Standing inside Byrd tunnel and looking to Lower Bridal and, just beyond, the entrance to Speedy tunnel. Three tunnels on one tangent.
#47 The Loops: Speedy
Train tunnels, tracks, and miscellaneous stuff
A general catalog of pictures of tunnels and train-related items in Southwest Virginia, Kentucky and East Tennessee. The main focus is on the original Clinchfield line from Elkhorn City KY to the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, but we’ve got our eyes on that remarkable 6-tunnel looped line near Little Switzerland NC.
#46 The Loops: Lower Bridal Path
This 1,618′ tunnel lies a tangent in The Loops that features a total of four tunnels (Lower Bridal, Speedy, Lower Pine, and Byrd Ridge). Coming from Elkhorn City (about 193 miles away now), the track has just competed the first big loop and is going northeast into this, the southwestern portal. This was taken in winter, but, in summer, it’s beautiful up here.
#45 The Loops: Snipes
Going almost due north after the bend, Snipes tunnel, the south portal, is at 35.843095, -82.034873. It’s 637′ long and sits at 2,368′ above sea level. I don’t have any information on the name Snipes. I thought it was named after a geographical feature, but after going over the maps again, I can’t verify that. It’s dated 1916.
Little tunnel, Cumberland Gap TN
Recall, the Knoxville Cumberland Gap Louisville railroad company blasted through Cumberland Gap with a tunnel that was finished in 1889. In the meantime, in 1890, Middlesboro burned to the ground, but quickly recovered and needed places for its people to go. Middlesboro was going to be the Birmingham AL of Kentucky, if that makes any sense. Iron was the key. Fairly good iron, too. Until the collapse of funding in 1892 and the recession of 1893, Middlesboro was the place to be. In 1891, Harrogate built the fancy Four Seasons Hotel and a line was built to connect everyone up. To get to Harrogate from Middlesboro, the line had to go through a ridge. This tunnel became called the Little Tunnel, about 1,200′ long and reasonably sturdy (it began to collapse in the late 20th century and was converted into a pedestrian tunnel). Here’s what the north portal, about 3,000′ south of the Cumberland Gap tunnel portal I posted earlier, looks like now:
Cumberland Gap tunnel (the old one)
This is the last tunnel on the line coming out of Knoxville. As I’ve mentioned before, the Knoxville Cumberland Gap Louisville railroad company blasted out this tunnel in 1888-1889, with a grade going up to the more or less center of the tunnel on both sides, so the cross-section of the mountain would reveal a tunnel that looks like an inverted “V”. Smoke had a tendency to collect at the top and make breathing difficult for crews and passengers. Then, to add to the woes, the tunnel collapsed on July 4, 1894, and again in 1896. Engineers didn’t like to go into the tunnel, so they’d push a string into the tunnel and have another locomotive pull it out from the other portal. Passengers had to take a wagon ride through the gap. This wasn’t a good situation. When L&N gained control of the tunnel (KCGL had gone bust in 1892), they did a complete refurb ending in 1897, which is the date on this portal (this is mostly from “History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad” by Maury Klein). It’s also the date that “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, was published. When the tunnel was begun, the Buffalo Soldiers were active in the West, just 7 years after the gunfight at OK Corral.
(I’m proud of this blog. Someone came in and lifted a lot of the text above the picture. The text ended up, with no credit, scrolled in purple (!) on another website.)
If you’d like to see a great video taken from a locomotive of a trip through this tunnel:
long and narrow
Here’s a closer look at the date on the lintel:
Holbrook tunnel
The third tunnel between St. Paul and Coeburn is Holbrook. It centers at 36.924873, -82.372080 and is about 1,600′ long. A trestle begins 11′ or so inside the northwestern portal and extends 625′ over a valley. It’s dated 1947, but, since the tunnel was blasted out around 1905, we know it’s a replacement for the original timber trestle (and it must have been some trestle!). There are two more trestles before we get to Coeburn, both high and long.
