Shenandoah Valley Railroad (1867–1890)


Shenandoah Valley Railroad was a line completed on June 19, 1882, extending down the Shenandoah Valley from Hagerstown, Maryland through the West Virginia panhandle into Virginia to reach Roanoke, Virginia and to connect with the Norfolk and Western Railway. The development of this railroad had considerable backing from the Pennsylvania Railroad. In September 1890 it went into bankruptcy and was reorganized as the Shenandoah Valley Railway. In December 1890, it became part of N&W. Today the tracks are a major artery of the Norfolk Southern system.
South of Harrisonburg, Virginia, a former part of the Norfolk Southern System a few miles west was a parallel line originally called the Valley Railroad. It was built in the late 19th century by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a fierce competitor of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The line was purchased in 1942 by the Chesapeake Western Railway. A portion extending northward from Staunton, Virginia in Augusta County and Rockingham County became a new short-line railroad formed late in the 20th century by several major shippers. The historic name of the once rival was adopted for the current privately owned intrastate Shenandoah Valley Railroad.

Planning

The organizers of the SVRR planned to construct a railroad from the Pennsylvania Railroad station in Hagerstown, Maryland to the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad in Salem, Virginia. The route called for of new construction. The line follows closely the great iron ore belt along the western slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Peter Bouck Borst of Page County, Virginia introduced a charter for the railroad for a bill before the Virginia General Assembly in 1866. The ambitious plan was to build a railroad from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to the Virginia Central Railroad somewhere near Staunton, to a connection with the V&T around Salem, and finally to somewhere near the southwest corner of Virginia to meet the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad at Bristol, Virginia.
Since the route traversed three states three legislative authorizations were required. Virginia provided approval on February 23, 1867. West Virginia approved the construction idea on February 25, 1870. Maryland provided the final approval needed on April 4, 1870.
On March 14, 1870, the company was formed and the first president, Peter Bouck Borst, was elected.

Rival railroads

After Maryland approved construction of a bridge over the Potomac river anywhere between Harpers Ferry and Williamsport, the Pennsylvania Railroad took notice. There could be link with rival B&O railroad, as well as a link with its own Cumberland Valley Railroad, just north of Williamsport in Hagerstown. This new north/south line would be the key to capturing the traffic on numerous just-acquired southern lines and directing it to the port of Philadelphia. The competing B&O wanted to divert the riches of the area to the port of Baltimore and expand into the south. Each tried to cut off the other from the south. Meanwhile, Virginia really didn’t want either to succeed so that traffic would be directed to the Norfolk port.
The PRR began purchasing stock in the SVRR, and took effective control of it. B&O took control of a competing north/south line called the Valley Railroad. The plans showed the railroads were to run parallel to each other through the valley, sometimes just a few miles apart. The race was on.

Main line construction (1870–1882)

The Central Improvement Company was awarded a contract to construct of the SVRR from Shepherdstown to Salem for $35,000 a mile. The work was to be completed by August 1872. The major source of capital came from the sale of 6% mortgage bonds backed by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In 1871, Thomas A. Scott was elected as the second president of SVRR; he was also a Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Peter B. Borst was forced out because of his involvement with a competing plan for a similar rail line called the Luray Valley Railroad Company that was pushed through the Virginia General Assembly in 1870.
In August 1871, the Central Improvement Company submitted a proposal to cancel the construction contract, asking for payment only for work completed. The proposal was rejected by SVRR. In 1872, the deadline for completion of the railroad was extended to January 1875 and of work south of the C&O railroad in Staunton eliminated. Service began between Shepherdstown, WV and the Shenandoah River on December 15, 1879.
In September 1872, the Cumberland Valley Railroad was asked to construct the tracks from their station in Hagerstown, MD to Shepherdstown, WV. Service began on that stretch in 1880.
Problems with PRR escalated over the inability to obtain a traffic contract with the Cumberland Valley Railroad. SVRR sent a team of surveyors during the summer of 1880 into Pennsylvania indicating a desire to build a line to Harrisburg to connect with the competing Philadelphia and Reading Railroad line. The bluff worked and a contract was worked out. But the split with PRR was now inevitable.
Also in 1880, service began on the section south of the Shenandoah River between Elkton and Waynesboro. In 1881 the north and south sections were connected. Finally, in 1882, it stretched south to meet the Norfolk and Western Railroad in the new railroad town of Roanoke, Virginia. The track was now complete.
Meanwhile, rival Valley Railroad was trying to raise capital. With Robert E. Lee as its spokesman, it convinced Baltimore to authorize $1,000,000 to secure funding by other Virginia counties. Baltimore was to gain considerably by having the traffic from the richest parts of the south directed its way. Many delays occurred, particularly after the recession on the 1870s, but traffic finally began between Harrisonburg and Staunton in 1883. The southern section was never constructed.

