Roanoke Main Line Realignment

This is not all about passenger service. It is more about moving things through downtown at something faster than 10-15 mph. The changes now being made will effect my former route north as much or more than the other routes.

Also, the word on the rails before I retired was that the old "Randolph Street Tower" signal interlocking complex wiring was really only understood by one signal maintainer who was nearing retirement. The new signals will do away with the building and its signal equipment. The two story building had been unoccupied for years with the operator ("Roanoke Dispatcher") being moved into the main dispatcher's office in the Virginia Division building along with all of the other dispatchers on the Va. Div.

They don't know yet where the track will be located for AMTRAK. There is an underground stream and culvert that needs to dealt with before any track can go in for a passenger station.

Wow that is some impressive re-alignment work that they are doing...what a change.

Here are links to some more pictures taken by Ron Davis (used by permission) of the N&WHS:

Rke. Jct.1

Rke. Jct.2

Rke. Jct.3

Thanks Ron!

Ridgerunner & Big Jim,

Thanks for the photos. well, I can see why some of that junction needed replacement. It must have been a pain getting through those tight turns. It sort of looks like " I had 036 and put in 072".

I am always impressed with how few workers are required today for track work. The lines in and around Philadelphia and South Jersey (NS, too) are being changed to accommodate the oil traffic with longer trains. I know someone that works for a railroad services company and they are doing track work non-stop.

Is NS going to replace the signals that they removed? The signals that you can see on Roanoke Railcam???

Yep. Here is Ron's video of the Henry St. signals coming down.

The famous (at least around here) Randolph St. Tower bites the dust. 

Rke. Jct. & Randolph St. Tower

It's always kind of sad to see one of those true "fixtures"--landmarks on the local scene--disappear, even if for a good reason.

I visited Roanoke for the first time last year, and I was immediately struck by how much of the original N&W fabric of the town had survived. Things like the CPL, and Randolph St. tower really stood out as markers to the past. Sad to see these things change, but I'm happy to have seen them in person.

Wow...I can't believe the tower is gone!.....

It now appears obvious that Randolph St. Tower was taken down in order to provide a new entrance into East End Shops. The former switch going to the turntable was located on the Roanoke Dist. main around the curve and making a sharp right turn around the left side of the old tower as you face east.

Again: Ron Davis photos

Rke. Jct.4

I wonder why they couldn't have gone to the south of the tower and saved that piece of N&W history?....Such a shame.