Little Bull tunnel
After Big Bull tunnel going roughly northwestward on the N&S line from St. Paul to Coeburn is Little Bull tunnel. It centers at 36.916845, -82.364497 and is about 400′ long, on a curve.
Greer tunnel
This is the last tunnel on what is now the mostly abandoned N&S line coming from Knoxville to Cumberland Gap. This is Greer tunnel, close to a feature called “Greer Lake” (not seeing a Greer Lake, folks) and New Tazewell. This portal, the northwest, is at 36.423103, -83.591183. The tunnel, soggy and drippy, seems to be about 350′ long. The history of this railroad and the changes in its trackage provide interesting reading.
Sycamore tunnel
We were faced with a dilemma. We knew we didn’t want to cross the trestle coming out of Oakman tunnel over Norris Lake because it is a bare-bones trestle, with no provision for any foot traffic. Although the line is, for all intents and purposes, dead, we were still leery of being on a rather exposed stretch of tracks. So, we walked back to our vehicle and drove around to Lone Mountain marina and hiked in to Sycamore tunnel from there. This north portal is at 36.378498, -83.562599. The tunnel, which has a bend, is around 740′ long. The south portal looks much like this one and, after 260′ or so, heads out over another narrow trestle.
Oakman tunnels #2
These are the trestles coming out of both Oakman tunnels at the northwestern portals. On the left are the remnants of the original trestle over the Clinch River. It was abandoned and later disassembled and hauled away by elves or something. The sturdy bridge to the right, probably circa 1936 or so, carries the line from the newer tunnel. We’ll hit Sycamore tunnel next, then the soggy Greer tunnel, near New Tazewell.
Rift WVA
I thought I’d posted pix from this wye up in Rift WVA at 37.281159, -81.665041. There are three trestles here: a through truss, a pony truss and a pony plate. All take the line over the Clinch River. The first picture is the through truss and the second shows the humor of the rail guys. It’s hard to read the far junction sign, but it reads “‘Omega”.
The Oakman tunnels
In the late 1800s, the Powell’s Valley Railroad made ambitious plans to run a line from Knoxville to Cumberland Gap. This was in the waning heyday of Middlesboro KY, just on the other side of the Gap (Middlesboro sits in a meteor crater, btw). The L&N was already in Middlesboro and was looking to get through the Gap to extend their line southward. When the Powell’s Valley Railroad became the Knoxville-Cumberland Gap-Louisville railroad, the L&N talked them into blasting a tunnel through the Gap. On the way from Knoxville, though, the line had to cross the Clinch River at this location. A tunnel was dug through the ridge and a bridge was built and all was well…until TVA began to construct Norris Dam, which was completed in 1936. The Southern Railroad, which now owned the line, realized that their trackage here was too close to the water line, so a new tunnel and a new bridge had to be constructed. These two portals are at 36.363018, -83.550292. The new tunnel is about 330′ long. There was an historic community called “Oakman” about a mile to the southwest of this tunnel. It’s gone, but the tunnel isn’t. That’s how it goes sometimes. We’ll take a look at the other side next.
#44 The Loops: 3rd Washburn
We’re now a little over 191 miles from Elkhorn City. We’re at the southernmost point of the first of The Loops, about a quarter mile past Quinn Knob tunnel. 3rd Washburn is a curved tunnel, 915′ long. This is the western portal at 35.839883, -82.037946. The date on the lintel is 1913. Snipes is next, but, as I said, we’re heading down to Norris Lake for an interesting series of tunnels (if you’re into tunnels). We’ll get back here real soon. The tunnels will still be here.
#43 The Loops: Quinn Knob
As the CSX heads down the Blue Ridge, it makes the first Loop, curling around to come back to about 100′ away from the tangent that leads into it (but 132′ lower). Coming out of 2nd Washburn, about 1/4 mile away to the south, lies Quinn Knob tunnel, 545′ long. It carries a 1912 date on this south lintel at 35.841637, -82.041630. It’s on a slight bend, leading to 3rd Washburn, which we’ll get to shortly. Then we’ll take a break and gaze at four tunnels down on Norris Lake. Ever hear of the Knoxville, Cumberland Gap & Louisville Railroad? It was involved in the breaching of Cumberland Gap for the mighty steel rails. More later.