Recession, strikes and bankruptcy (1882–1890)

The financial panic of 1873 brought a deep recession that suppressed business into the 1880s. In 1882 SVRR received a loan of $79,000 from Philadelphia financiers E.W. Clark & Co. to cover that year’s shortfall. The life of all the bridges was ending and significant funds would be needed in the coming years.
In 1882, N&W made a deal with PRR to swap the SVRR share capital for N&W common stock. SVRR got a loan from N&W of $600,000, plus up to $200,000 per year for 3 years. PRR kicked in $150,000 as advanced payment for highly discounted future traffic contracts. Control of SVRR stock was now with N&W. In 1883, SVRR floated $1.8 million of income bonds. Revenues continued to be far below forecast due to the bad economy.
In early 1885, SVRR defaulted on its loan interest, taxes, payrolls, and bills. A Roanoke judge put the line in a receivership, but in December, the mortgage company holding its notes filed suit for liquidation of the road’s assets. The Norfolk and Western Railroad fought a legal battle for the next four years to regain control. On September 30, 1890, the SVRR was reorganized as the Shenandoah Valley "Railway", with stockholders approval to sell to N&W. On December 2, the Shenandoah Valley Railway acquired the rights to the franchise of the Washington and Western Railroad. On December 15, 1890, N&W purchased the company outright for $6,000,000 of stock and added the rails to its system.
The competing Valley Railroad ran out of capital to build in 1884 and struggled until it went into receivership in 1896. The final length of that line was from Staunton to Lexington, the southern to Salem never finished. The line was never profitable.

Stations


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Historical timeline

Passenger service

Into the mid-20th century the new owners, the Norfolk & Western, operated two passenger trains a day in each direction. The #1 and the #2, Roanoke-New York City via Hagerstown and Harrisburg, were part of a pooled long distance night train in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Railroad, complete with Pullman service and lounge car service. Passenger service ended by the mid-1960s.

