Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX Coal Train Bites the Dust

A CSX coal train derailed around 11PM last night just east of Balcony Falls Va last night piling up 25 cars of a 75 car train. One car fell into the river. The mile post is CAB 168 on the James River Sub, access to the area is little to none due to the mountainous terrain. There is a historical marker in the area, hopefully the cars didn't get over to it. One of my conductors told the me marker is in honor of a black track gang worker, maybe someone else knows the story behind it. ?????
So I guess the train watching will be good tomorrow on the river. I'm sure they will have the tracks open by morning. It's single track in that area.

Got the call around 9:00am this morning about the situation at hand. Didnt go down tht way this evening but traffic is running. WO60 came in the yard a little bit ago and picking up panel rail to put on the head end of the train. 1 empty just came off north mtn.

Steven

aaca-yd Wrote:
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>One of my conductors


Are you Michael Ward?

I do not know the name of the worker memorialized but it is mounted on one the locks in that area. It seems a young child fell down the bank and this worker saw the fall and went to rescue her, somehow he ended up injuring himself fatally but did save the girl. The girls family or she herself had the marker placed in his honor.

The historical marker is the Frank Padgett Memorial. Frank Padgett was a black man (probably a slave) that rescued a Canal Packett (Boat) and the passengers from the rapids. If I remember correctly Frank Padgett drowned at the scene. I saw this marker from a Chessie Steam Special Train in the 1970's and researched it at the Virginia State Library. The story is detailed in the Virginia Calvacade Magazine (publication of the Virginia State Library).