Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS Altavista District Double Stack Clearance

I heard from a reliable source that effective yesterday, the NS Altavista District ex-Virginian route between Roanoke, VA and Hurt, VA is now cleared for double stacks.  This was made possible by increasing the clearances in four tunnels along the route.  Intermodal trains 217/218 between Chicago and Charlotte will likely begin using this route immediately, saving time over the more circuitous route through Lynchburg that they had been traveling since double stacks were added after completion of the Heartland Corridor project a while back.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/16 07:42 by DirtyShirt.

Thanks,

Progess is always good news.

The grades are more favorable too on the Altavista District, if I remember correctly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/16 08:23 by ts1457.

ts1457 Wrote:
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> Thanks,
>
> Progess is always good news.
>
> The grades are more favorable too on the Altavista
> District, if I remember correctly.

Yes, the grade is much easier than the former N&W Blue Ridge District, which goes over the Blue Ridge.  It is one of the reasons the N&W wanted to merge with the Virginian Railway, which happened December 1, 1959.

Does someone know if this double stack clearance project includes the former Virginian EAST of Hurt so that double stack trains enroute to Norfolk can now use that line?  Wasn't there one tunnel east of Hurt?

Any estimates as to how much time would be saved over the new routing?

John R -- CP Spring
Carlisle, PA

1.5-2 hours, saved bypassing Lynchburg.

 

paid for mostly by the state of Virginia in return for the Roanoke Amtrak. 

Yes, the 1 tunnel East of Altavista was also enlarged to make the whole line double stack compatible. All the tunnels have been completed for a few months, but the last bit of work was raising the clearances on some of the rickety wooden overpasses, some of which NS is responsible for, some the state of Virginia.  At this point, I do not know if such overpasses East of Hurt have been raised to accommodate double stacks or not, but an alternative through route is the end goal.

Wrote:
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> Does someone know if this double stack clearance
> project includes the former Virginian EAST of Hurt
> so that double stack trains enroute to Norfolk can
> now use that line?  Wasn't there one tunnel east
> of Hurt?

Is Amtrak run on this line?
 

seaboardc30-7 Wrote:
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> Is Amtrak run on this line?
>  

No, the Roanoke extension of the Lynchburg Regional train (due in the fall of 2017) will run on the Blue Ridge District.  By taking 217 and 218 and maybe some Norfolk intermodal trains to the Altavista District (former Virginian Railway) it frees up capacity on the Blue Ridge District between Roanoke and Lynchburg.