Stations and other railroad locations

The names listed are for the station or siding, not necessarily the name of the town they were near or in. Many times the station names were changed because they were the same as another station on another line, which after the lines were connected became very confusing to customers. Towns that grew up around stations often chose the station name as their name.
Tracks were moved over time to eliminate steep grades and sharp curves, so the mile post values changed slightly throughout history. The mileage values listed are from the SVRR era, mostly the late 1880s. Most of these markers still exist along the tracks today, each showing H and a number to designate the mileage from Hagerstown.
The first date in parentheses is when the location first appeared in literature, whether there was station or not. A second date is the date the location/stop was eliminated. A most definitive source of these dates are the annual reports, as they contain station/siding listings. Most stations were demolished in the 1950s, a listing of these has not yet been located.
  • Hagerstown, MD – mile post 0.0 : There was a junction in Hagerstown with the Pennsylvania Railroad System via the Cumberland Valley Railroad. There was also a junction with the B&O Railroad via the Western Maryland Railroad. It is unclear which stations, if any, were owned by the SVRR since there were so many companies present.
  • Saint James, MD – mile post 5.9 : A combination station. The water tank that used to reside here was moved to Loch Laird in 1883. As of 2005, the station is a private residence located ¼ mile east on Maryland Route 68. The village was called Lydia earlier.
  • Spielman’s Siding : In Washington County; location was/is around 39°32'13"N 77°45'51"W
  • Grimes, MD – mile post 9.0 : In Washington County; location was around 39°31'16"N 77°46'17"W. It is unknown if there ever was a station here, or if it was just a stop.
  • Little Ramsburg Siding : This may have previously been called Mondel’s Siding
  • Antietam, MD – mile post 14.1 : A combination station. Sharpsburg station was renamed Antietam station after a head-on slow-speed train collision between a passenger train and an excursion train was blamed on the confusion between the names Shepherdstown and Sharpsburg. Danial and Peter Ahl operated an iron works near town. At some point in time the station was rotated, with the bay window now facing the highway instead of the tracks As of 2005, the station still resides in Sharpsburg, and is undergoing restoration as the future home of the Hagerstown Model RR Museum.
  • Shepherdstown, WV – mile post 16.9 : A combination station. In 1870, $8,000 of bond money was given to the railroad on the condition that railroad car shops and a train maintenance yard be built in Shepherdstown. At the time, there was intense competition with nearby Charles Town for the potential jobs. Some properties had to be condemned to make room for the workshop. Many townspeople felt they were not paid fairly compensated for their lands worth, and went to court to fight for a fair settlement. The shops and maintenance buildings were torn down just a few years later, the SVRR had the town's money and fulfilled the fine-print of the agreement.
  • Morgan’s Grove Siding : Siding extended in 1886. Extended in 1890. As of 2005, the siding still exists. A stone spring house, which remains on the Morgan Grove Park grounds located next to the siding, was the meeting point in 1775 of the men of Berkeley County for the famous Bee Line March to Concord.
  • Shenandoah Junction, WV – mile post 23.1 : There was a junction here with the main line of the B&O Railroad. There was quite an operation here consisting of a passenger station, a freight station, a pump house and an engine coaling station. The stations have been torn down.
  • Aglionby's Siding
  • Charles Town, WV – mile post 28.4 : There was a combination station, a freight house, and a signal tower here. There was a junction here with the Valley Branch of the B&O Railroad, a line that moved much of the construction materials needed to build the nearby section of the SVRR. The combination station shown at left was under restoration in 2005 and completed in 2006. It is situated near the NS right-of-way, but not in its original location.
  • Chew's Siding : This is probably the private siding built in 1883 to Eagle Mfg Co. Research efforts have turned up the name Roger Preston Chew. He apparently was the president of Eagle Mfg Company. He was also a Confederate colonel who raised a battery of horse artillery, "Chew's Battery," which became part of the famous Laurel brigade under Jackson's command. He participated in all Jackson's campaigns until Jackson's death; and was promoted to chief of cavalry's guns serving through the Wilderness, Petersburg and Appomattox.