#42 The Loops: 2nd Washburn
2nd Washburn, 370′ long, is on a 2,000′ straight stretch between 1st Washburn and Quinn Knob, where the track begins to loop back to the northeast. This is the north portal (35.847448, -82.044323) of 2nd Washburn with a 1925 refurb date (same on the southern portal).
Diversion: Kent Junction
Kent Junction is centered at 36.921466, -82.728876, northeast of Appalachia. I don’t know why I like it so much…it’s just sort of a tidy triangle of trackage out in the country. It was originally laid down by the Interstate Railroad as part of its trackage to Cane Patch and to Dorchester. You can get a good look at it on Google Earth. That N&S loco isn’t going anywhere. It was just sitting there, hissing occasionally. This was in February, 2012.
#41 The Loops: 1st Washburn
This is 1st Washburn, just about a half-mile down the line from Upper Bridal Path. The tunnel is 770′ long and has a slight curve. This is the southwest, lower, rather eroded portal at 35.848998, -82.044190 or so. This and the two other Washburn bores carry the name of Washburn Ridge.
#40 The Loops: Upper Bridal tunnel
About a mile or so southwest of Upper Pine Ridge tunnel, lies Upper Bridal tunnel. It’s a curved tunnel, which mimics the curve of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the northwest of it. The tunnel is fairly easy to get to, if you know what you’re doing. This weathered southwest portal is at 35.855180, -82.035674. The tunnel is 927′ long. Around 1905 or so, nine workers were killed here when someone accidentally ignited 15 cases (100 pounds each) of dynamite (according to Ashton Chapman in the Charlotte Observer 8/23/53). Seven workers were killed on the same day, in another area, when a cut they were working on collapsed.
#39 The Loops: Upper Pine tunnel
As we go sliding down the mountain, the 927′ Upper Pine (Ridge) tunnel appears…this is the northeast portal at 35.867468, -82.022427. It’s 1,600′ long.
#38 The Loops: Blue Ridge tunnel
This is the east portal of Blue Ridge tunnel (35.883516, -82.018091), also noted on maps as Ridge tunnel. It’s 1,865′ long and goes under the Blue Ridge Parkway. The far end up there is 187.28 miles from Elkhorn City KY. After Vance, this is the first tunnel heading down the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge mountain.
2nd Cawood tunnel
This tunnel, fairly short, is south of the Cawood KY tunnel on Bob’s Creek at 36.766159, -83.242214 (this is the north portal. The south portal is unfinished). A man who lives near this tunnel, after checking our religious credentials (we lied)(sorry), confirmed that the 1929 date on the tunnel is consistent with the building of this line. He also regaled us with stories of at least four people who died on the railroad for various reasons (drunk, stupid). That stuff rolls off our backs like duck water.
Tunnel near Cawood KY
This is the southerly portal of a long, 1/4 mile or so, tunnel on the CSX near Cawood KY. Anecdotal evidence indicates that this line was laid down in the late 20s, but the date on this portal, if there ever was one, has been eroded away. This portal is at 36.77949, -83.24325. A picture of this on Google Earth is titled as being near “Bob’s Creek”. Not my creek, no sir.
Crummies Creek tunnel
Between 1924 and 1931, a narrow-gauge railroad hauled coal from the Crummies Creek mines to a prep plant on the other side of the mountain on Cemetery Road near Crummies, KY*. This portal, probably dynamited and then filled in, is near 36.78559, -83.21749. Good luck trying to find it on Google Earth. We nearly missed it ourselves. When I took this picture, I was standing on top of the fill looking into the tunnel right at the top. I could feel cool air blowing out, so the tunnel’s not completely filled in.
On the prep plant side, there were several L&N lines that used a double-track loader. The tracks are gone now.
