Frograil Railfan Tour: Lynchburg

INTRODUCTION: This is a portion of what will someday be a Norfolk Southern, primarily ex-Norfolk & Western, tour from tidewater in Norfolk, Virginia, to lakeside in Sandusky, Ohio. A detailed discussion of the overall tour is here. This completed segment spans Tinker Creek (Roanoke) - Wabun thru the Roanoke metro area (about 14.7 miles), and picks up again in Berton (south of Pembroke) and running on into Bluefield (about 51.1 miles).

The tour is being assembled in segments, and has been updated thru September of 2006.

If you've not taken a Frograil tour before, you are strongly urged to visit the Frograil Tours home page, as it is packed with information and suggestions to help you enjoy your tour, maximize the effectiveness of your time, and keep you safe and comfy along the way. To navigate anywhere within Frograil, click on the navigation buttons at the top of each page.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE: From a particular starting point, each segment of this coverage will allow you to follow the instructions given, drive to a railfan site, then to the next, etc., etc. Traffic levels and patterns will be given, and the photographic/lighting considerations for each site will usually be mentioned. You'll be told about area attractions, such as tourist and historic sites, as well as hotels and restaurants which are trackside or otherwise worthy of note. In short, you'll be able to plan an entire family or railfan-only outing or even a vacation from this guide, as it is completed in the months to come.

WHAT YOU WILL NOT FIND HERE: This is a railfan guide, not a photo collection. There are already many excellent and enjoyable railroad photo sites available, and one more really wouldn't add much value to the general railfan. Besides, photos take up a lot of memory, and your humble Webmaster has to pay for memory.

You will not find fancy graphics, as this is a tour guide, not an exhibition of graphics expertise. You'll be able to load these pages quickly and print them without waiting a week for each page to print. Also, you'll conserve a lot of toner in the process.

Finally, no maps are included. Even if you cannot or will not purchase good deLorme or other such atlases, you can print maps from MapQuest off the Net. Maps take up a great deal of memory, and I see no reason to duplicate what is readily available elsewhere.

Train Gif Artists. Train gifs add life and color to this page, and take almost no time to load. I stick these gifs in whenever I get the urge -- there is no rhyme or reason, I just like them. You can see hundreds and hundreds of train gifs by clicking on the Train Gifs navigation button at the top of each Frograil page. Specifically, the Norfolk Southern business cars were drawn by Brad Morocco.

Tony Hill, Webmaster and content provider, entire tour, unless otherwise specifically noted.

A REQUEST FOR HELP: If you'd like to contribute to this, or any other tour, please contact me at frograil@yahoo.com, and let me know what you'd like to do. We'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes.

The Railroad -- General. We've been following this railroad thru the coastal plains and the Piedmont. When you leave Roanoke, however, you're entering the mountains. One can argue where the Piedmont ends and the mountains begin, but to the railroad builder and train engineer, you're in the mountains west of Roanoke. Railfan locations are somewhat scarce, and wide open photo fields have been left behind, well to the east. However, the railroad itself is in superb condition, and even though it suffers from having been originally built well before other mountain roads such as the Virginian and Clinchfield were engineered, the willingness of its management to spend money on constant improvements has yielded a 21st Century-class railroad.

In the summer of 2006, the US Department of Transportation, the states of Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio, and Norfolk Southern Corporation reached an agreement whereby a public-private partnership will work to increase vertical clearances between Norfolk and Columbus. This is a done deal, as far as the governments and funding is concerned, so there will be a great deal of work being done on the Virginia and Pocahontas Divisions during 2007 and 2008. I don't know what work will be done on specific locations, but it will be interesting, and the result should be an increase in container traffic between the two end points.

The Railroad -- Traffic. From Tinker Creek west, all westbound traffic, and all eastbounds except loaded coal trains, go thru Roanoke, so traffic is heavy, at well over one train per hour. Empty coal trains predominate, but you'll also see pigs and single-level containers, grain trains, and plenty of manifest freights. Between Tinker and Narrows, expect 1-2 trains per hour. Between Narrows and Kellysville, you'll see closer to 2 per hour, and that will drop slightly west of Kellysville.

Photographic Considerations: As I've done in several other tours, I've attempted to rate the photo fields for all 4 quadrants of many crossings detailed in the tour. The following format is used: NE2, SE1, SW 4, NW4, where you go clockwise around the quadrants from northeast to northwest, and numerical ratings, from 1 to 4, with a 1 being excellent, and a 4 being non-existent, are assigned. Note that I'm rating only photo field availability, not the photogenic qualities of the site. I'm a picture taker, not a photographer, and you guys who are good photographers will have to make your own determinations.

Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can usually get substantial discounts on DeLorme atlases thru the Frograil Railfan Store, which is here.

Security. This tour includes both very rural and very urban areas, and the security concerns are somewhat different in both types of area. In urban areas, there are 2 main concerns: Personal safety and the railroad's security. There are some high-crime areas in any town, and Lynchburg and Roanoke/Salem are no exceptions. Always fan with at least one male friend, and use common sense. The railroad is very concerned with liability exposure and employee safety, and is definitely aggressive about enforcing its property rights. If you trespass on railroad property, you can expect to be ticketed and even arrested. The railroad is serious about this, and you had better be also.

In the country, you have few concerns about getting bopped over the head by a hoodlum, but there is still a serious personal safety concern. If you're in a very rural area, and there are many of them throughout this tour, and break an ankle, you could die out there before someone (or the vultures) finds you. Always fan with at least one male friend.

Area Attractions. This is a part of the country well suited for vacation trips. Attractions include Jefferson National Forest, Cascade National Recreation Trail, O. Winston Link Museum, float trips and fishing on the New River, Virginia Transportation Museum, trout fishing, and the Appalachian Trail.

Abbreviations. Some phrases are used repeatedly in Frograil tours, so I've developed some standard abbreviations:

CP. Control Point. A place on the railroad where something specific happens, such as a junction, set of turnouts, etc.

NAG. A not-at-grade crossing. Unless I mention otherwise, these are usually not worth the time and trouble to drive to.

NARL. Not a railfan location. This is because of any number of reasons, such as lousy photo ops, dangerous, no shoulder on a NAG bridge, etc. As a general rule of thumb, it is wise to avoid NARL's.

NFOG. Not found on the ground. Often, very minor roads depicted on maps of rural areas do not exist on the ground, turn out to be private driveways, or have become overgrown in forests. I lump these together in the NFOG category.

Roanoke to Bluefield, WV

Railfan sites:

Alphabetical Sequence	Sequential Order: East to West
Virginia	Virginia
Berton	Roanoke -- Tinker West
Berton -- Bertons Crossing	Roanoke -- BD&G Garage
Bluff City	Roanoke -- Substation
Eggleston -- VA-622	Roanoke -- I-581 East
Eggleston -- North	Roanoke -- Downtown/Link N 257.4
Glen Lyn	Roanoke -- 5th Street
Glenvar -- Barley Road	Roanoke -- 10th Street
Lurich	Roanoke -- VA-117
Lurich -- VA-679	Salem -- VA-419
Narrows -- Church Sign	Salem -- Union Street
Narrows -- Farm	Salem -- McClelland Street
Narrows -- Livestock Auction	Salem -- Tidewater Street
Pembroke	Glenvar -- Barley Road N 266.8
Ripplemeade	Wabun
Roanoke -- 5th Street	--- BREAK ---
Roanoke -- 10th Street	Berton ~312.0
Roanoke -- BD&G Garage	Berton -- Bertons Crossing
Roanoke -- Downtown/Link	Eggleston -- VA-622
Roanoke -- I-581 East	Eggleston -- North
Roanoke -- Substation	Pembroke N 320.2
Roanoke -- Tinker West	Ripplemeade
Roanoke -- VA-117	Bluff City
Salem -- McClelland Street	Narrows -- Farm
Salem -- Tidewater Street	Narrows -- Church Sign ~N 332.5
Salem -- Union Street	Narrows -- Livestock Auction
Salem -- VA-419	Lurich -- VA-679 N 338
Wabun	Lurich
	Glen Lyn
West Virginia	West Virginia
Blake	Willowton
Bluefield -- East	Kellysville 344.7
Kellysville	Oakvale
Oakvale	Blake
Willowton	Bluefield -- East

The Tour

Roanoke -- Tinker West. From US-221/US-460 in the center of town, go south on VA-115/Hollins Road. Hollins will take 2 90º turns and cross a bunch of tracks. Don't even think about railfanning here. Take your first left onto Norfolk Avenue. Drive to the end of the street and park near the gate where the road ends. If anyone is present at the Virginia Tank Service facility, introduce yourself, and ask for the OK to watch trains. This is an important railroad place, and some explanation is in order.

When the N&W bought the Virginian in 1959, the decision was quickly made to route all N&W loaded coal trains east via the Virginian, which is well south of the N&W facilities in the center of Roanoke. On the east side of Tinker Creek (directly beyond the trees to the east from where you're standing) a connection was made to allow easy access to both sets of tracks. The junction on the ex-N&W is "Tinker Creek", and on the Virginian it's "Tinker Creek Connection". When N&W and the Southern merged to form Norfolk Southern Corporation in 1982, the connection allowed Roanoke - Linwood traffic to travel east to Hurt via the Virginian tracks and then south on the ex-Southern Railway's Piedmont Division to Linwood/Atlanta, and vice versa. The long and short of all of this is that all westbound traffic into Roanoke will pass right by you here, just west of Tinker Creek. You'll also get everything going east, except loaded coal trains.