  • Wheatland, WV – mile post 32.5 : Private station built in 1883. No town buildings seem to exist today, just a railroad crossing.
  • Rippon, WV – mile post 33.7 : The original station burned on Oct 21, 1883, and was rebuilt. A new combination station was moved from Lofton in 1886. Cattle pen and of siding was built 1886. The town is located from Charlestown and ¾ mile from SVRR depot. In 1890 the town contained an Episcopal Church, several stores and shops. Another church, Presbyterian, was located about one mile from the village, on Bullskin Run. Some documents misspell this place as Ripon.
  • Fairfield, VA – mile post 36.2 : It is unknown if there ever was a station here, or if it was just a stop. Was named Gaylord by 1890. The post office pictured is off Gaylord Lane, a short road running parallel the westward lanes of Route 340.
  • Berryville, VA – mile post 39.9 : Separate passenger and freight stations.
  • Brigg's Siding
  • Boyce, VA – mile post 46.2 : Combination station located at the crossing of the SVRR and Millwood Turnpike from Winchester. Additional of siding was added in 1885. The wooden station was replaced in 1913 with a 141-feet long by 26-feet wide stucco-on-clay-block masonry building. Land acquisition and construction were financed with $17,500 in private funds from undisclosed sources. The new station had central hot-water radiator heating, electric lights, and inside rest room facilities.
  • White Post, VA – mile post 49.2 : White Post obtained its unique title through the fact that Lord Fairfax erected here a post and painted it white, upon which were inscriptions informing the traveler the direction in which lay Greenway Court and the distance to that seat of colonial royalty. The old station on the north side of Rte 628 was dismantled in the 1950s and a smaller one erected on the south side of Rte 628.
  • Ashby, VA – mile post 53.2
  • Wheelwright's Siding
  • Cedarville, VA - mile post 56.4
  • Limekiln Siding, VA : A.31 mile branch to Carson's Lime Kiln. Mistakenly called Lime Kiln in 1883 SVRR annual report.
  • Riverton, VA – mile post 59.2 : Nearby Front Royal refused to allow railroads in the town, so a combination station was built here on the northern bank of the Shenandoah river. The SVRR was a late comer to Riverton, so it bore the expense of building the tower "RV" controlling traffic at the junction with the Manassas Branch of the Virginia Midland RR. A new turn-table was built in 1890, along with of new siding.
  • Spoke Factory Siding : Colbert Hessler was Vice President. Apparently the factory was located in Mount Gilead, Loudoun County, Virginia.
  • Front Royal, VA – mile post 62.1 : The siding south of Front Royal was renamed Rando after the Randolph-Macon Academy, but the name never stuck. Hence it reverted to Front Royal. The combination station was dismantled in 1952, and a three-sided shelter was erected between Riverton and Front Royal on Kendrick Lane in Front Royal. More research needs to be done to disentangle the historical accounts of the different railroads in town.
  • Manor, VA – mile post 66.4 : A three-sided shelter existed in 1910. No evidence of a full station has been found.
  • Purcell’s Siding
  • Limeton, VA : Served the Limeton Lime Company plant at Karo Landing, VA. Combination station built in 1890.
  • Bentonville, VA – mile post 72.9 : There was a combination station here. Bentonville was at a summit above sea level. The station received material from Superior Ochre, a paint ingredient manufacturer, and hides from the Mt. Vernon Tannery in nearby Browntown. On February 22, 1889, a boxcar somehow rolled down the track and was hit by a northbound passenger train, killing one.
  • Overall, VA – mile post 75.6 : Originally this station was named Milford. Overall gets its name from the Overall family, large landowners at one time. One of the members of this family was Col. William C. Overall, who owned hundred of acres of land in that section. Today, there is a high trestle called Milford Bridge over where the town sign is on Route 340. Location and type of station unfound, but is probably on the northern side of the trestle since service stopped here while bridges were built to the south.
  • Dry Run Siding
  • Rileyville, VA – mile post 79.8 : The original station burned on Dec 19, 1883, and was rebuilt. A new combination station was built in 1890. The numerous Riley families soon became Rileyville. A nearby village called Cedar Point, doubtless due to a hill thickly clustered with cedar trees, dwindled after the station drove businesses to the top of the hill. There is a historical book of Rileyville at the Luray Copy Center.
  • Vaughn’s Summit, VA – mile post 83.0 : Called Summit Siding originally, it was renamed Vaughn's Summit Siding after a nearby family, then renamed to Vaughn's Summit. Extended in 1883. Not sure if a station ever existed, though "siding" was dropped from its name which would imply so.
