Thursday, January 28, 2021

1909-1970s N&W/Virginia Bridge over New River in Glen Lyn, VA

(Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

Technically, the label should not be rrNaW because this route was still the Virginia Railway in 1928. But rrNaW is much more informative than rrMisc. The N&W mainline used to go under the bridge and it is still intact.

The deck is 120' (37m) high and the bridge is 2,155' (657m) long. [TheTracksidePhotographer]

Doug Bess posted
This is my photo of the former Virginian Railway bridge over New River and the former Norfolk & Western at Glen Lyn, VA taken in the spring of 1968. Approximately four years later the bridge was removed due to the US 460 widening project. Only the concrete piers in the river remain today.
Jason Downard: Doug Bess do you have any pictures of the line between Glen Lyn and Kellysville before 460 was built?
Doug Bess: Jason Downard there is one on my blog. The link is https://wvrails.net/?p=1130 Also there is a photo of the VGN powerhouse at Narrows.
"The VGN was in existence for a short 50 years. The many impressive bridges and tunnels (mostly in West Virginia) enabled the VGN to provide a superior gradient for hauling coal especially over that of N&W’s parallel route between Kelleysville, WV (east of Bluefield,WV) to Roanoke, VA and on to Norfolk....The electrified portion of the railroad between Mullens and Roanoke was dismantled in the last half of 1962."
Jason Downard: Doug Bess what I was really wanting to know is if there was a tunnel between Glen Lyn and Kellysville where 460 is now... Hales Gap Tunnel?
Doug Bess: Jason Downard yes there was. I wish I had taken a picture of it. It was right behind me in the photo of the coal train.

Jason Downard commented on Doug's post
Ted Gregory posted
Giant Virginian Railway Electrics over
massive New River/ Glen Lyn (WV[VA]) Trestle.
Correction: This bridge was demolished in 1972
VGN EL2-B 126 wb
June 12 1956
R J Cook
Ted Gregory shared

Jason Downard commented on Doug's post
Collection of Tracy Walker, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA)
 
Ed Painter posted four photos with the comment:
Glen Lyn, Virginia (on the West Virginia border) where we moved when I was 4 (1955) and lived until moving to Narrows, VA following my 4th grade year.  We lived in a Company house (a Sears Roebuck house) on the hill behind the plant.  The town was centered around Appalachian Power Co.'s Glen Lyn coal fired power plant where my Dad worked in management.   The plant had 6 units having been built in 1918 (4), 1944 (1), and 1957 (1).  The plant was shut down in 2014.  Glen Lyn was a grand place to live for a little boy that loved trains.  The town was literally surrounded by the N&W and Virginian Ry mainlines  (N&W steam that transitioned to diesel and the Electrified locomotives of the Virginian) and you couldn't leave town without crossing either one or both of them.  The mainlines were also very close to our house and right of ways made great areas play on and watch trains from .  Both mainlines served the plant.  The area was also truly beautiful.  At Glen Lyn the East River flows into the New River.  At Glen Lyn the New River Valley is surrounded by significantly high mountains deep within the Appalachians.  I enjoyed my time living there!
Randall Hampton shared with the comment: "Former crossing of N&W and Virginian."
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Ted Gregory posted
A rare pre-electrification era shot of the Virginian Glen Lyn bridge from the N&W HS. This train meet will never be repeated. This masterpiece of a bridge was demo'd, along with several miles of VGN mainline as part of a project to make even more room for US 460 thru the Narrows in VA around 1972. That is a Virginian Rwy passenger train soaring over the New River and an N&W train. Note the cool raw material loads in the gons in the foreground.
Doug Bess: The former Virginian right of way was utilized either side of the New River bridge and sister bridge over East River for the US 460 widening. The bridges became isolated which is why they they were removed. Also Hales Gap Tunnel was filled in.
Rob Nichols: From the Google overheads it looks as if the westbound lanes of US 460 east of the former bridge must have been built on the original VGN right of way for several miles. It's a safe bet that at least half the ton miles hauled through that gap today use the highway, with the NS line getting the remainder.
Doug Bess: Rob Nichols it is the eastbound lanes of US 460 that were built on the former Virginian right of way as far as Narrows

eBook via Bridge Hunter

safe_image for Demise of the New River Bridge
[This includes a nice history of the VGN route.
The piers are 90' above water level and the rails are at 120'. The bridge is 2,155' long.]

The piers are still standing.
Satellite

Doug Bess commented on a post
Here is another view of the New River Bridge I took in 1968 looking eastbound. It was quite an impressive structure. I got word that the US 460 widening project would result in the removal of the bridge so I went with a railfan friend at the time to Glen Lyn, VA from the Charleston, WV area to photograph it.

Doug Bess commented on a post
not a good shot but here is a coal train going across the bridge at Glen Lyn, VA in 1968.
Ted Gregory: Wow that's awesome. 6 units!

Ted Gregory posted
What a sad difference 50 years makes.
Glen Lyn, VA
Ted Gregory posted
Then and now.
The massive Virginian Railway New River Trestle in Glen Lyn, VA.
The top pic is from the Collection of Tracy Walker. (way b4 my time)
The lower pic of the remnant piers is my pic from 7-27-2021.

Ted sent me his original photo

safe_image for Demise of the New river Bridge

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