In my humble opinion, this is the best downtown location for watching trains, but it's not too hot for photos, because of poles, wires, and some vegetation. There is a significant drainage ditch between the road and the railroad, so you will not at all be trespassing. As an added attraction, the ex-East End Shops are beyond the main line. It's a very large, multi-building industrial complex. The complex has been purchased from NS by Freightcar America, and is being used to manufacture new hopper cars.

Roanoke -- BD&G Garage. A little further west on Norfolk Avenue, there is a fairly large, 3-bay metal building on the left occupied by BD&G Garage, which apparently works on trucks. Opposite the garage, on the north side of the street, is a good-sized pull off. Again, there is no way to trespass, because you're on the other side of the drainage ditch. Viewing east and west is excellent for watching trains, but like most locations in the vicinity, there is clutter between you and the tracks. You're still in the East End Shops area, so you may see any- and everything parked on the various tracks.

Roanoke -- Substation. Further west on Campbell (the name changes when Campbell Avenue joins Norfolk Avenue), 10th Street comes up from the south and T's at Campbell. Just beyond 10th Street is a large electrical substation. There are very large power poles on the north side of the road, and parking is available between them. This is really the last good place to park from here all the way thru the downtown area. There are plenty of paid parking lots and buildings, but no streetside parking.

This is also a good place to just sit and watch trains, but not for photography, as the nasty pole line continues, and there are some small trees. You're likely to see hulks/damaged engines beyond the main tracks.

Roanoke -- I-581 East. Venturing further west, the large structure of I-581 looms over the railroad activity downtown. There is no parking, as per the comments in the previous site. In the area of the interstate, the ex-N&W secondary main to Winston-Salem heads south, and the end of the East End Shops is a little further east. There is a lot of noise from the streets and the overpass, so you can have a train in front of you in a hurry. Stay on the south side of Campbell/Norfolk. Lousy for photos, but you'll see different movements in and out of the shops, a few trains a day going to/from Winston (actually west of the interstate), and you can also see those going to/from the Shenandoah line on the north edge of the property.

Roanoke -- Downtown/O. Winston Link Museum/VTM. From I-581 west to 5th Street, there are many places to watch trains. Since there is no free public parking at all in the area, here are some suggestions for fanning the area. One free parking area is in the very large lot of the Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center north of Shenandoah Street. Shenandoah is the first street north of the tracks. You can continue west on Campbell, but the road will end, and there is an horrific fence with heavy cables paralleling the tracks all the way. Therefore, I'd suggest you go south on 7th Street, take a right onto Tazewell Avenue, go under the interstate, and then take a right onto Jefferson Street, which will take you north over the tracks. Take your first left onto Shenandoah.

Once on Shenandoah heading west, you'll see the very large and attractive Roanoke Hotel on your right, and the ex-N&W station is on your left. The station, as you can imagine, is in a pretty impressive structure, and now houses the Roanoke Visitors Center, and the brand new O. Winston Link Museum. Of interest to you should be the comments of one of the Visitor Center's staff. When I mentioned that I wanted to take pictures of trains, she gave me a very blunt statement that the railroad police are aggressive in their efforts to keep people from trespassing. Believe me, the word is out.

If you have any time at all, spend 5 bucks and take a walk thru the most marvelous collection of train photos you've ever seen. The pictures are large, the captions give great detail about them, and the facility itself is world class. Is this a railfan location? You bet. On the landing between floors, there is a small alcove that has glass windows overlooking the "throat" of everything coming from the north, south and east. There's a key posted that identifies each track in front of you, and even a small bench for your comfort. You're looking east and southeast, so the sun will make pictures problematic at best, but if you're stuck in Roanoke on a lousy day, this is a great place to relax and see the action.

The next attraction in this area is the Virginia Transportation Museum. It has been several years since I've visited it, and they had a terrific collection of rolling stock, but horrible display capability. I believe a new display hall has been opened, and that the museum has made steady progress, but cannot give up-to-date information. The Museum is at 303 Norfolk Avenue, and is just west of I-581. To get additional info, go here.

You can best railfan this general area on foot, using the 1st Street overpass. You might also try to get over the level of the fences by shooting from a parking garage or other building. You'll probably find a place that works for you, but the Tinker Creek West area is probably the best in the in-city area.