  • Kimball, VA – mile post 85.1 : There was a combination station here. Kimball is named after F. J. Kimball, who at one time was president of the Norfolk and Western Railway. Name was changed to Elgin by 1890. The post office is still Kimball, though the railway station is Elgin, to prevent confusion with another railway station named Kimball in Southwest Virginia.
  • Luray, VA – mile post 88.8 : There was both a passenger station and a freight station here. The caverns located near this station were a major tourist destination, and a catalyst of much needed lucrative passenger traffic. Luray perhaps got its name from Lorraine in France, the similarity of the country around Luray and the French province being so striking. Others say that the town got its name from "Lou Ramey," an old blacksmith who is said to have lived and flourished in his day at this place, they contending that "Lou Ramey" finally dropped into "Luray".
  • Spitler's Siding
  • Sands, VA – mile post 95.6 : The combination station was located east of the town. In 1885, the station was known as Sands, being named after Joseph H. Sands, the superintendent of the SVRR. In 1890, the railroad was sold and the station name was changed to Stanleyton, which was later shortened to Stanley. James McNider was at the time President of the Stanley Furnace and Land Company. It was either his son or his nephew, Stanley McNider, after whom the Town was officially named in on 2/14/1890. The station was destroyed during a town-wide fire in 1909.
  • Beidler's Siding : Research has not determined who/what Beidler was, but the siding still exists off Donovan Rd in Stanley, VA. As of 2006, a company called Masonite Door Corp has a manufacturing facility here. Interesting the name Donovan, see the entry for Ingham below.
  • Nauman's Siding : Named for the Nauman family that resided near this spot. The siding has not been located but may be at the other end of Donovan Rd as Beidler's Siding. The auto road, running parallel to the RR line, ends now about.6 miles south of Beidler's Siding.
  • Ingham, VA – mile post 101.9 : Combination station was built between 1885 and 1889. Presumably the station was near Ingham Rd which is a private road off Grove Hill River Rd. According to Google Maps, Ingham Rd used to cross the RR tracks. It then ran north, parallel to the tracks on the east side, ending above the Cold Springs Dr tunnel. There is a driveway running from Cold Springs Dr up toward the tracks. The pad may indeed lie there.
  • Grove Hill, VA – mile post 104.0 : The site is located off Rinaca Lane. The pad was not found, but the location was independently confirmed in 2006 by an 84-year-old Mr Comer who has spent his whole life off Crooked Run Rd, about a mile east off Grove Hill River Rd. Mile marker H104 is also visible to the south.
  • Milnes, VA – mile post 106.7 : Both a passenger station and a freight station were located here. 50-ton iron-frame scale built in 1883. Cattle pen and of siding built in 1886. Coal wharf expanded and rebuild in 1889. The station still exists in quite good condition as an NS work building. As of 2006, it appears restoration is still onging as witnessed by bare framing inside. It is located off 1st street.
  • Milnes Ore Branch Siding : Milnes is the site of Shenandoah Iron Company, which was capital-intensive company, employs a great many men. 17 miles of siding were added in 1883 to reach Milnes Yard. The "Gem" furnace of the Shenandoah Iron, Lumber, Mining and Mfg Company was put into blast in February 1883. On 9/15/1885 it was forced into receivership after the recession that depressed pig iron and other mineral prices.
  • Elkton, VA – mile post 112.5 : Both a passenger station and a freight station were here. of siding added in 1885.
  • Yancey’s Siding
  • Seller’s Siding
  • 120 Mile Siding : Passengers were picked up here in 1889, was there a station or was it just a flag stop?
  • 124 Mile Siding
  • Port Republic, VA – mile post 127.2 : There were both passenger and freight stations here. The station was originally named Leroy, but was named after the nearby village of Port Republic in 1886.
  • Grottoes, VA – mile post 130 : There was a combination station erected here in 1889. Recognizing the economic potential of the railroad, Staunton businessman and land speculator Jedediah Hotchkiss bought up the land which today comprises the town. Hotchkiss, a Stauntonian, had earned national fame as Civil War General Stonewall Jackson’s mapmaker. The area was known as Liola.
  • Weyer’s Cave – mile post 129.1 : There was a passenger station here. This was a favorite tourist location because of the widely featured articles in Harper’s Monthly Magazine about the nearby caves. Mistakenly referred to as Weyer's Gave in 1883 SVRR annual report. Snowflake Mills, Stoney Point, and Weyers Cave Milling produced flour that was shipped in barrels.