*The Kentucky place name list tells me that a “crummy” or “crummie” refers to an animal that has crooked horns.
Appalachia VA and Limestone TN train depots
For the last few months, I’ve been recording the train depots (if available) and the post offices of many of the small towns we drift through on any given Sunday. Both the depots and the smaller post offices are slowly going away; the former from neglect, the latter through an excess of penury on the part of the USPS. Here are two standard issue, well-built train depots that have fallen into ungraceful disuse.
First, here’s the Appalachia depot, on the L&N.
And this is Limestone’s depot on the N&S. It was, at one time, a stylish building. No longer.
Natural Tunnel VA
You know about Natural Tunnel, right? If not, here’s the Wiki. And here’s a picture of same, complete with the N&S track that’s been there for over a hundred years:
But, wait! There’s more! Because, in railroad design thinking, it’s usually better, more costly, but better to ram through than go around, there’s another tunnel just a little bit south of the main, naturally formed (of course) one. Here ’tis (this is the northern portal…(kinda looks like they just sawed through the rock, no?):
Cooper tunnel
N&W always called the tunnel “Cooper”, but it’s located at Coopers, a small community that was once a busy junction on the N&W. The company store is still intact, as are several other structures. People still live here. Coming out of this tunnel and flying over both the Bluestone River and County Highway 120 is a massive deck truss trestle. Between 1919 and the early 50s, this line was operated by electricity. The tunnel, just a few miles from Bramwell WVA, is centered at 37.320506, -82.326452 and is about 758′ or so (measured on Google Earth). The date on this NW portal is 1902. The tunnel goes through Laurel Ridge.
Pounding Mill tunnel #2
This is Pounding Mill tunnel #2, looking easterly. It’s centered at 37.078653, -81.738603 and is about 377′ long. A straight line distance from tunnel #1 is a little over a mile, but probably along the line of 2 miles if you walked the track, which we didn’t. And we had a very hard time finding this tunnel and #3, since Google Earth, of which we are not worthy, made a teensy error, labeling Estates Street as Ash Street and we were totally lost. Lee was hungry, it was nearing noon, so he suggested we give it up and head over to a nearby Wendy’s so he could get one of their baked potatoes. I rarely eat potatoes, so I stayed outside, propped up against the car, looking at the topo map to see if there were any other way to get down to where those tunnels are. An SUV pulled up. The driver, a man, leaned over his passenger, a women, and asked, “What are you looking for? I might be able to help you.” I took the topo over and was pointing out where we needed to go to both the man and, as it turned out, his wife. She took one look at the map and said, “That’s where my parents live.” As I batted away the angels singing around my head, I explained that we needed to find Ash Street. The man said that they’d changed the name of it to Estates Street. Problem solved. He called ahead, got permission for us to cross his father-in-law’s land to get to the railroad and the tunnels. When Lee came out of Wendy’s with his food, I told him what was going on and he just laughed and shook his head. “Who would believe it!”
So, here’s tunnel #2. It probably looks pretty much as it did 120 or so years ago.
Pounding Mill tunnel #1
We’re about halfway between Cedar Bluff and Claypool Hill in Tazewell County VA. This is on an N&S line from Bluefield to Norton. It’s the first of three. It’s centered at 37.078360, -81.746409 and is about 545′ long. This line came through between 1887 and 1890. We’re heading up to the UrCoal region: Pocahontas, but we’ve got a couple more tunnels to check out.
Dry Fork tunnel #1
This is Dry Fork tunnel #1 (37.234365, -81.639281), about 470′ or so. This is looking north from the trestle over the Rift-Berwind Road and Dry Fork River in West Virginia. Bridge facing date is 1912, with a 1911 date on the trestle abutment. Pending further research, I’d say the line here dates to the late 1800s, when the coal mines began to open up. Our general theory with the lines in the area is that they blasted out the tunnels, leaving them unfinished if they were stable and ran the line over timber trestles until either the trains got heavier or the timber began to deteriorate, then they switched to the current configurations. It’s a theory.
Blogging the Railroad Tunnels 