Roanoke -- 5th Street. Continue west on Shenandoah until taking a left onto 5th Street. There is plenty of room for train watching from the bridge, and the views are excellent to both east and west. However, there is a high security fence above the railings, so pictures are pretty impossible. It's tough to find parking anywhere near the bridge, and I'd recommend the next location, which also has excellent viewing, but doesn't have the security fencing.

Roanoke -- 10th Street. Continue west on Shenandoah from 5th to 10th Street. There is ample room for train watching on both sides of the street, and there is NO security fence. There are a zillion tracks under you, and if you can't enjoy this spot, you may as well stay home. Be aware that the traffic on 10th is heavy, and you'll not be able to casually walk back and forth. Plan on staying on one side only. Parking is still a pain, but is better than in the area near I-581.

Roanoke -- VA-117. Westbound on Shenandoah, you'll see Boulevard Street heading for the tracks, but it's a NAG/NARL. As you've been going west, you've no doubt been impressed with the huge yard and engine facilities of Shaffers Crossing, but they may as well be on the moon. Maybe if you marry the CEO's daughter you can visit the place, but that's about the only way to get in if you're not an NS employee. Shenandoah gets quite far away from the tracks as you continue on, and Cherry Hill Road looks (on the map) to be close to them, but that's a residential area far above them on a bluff, so you can't see anything.

When you get to VA-117, go south and over the tracks. Note that my large city map of Roanoke/Salem does not show this road south of US-11A/US-460, which is north of Shenandoah. This is a major road with heavy traffic, but there is adequate room for pedestrians. Like some other overpasses mentioned, this has excellent viewing, but is not good for photos because of security fencing.

Salem -- VA-419. Continue south on VA-117 to US-11/Brandon Avenue, and go right. When you enter Salem, the street name changes to Apperson Drive. When you get to VA-419/Electric Road, take a right, go up and over both sets of tracks, take the next right, and find a place to park. Electric Road is really, really busy, so be fully alert at all times. I spent a half-hour on the bridge, and didn't feel threatened, but that was on a Saturday afternoon. During weekdays, the additional truck traffic would have been significant.

This far west, the yard trackage has been left behind, and the north overpass is the double tracked ex-N&W, with the south overpass going over the single track ex-VGN, which carries mostly eastbound coal trains to South Yard in Roanoke. It takes all of 3 minutes to walk between the two overpasses. There is no security fencing, and I'd rate the viewing of the ex-N&W to be E2/W3, as the overpasses to the east are more wide open.

VA-419/Electric Road has excellent life support further to the south, including motels, shopping and dining, and a hospital.

Salem -- Union Street. Finally, an AG crossing! Go back to US-11, and take a right. This will bend around and go over the Roanoke River and then the tracks on a NAG/NARL. Take a left onto US11Alternate/4th Street. Next, take a left onto Union Street, and just before crossing the tracks, take a left onto Broome Street and park in the large open area next to the tracks. The ex-N&W is the first set of tracks, and those tracks are on a 45º northwest/southeast bias, so take the photo ratings with a grain of salt: NE1, SE2, SW3, NW4.

Salem -- McClelland Street. Get back to US-11Alternate, take a left, and then take a left onto McClelland Street. Note that this street south of US-11A doesn't appear on my 1994 Roanoke/Salem map. Cross both sets of tracks, turn around, and come back and park on the right between the two sets of tracks. The ex-N&W remains the north set, and the ex-Virginian the southern set. This is a not so special photo location, at NE1, SE3, SW3, NW4, but it's the nicest place to just sit and wait for a train that we've encountered for quite awhile.

There is a large building truss manufacturing plant located at the end of the road to the south, and truck traffic, especially in the morning is heavy, so be alert. During nights and weekends, this is a fine spot. The Virginian and N&W tracks are a short distance apart, so you get both lines for the price of one. The N265 mile marker on the N&W is just east of the crossing.

Salem -- Tidewater Street. Go back to US-11A/4th Street and take a left. This will T at US-11/US-460/Main Street, which will take us all the rest of the way thru Salem. There is plenty of life support along this road, especially in the west end of Salem near I-81. Most of the "civilization" is north of the street, as the area to the south is close to the railroad, and there is a lot of industry there. Watch for Spartan Drive and take a left at the light. Just over the tracks is a road to the left, Tidewater Street. Take this turn, and drive past the water works construction site and park. This street is not a thru street, contrary to some maps. Walk back to just east of the crossing. The crossing is too busy and narrow to be a railfan location. On the weekends, use your judgement about parking off Tidewater, closer to Spartan Drive.

You'll have to shoot over the ex-Virginian tracks to capture the ex-N&W movements, but they're all so close together that this is really not a problem. There is a nasty heavy power pole line between them, but you can still get decent shots if you're thoughtful. Viewing is great, but photos are somewhat difficult.

