#2 (North), 1200': (Bridge Hunter; Satellite)
(When you Google this topic, you discover that "Hemphill" related tunnels are being built in Fort Worth and Atlanta.)
The Pocahontas Division of Norfolk & Western followed the Tug River into a coal mining region of West Virginia. "In 1903, the railroad started a major rebuilding project to straighten out portions of the Pocahontas Division and prepare for future double tracking. Just a year later, two tunnels were constructed roughly a mile northwest of Welch, known as Hemphill....The realignment shaved off 2.4 miles from the previous wandering Tug Fork route. Double tracking was completed here in 1909." The new alignment was also built higher to avoid flooding. [TheRailroadCollection] The higher alignment also reduced the length of the required tunnels. As you can see on the following satellite image, N&W rather literally drew a straight line and dug the tunnels along the line. It appears that Tug River Road and Wilson Street were the old alignments. The straight line not only goes through hills causing the need for tunnels, it goes over the river causing the need for bridges. These bridges near the ends of the tunnels is why the enlargement of the tunnels for the Heartland Corridor to raise the ceiling rather than lower the tracks.
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| Satellite |
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| A Lee Stone Photo via TheTunnelDiaries West Portal of #1 (South Tunnel) |
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| A Lee Stone Photo via TheTunnelDiaries East Portal of #2 (North Tunnel) |
Fred Wolfe Flickr is a photo of the east portal of #1 with the east portal of #2 peaking out in the background.
TheRailroadCollection has a photo of the west portal of #2 with the west portal of #1 peaking out in the background.
3:01 video of train action in these tunnels At 1:28 he catches the coaling tower.
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