Eastern Railroad Discussion > E.B. loaded coal train derails near Roanoke, VA

Don't know any details yet. When I do, I'll post them.
NS C&S

I think 18 coal cars on the ground.
What you can see from the road ain't pretty.
Tore up the cars,lots of coal on the ground.
Four Hulchers on site.

What is the location?

Norwich area
Bridge Street- West of the bridge
South of Schaffers Crossing tunnels
about 1/4 mile

The derailment occurred at approximately 5:55 P.M., 04-13-2001, at M.P. V246.3 on Norfolk Southern's Whitethorne District mainline of the Virginia Division between the BELT LINE CROSSING (Roanoke Belt Line crosses the Whitethorne District with an interlocked railroad crossing {diamond} here)[M.P. V246.8] and the WEST END of SOUTH ROANOKE YARD (Virginian Railway's old yard in Roanoke)[M.P. V245.0]. The Whitethorne District is part of the former Virginian Railway's (which N&W eventually took control of) mainline from Deepwater, WV to Sewells Point, VA. This is located in the southwest part of the city of Roanoke, VA.

The unfortunate train was the S44V413 (S44 - for short {S44 = second section of an 844 already out that day}) Duke Power eastbound loaded coal train [Williamson, WV to Linwood, NC]. The train had a total of 173 cars, all loaded with coal. There was a total of 18 cars derailed (23rd - 40th head cars). The cause is still under investigation. There were no injuries to report.

Like I said earlier, this is former Virginian Railway mainline trackage. This route is basically used to funnel loaded coal trains and occasional loaded grain trains (all eastbound) toward their eastern, northern, or southern destinations; wherever they may be. This section of railroad is almost strictly all coal traffic due to its gentle grade over the Blue Ridge Mountains. On the other hand, the Christiansburg District of the Virginia Division (which parallels the VGN west to Narrows, VA) is used mostly for time freight, intermodal, and empty coal train traffic. Unlike the Whitethorne District, which is a single track mainline with controlled passing sidings, the Christiansburg District (former N&W mainline{OH to Norfolk, VA}) is a double main route for the most part, with rare single track sections. The N&W has a more significant grade through the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the basis behind the heavy loaded coal and grain traffic travelling on the VGN side.
Note: VGN = Virginian Railway

NS C&S

Were the cars involved coalporters, top gons, or pocket hoppers?...Roadrat

I know that some, if not all, were TOP GONS. If any other type of car would have been involved it would have been the typical bottom dump NS or CR coal car. The S44 is almost always compiled of TOP GONS or bottom dumps.

NS C&S