[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: The water works construction/expansion project has been going on for years, and will probably require quite a bit more time until final completion. You may or may not be able to fan in this area, due to construction equipment and activity. However, do not fan from the north side of the street, because you have an excellent chance of meeting the Norfolk Southern police.]

Glenvar -- Barley Road. Get back on US-11/US-460/Main Street and continue west. Pass up Salem Industrial Drive, which is AG but NARL; pass up Duiguids Lane, which is also AG/NARL, and continue on to Garman Road. Actually, you can forget this one, alas, as it is another AG/NARL. Between Duiguids and Garman, the VGN and N&W have separated considerably. Watch for a decided turn to the south, and then take a left onto VA-612/Barley Road. The crossing is just ahead, and is one of the best for quite a distance: NE1, SE1, SW2, NW4. Incidentally, the railroad is almost due north - south here. You are completely out of the city now, and the countryside will become more mountainous and, at the same time, much prettier.

Wabun. Just past the tracks, take a right to go south on VA-612/Poor Mountain Road. This is a pretty drive just to the west of the Roanoke River, but pay attention, because it is narrow and not at all straight. When you cross the river, take your immediate right to go south onto West River Road. By this time, it should have dawned on you that the railroad is climbing like crazy. When you start to encounter a concentration of homes, a road will go off to your right and cross the river. Just beyond this on the left is Gumwood Drive, which goes uphill and crosses the tracks. Parking is real tough all thru here, but do not go up Gumwood Drive -- try to find parking along West River Road.

Walk up to the tracks, which will have the following photo field ratings: NE4, SE4, SW3, NW3. I may be being overly harsh here, as we are now in real hill country, and photo fields are naturally getting more narrow. What's neat about this site is the work the engines are doing in getting a heavy train out of the Roanoke area and up this long climb. Forget your camera: Enjoy your first taste, on this tour, of mountain railroading.

Note: You are quite close to 2 defect detectors: Wabun, on the ex-VGN, and Singer, on the ex-N&W at MP 271.1. When you're listening in on your scanner, be careful to determine which is reporting.

[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: This temporarily ends our tour, but we crank it up again in the obscure environs of Berton, Virginia. As we do so, note that many of the places we will detail for you are not nearly as cut and dried on the ground as they are in this text. You MUST do your homework ahead of time, print your maps, and be pretty much confident that you know the route, before you set forth. Otherwise, you'll probably get somewhat frustrated, and the experience of the tour will be less than it should be.]

Berton. The railroad between Wabon and Pembroke is forced to adhere to the geography of the area, which consists of high ridges, sharply turning rivers to flow around the ridges, and valleys between the ridges. As the ex-N&W comes up the valley of the New River north of Dry Branch, Walker Mountain to the west, and Dry/Sinking Creek Mountain to the east squeeze the river, and the result is a very narrow gap. The ex-Virginian hugs the east/north ledge, and the ex-N&W dances along the west/south ledge. There are no automobile roads thru here. The next few locations are Combat Railfan locations, as they are hard to get to, offer somewhat limited rewards, and are therefore visited by relatively few railfans. Visit these places, and you can say you've been there and done that.

In Pembroke, from US-460 coming from the east, take a left onto Rocky Hollow Street, and then another left onto Main Street. Then take a hard 135º turn right onto River Road. Don't be surprised if you don't see road signs for one or more of these and the following roads to come. You'll cross the ex-Virginian tracks, and then the New River. As you cross the river, you'll note the impressive vertical bluffs typical of the Valley and Ridge Province of this part of the Appalachian Mountains. Those bluffs are the reason it is impossible to get trackside along much of this tour.

Once on the west bank, you'll see a signal mast and other railroad stuff, but ignore it, and turn left to follow VA-623 a long ways around the back of that bluff I mentioned opposite River Road. You'll have to drive several miles to get around the bluff, and several more to get to the first point where we can once again pick up the railroad coming north (timetable west) from the east. Keep on VA-623 until you come to a 3-way, and take a left onto VA-622. Ignore the siren songs of other roads, and continue on VA-622 all the way around and down into the village of Eggleston. Cross the tracks and take a right onto a road paralleling the river, and called various things, but which is universally referred to as "River Road".

This is a dirt road, and follows the river; it is immensely popular in warm weather. You might think you're on a bucolic back country road, and you are, but it is also an extremely busy one when float/fishing/etc. season is in effect. Slow down, and drive all the way to the end of the road (several miles), until it turns 90º to the right. At that point, it goes under the railroad on an archaic underpass that is 1/4 creek way, 2/4 road way, and the last 1/4 is just vertical curvature. It is an ugly, 9'4" primitive underpass, and not one for campers or other large vehicles. And, to be frank, photo ops of the railroad itself are ziltch. However, for combat railfans, this is the first point north of the Walker Mountain ridge where we'll be able to see anything at all related to trains.

