of Tug Fork once it crossed the river at Welch until it recrossed the river near Antler. The only indicator that this Bridge 20 is on the First Division rather than the Second Division is the investment journals reporting a hog had been killed by Engine 61 in the spring of 1892 and the N&W had to pay for the hog.
(WVRHC collection) |
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Timetable |
The time tables published in the Official Guide referred to the Ohio Extension as the Ohio River Line until 1894 when the name was changed to the Virginia & Ohio Line, which remained in use until 1900. The main line was considered to be from Norfolk to Bristol.
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This circa 1892 photograph shows the rugged landscape of the Ohio Extension and unballasted track work. (WVRHC collection) |
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Map |
The N&W’s 1892 Annual Report included the 1893 N&W system map which showed a completed Ohio Extension between North Fork and Coal Grove.
(N&WHS Archives collection) |