While this is NARL, it is kind of cool to just sit and watch NS send train after train back and forth along a stretch of territory that, to this day, can carry no automotive traffic. This is the railroad conquering the wilderness. Remember, this is a rail line that is getting ready to be upgraded to double stack capacity.

Berton -- Bertons Crossing. Turn around, and we'll begin to drive back north to those signals on the west bank of the river in Pembroke. As you drive back the way you came, the river is to your right, and the railroad to your left. Eventually, you'll see an open area on the left, a few houses, and a road sign for "Bertons Crossing." This is a private drive, so don't use it to cross the tracks. Park down along the River Road. South of the private drive, the area between the tracks and road is wide open, and rates a definite 1. North of the driveway, the viewing degenerates to a 4, but then picks up to a 2 a little further north. Pick out what works for you.

Eggleston -- VA-622. Continue up River Road until you arrive at the village of Eggleston. Park at the crossing. The road coming down from the west is VA-622, the road that brought you down to this area. The crossing is so/so at NE2, SE4, SW2, NW1, and is an afternoon shot. There is a lot of traffic over the crossing in good weather, so be alert.

Eggleston -- North. If you continue north on River Road, it will gradually deteriorate until it is no longer passable via other than 4x4's or your feet. To your left will be a wide open view of the tracks, with some nice lawns and a couple of houses well overhead. Viewing is 1 in panoramic fashion from south to northeast. I think this is a fine place to get out the lawn chairs and coolers, and swap railfan lies.

Pembroke. Drive back to the crossing, take a right onto VA-622, and drive all the way back to the junction with VA-623. Take a right on the latter, drive down until you see the remains of an immense quarry on your right, and look for the signal masts on your left. When you see the latter, park to the right of the road. Walk over to the gate and look into the area. There is a bar across the opening, and you cannot go beyond this point. To the right is the beginning of double track westbound. There is a fine double mast, classic N&W signal stand to your left. Over the bar itself is an excellent view to the west, and you can get fine shots to the west from off property.

I believe this to be MP N320.2, but there is a conflict with the station list I have. The station list shows this point to be the ending of double track, but it is clearly just the opposite. If anyone can shed some light on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Ripplemeade. The DeLorme shows a crossing well to the west of Pembroke via VA-623 and Painter School Road. This is quite a detour, as it is a dead end, and I chose not to take it. If anyone cares to comment on the location, please do so here.

Go back over the New River into Pembroke, retrace your steps to US-460, take a left and head west. The road will become a limited access highway, cross the New River, and you should take the first exit. At the stop sign, take a right to go up, thru, and down the Ripplemeade community. The map shows lots of interesting rail-next-to road mileage, but it is outdated. The road is cut north of US-460, and is not accessible from that point. There is a crossing just north of where the tracks are cut, however, and it is worth a stop. The photo ops are NE1, SE2, SW3, NW4, so you should be able to work at least something out.

For the most part, you have very poor sight and visibility of on-coming trains and automobiles at the crossing itself, so be very careful.

Bluff City. Man, here is one that is way different. You can whiz over, via US-460, this site a zillion times and never know it is here. But it is here, and it's interesting. It's one of those sites that is harder to describe than to actually drive to.

From Ripplemeade, get back on US-460 and head west. You'll drive along the northern boundaries of Pearisburg, the largest town on this part of the tour, but there is absolutely no railroad activity here, as the tracks are way to the north skirting the ridges' bluffs and the river. You can visit the railroad via helicopter or kayak, but not by automobile. Just before the highway jumps from the south to north shore of the river in the west of Pearisburg, take a quick right onto VA-716. This is an obscure connector, so you must be looking for it. In fact, you'll probably see no sign, so just before the road goes over the river, get the heck off it -- you'll probably be right on VA-716.

At Thomas Drive, take a left and drive back towards the massive overpasses of US-460. There are very large twin concrete structures, each carrying a set of lanes east or west, respectively, way over head. In between these two piers, take a right onto an un-named street. Actually, this is Tannery or Old Tannery Road. At first glance, this seems to be merely a place for the locals to park for fishing and/or boating (GOK what they do down there at night!!!). However, look more closely, and this is revealed as an obvious railroad facility in days well gone by. The remaining 2 tracks are NE1, SE4, SW4, NW1, so are obviously an afternoon location, but you'll want to get out from under those immense concrete piers. Be advised that this is a very noisy location because of US-460, so be extra careful.

Tannery Road continues to the north and runs along the tracks until it peters out. You can see the remnants of an old coal dealer's trestle, and a few other things, but these are all behind a gate.

Narrows -- Farm. From under the US-460 bridge, continue down Thomas to VA-100, and take a right. This will take you thru some lovely (but unproductive railroad-wise) countryside, until you approach the town of Narrows. Interesting things begin to happen, but you won't see them at 60 MPH, so slow down and enjoy yourself. You'll see a road going off into a couple of farm buildings, and then on into the farm itself. There are No Trespassing signs on the buildings and the area set back a little from the crossing.

Photo ratings are NE3, SE1, SW4, NW3. That's nothing to write home about, but the view to the northeast in the mornings is really nice. You can get decent pix here without trespassing, especially if you'll get your pix and then wait in the car for the next movement.

Narrows -- Church Sign. Continuing just a short distance from the farm road just described, you should look for a thru truss bridge on your right. To the west beyond this point, NS splits to divide the tracks coming from Bluefield to separate ex-Virginian (north/east of the river) and ex-Norfolk & Western (south/west of the river) main lines. The bridge going over to the ex-VGN is not very visible in the leaved portion of the year, and not that great a shot even in the winter.

When you see the bridge thru the trees, slow down, and you'll see a broad, wide open area between VA-100 and the tracks. There will be a sign pointing to the First Christian Church. Park just before the sign. The viewing is wide open both east and west from the south side of the tracks, but a solid 4 from the north.

Narrows -- Livestock Auction. Just to the west of the church sign, the tracks from Bluefield, carrying all the east - west traffic, splits to go north and south of the New River. Put another way, from this point westward on the tour, we get all the combined east and west movements on one set of double tracks. The increase in traffic is significant and noticeable. Unfortunately, beyond the church sign and all the way thru the Narrows community, the tracks are either inaccessible or on a NAG/NARL. That changes in the area of the Narrows Livestock Auction Market off of Lurich Road.

As you come into Narrows proper, you'll have a crossing at VA-61 to the north, but it is NAG/NARL, and is to be avoided. Instead, continue across VA-61 on Valley Street, which will slop around to become Lurich Road. Lurich is a major secondary road that we'll follow for quite a while. As we go thru and leave Narrows, we will swing from northeast/southwest to north.

At Stock Pen Mountain Road, take a left and drive by the livestock auction facility. Chances are, it will look like a ho hum to you, but my wife and I went thru on a Saturday afternoon, and let me tell you, it was a happening place. I never heard such bovine bawling in my life, and I never saw such a display of trailer backing up expertise in my life. It was a hoot -- punctuated every so often by the Norfolk Southern guys in their big, black locomotives.

Photo locations aren't really super-duper, but for this part of the country, they're certainly OK: NE4 (the back of the livestock barn area), SE1, SW3, NW2. Believe me, if you get there during an auction, it's a very interesting location.

Lurich -- Robertson Mountain Road/VA-679. Further along Lurich Road is a really scary location. Look for a road going back to the southwest at about 225º. This is Robertson Mountain Road/VA-679, and it's quite an extensive road up and into the hills. Many people live along it. You do not want to drive along it.

Park somewhere along Lurich Road, and hoof it up to the crossing. And I do mean "up", as the railroad has become a good bit above Lurich Road. Just to the east is MP N338.0, which the railroad refers to as "Lurich". All quadrants are rated as 3's, so this location is only recommended as a place to get trackside in a hurry to get a quick shot.

Lurich. Eventually, Lurich Road will cross the tracks, at grade, in a somewhat leisurely S-shaped crossing. The photo ratings are: NE1, SE2, SW1, NW3. As you can see, this is one of the best crossings since we started this segment.

Glen Lyn. You'll continue to play tag with the railroad beyond Lurich, all the way into Glen Lyn, but it's really inaccessible. The New River shrugs and goes from northwest to northeast here, and leaves both the railroad and highway in the dust. As the railroad comes into the area, it confronts a coal-burning power station. Now, with 9-11 fresh in our minds (and it should be), it doesn't take a genius to figure out that we need to be careful around a power plant. There is only one area I recommend: As you come into the area, you'll swing to almost dead northbound. You'll see a large pull-off to the right, before a series of buildings a little further north. The pull-off area is not posted. Take a picture or two of a consist or engine here, and then get moving, as the power generation assets of our nation are under understandable surveillance.

To the north, the photo ratings are 1, while to the south, they are a 3, and there is clutter in the area of the latter. Don't even think of crossing the tracks.

Willowton. From the Glen Lyn site, it is necessary to get back into West Virginia to continue the tour. Continue straight northwest on Lurich Road, run into US-460, take a left, and cruise on into West Virginia. Actually, as you drive west on US-460, you'll be going fairly distinctly southwest. Don't get comfortable, as you'll soon seen a sign to Kellysville. Note that MapQuest and other out-of-date maps show an "Old US-460 Road". There is such a road, but you won't see that name anywhere. Instead, just watch for the sign pointing to Kellysville, and that will take you towards Kellysville. Just after getting on this road, watch for Willowton Road to the left. Take this all the way down to the tracks.

You'll be rewarded with a very salubrious curve with the following ratings: NE2, SE1, SW2, NW4. Seems like we could do something with these ratings.

Remember, the stretch between Kellysville and Narrows is the only place on this tour segment to catch 100% of the Pocahontas Division's traffic. This is significant, as there is a lot of traffic on the ex-Virginian east of Narrows, and several trains a day on the Princeton line west of Kellysville. If you want maximum traffic, this is where it is.

Kellysville. Go back out to what used to be called Old US-460 Road, take a left, and you will soon be in Kellysville. [Note: MapQuest shows a Christie Road to the left, and a crossing is shown on that road, but I drove by the area twice, and the road was NFOG.] Here, the ex-Virginian main line comes down the hillside (north of WV 112, and is quite visible during the winter), crosses the river, and joins the ex-N&W main [MP 344.7]. This junction is like most of the territory south of the river--it's darned near vertical. We don't know where you can get photos at the junction--you're either in the East River (a distinct possibility, by the way, and one which offers neat summer pix), hanging on to the side of the mountain, or trespassing. If you really want to hike to the junction, and we don't recommend it, access is best from the west end of the Church of God parking lot, which is on the south side of WV 112. Remember, also, that Norfolk Southern's police are most serious about their duties.

Oakvale. From Kellysville, head west on WV-112 and drive the 4 miles to Oakvale.

What can we say? This is a town which could only exist in West Virginia. This sleepy little village between ridges is a nice wide place in the road at which to enjoy the old N&W main line's NS action. There are numerous curves and photo op locations both east and west of the town. The junction of the ex-Virginian and the N&W at Kellysville about 4 miles to the east is pretty inaccessible, so you may as well settle for the action here in Oakvale. Besides the nice old station, there are lots of off-railroad property photo locations. Most trains are not fast, and this is a fine place to get some excellent mountain railroading shots. But make no mistake--these are not dinky little mountain puffer bellies; these are big-time 2000's railroad trains which just happen to be in the mountains of West Virginia. Visit in the fall, and you'll think you've died and gone to Heaven.

WV-112 is a really beautiful drive, with hills, babbling streams, and sweeping vistas of the N&W mainline east of Bluefield. While this is a great railfan's drive, the whole family will enjoy this drive, too.

Blake. [Webmaster's note: Tim Rumph was thoughtful enough to provide this information.]

Continue westward towards Bluefield. Before you go under I-77, you'll see Blake Road on your left (south), and you need to take this to reach the crossovers at Blake. Blake is on the Mercer County/Bluefield map published by Mosher-Adams. It's also on the railroad's timetable/station list. Actually, it is little more than the site of a series of crossover switches, but there is a relatively open area for pix, which is pretty hard to come by up in these hills [MP 354.6]. Your point of reference is an asphalt plant immediately to the east of Blake. Tim has had good luck with pix taken across from the entrance of the asphalt plant. There should be no need to venture onto the tracks in this area.

Bluefield -- East. To continue westward on the tour, retrace your route to WV-112, and take a left (west). You'll go under I-77, and after a few, interesting miles, WV-112 will end at US-19/US-460. You'll want to follow the signs to US-19 south, and head into Bluefield. Directly across from the Frye Roofing Company there is an open parking area next to the tracks which is not posted. With a moderate telephoto lens you can catch most of the action. This particular place is good most of the day for photos, summer or winter, but is frequently blocked by strings of cars.

If any town qualifies as THE railroad town, this must be it! Bluefield sits right on the Virginia/West Virginia border and stretches along the railroad yard which runs the entire length of the town. This is the quintessential mountain railroading town. Anyone who thinks the coal business in the east is dead, and the railroads along with it, should spend a few days in Bluefield. Coal trains run in; coal trains run out. And so do lots of manifest trains, grain unit trains, and even some intermodal traffic.

Beyond the eastern edge of Bluefield, the Bluefield - Williamson tour will be your guide. Go here to continue on to the west.

Lynchburg, VA - Bluefield, WV

A self-guiding railfan tour

Roanoke to Bluefield, WV

Railfan sites:

The Tour