  • Harriston, VA – mile post 133.0 : A combination station was located here named Patterson. In 1885, the name was changed because of another station on the N&W had the same name. Harriston was first settled in 1762 by William Patterson. By the 19th century, the upwardly mobile Patterson's undertook the construction of a brick mansion that stands today. The farm originally was called Harriston in honor of the Patterson ancestral home. Later, the name of the farm was changed to Willow Grove. In 1890, S.D. Patterson laid out the three-street village of Harriston next to the railroad.
  • 135 Mile Siding
  • Crimora, VA – mile post 136.9 : There was a combination station here at this branch.
  • Crimora Mines Siding : Additional of siding built in 1885. Additional of siding built in 1886.
  • Dooms Siding, VA – mile post 141.0 : It is unknown if a station existed here. Additional of siding was added in 1885. Dooms was a stop on the railroad named for John Dooms, who allowed the tracks to pass through his property. The Dooms family once had a store in the community as well. The hamlet once had a post office, but it closed in 1934.
  • Waynesboro Junction, VA – mile post 143.2 : There was passenger station here at the junction with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Originally the tracks were dug down under the C&O line, with the station on ground level. Across the river from Waynesboro, a planned industrial-residential city was laid out in 1890, and it was named Basic City. Basic City is not the same as Basic. SVRR and C&O were in Basic while the B&O was in Basic City. To make matters worse Waynesboro still exists today as well. Research is very difficult here because of often misused names in much of the material written, and the constant references to "railroad" without indicating which one.
  • Lyndhurst, VA – mile post 148.0 : A combination station was located here, the name supposedly thought up by SVRR's George C. Milne who named the community after Lord Lyndhurst.
  • Sherando, VA – mile post : This station was listed in the 1883 annual report, but was not listed in the 1885 station list or mentioned for removal for that year. Also, the furnace closed down in 1884. The station may have simply been moved to Lipscomb.
  • Lipscomb, VA – mile post 150.0 : The Sherando station may have been moved here after its furnace was shut down.
  • Stuarts Draft, VA – mile post 153.0 : There was a combination station here. Stuarts Draft got its name from an early settler and the fact that the South River, a tributary branch of the Shenandoah River runs through it, carving out the land as it rolls along. Such a river or creek and its accompanying landscape was once known as a draft. This region of the country is about the only place in the US that you will find "drafts" dotting the countryside. Stuarts Draft became "official" in 1837 when a post office was opened. The sleepy village really woke up in 1881 when SVRR came through. By the 1920s, there were more than 400 people in the town, and the railroad became the link for shipping fruit and poultry products to the big city markets.
  • Gaw's Siding : It is not known what/who Gaw was.
  • 154 Mile Siding
  • Crobarger's Siding
  • Coldsprings/Cold Spring, VA – mile post 159.4 : There was a passenger station here. Originally named for the nearby spring, the station name was changed to Greenville after the nearby village. Both spellings of the original name have been found in documents of the era; which is correct is not known. A clear picture of the side of the station would settle it.
  • Lofton, VA – mile post 162.7 : A very small shed-style station was located here in 1912, it is unknown what the original station was.
  • 165 Mile/Pkin Siding : At the intersection of Tree Lodge Farm and South Bottom Roads. It is unknown what/who Pkin was.
  • Vesuvius, VA : There was a combination station here. The Vesuvius furnace was shutup before sometime before 1884.
  • Marlbrook, VA : Located around mile marker 172ish.
  • 174 Mile Siding
  • Rawling’s Siding
  • Midvale, VA : A combination station was located here. 44 additional feet of siding added in 1885.
  • Crowder’s Siding
  • Riverside, VA : A combination station resided here.
  • Appold's Siding : A steam-tannery was built by George Appold & Sons near Loch Laird in 1883. Passengers picked up in 1885, was there a station built in 1884?
  • Buena Vista, VA : There was a combination station here. In 1880 two railroads, forming a junction, ran through Buena Vista. The railroads were the SVRR and Richmond & Allegheny Railroad which ran to Lexington from Glasgow. In 1884 the old furnace was in ruins, though numerous deposits were nearby. from where the SVRR crosses the James River were mines on the Glenwood estate. This very valuable property was in heavy operation in 1884.
  • Loch Laird, VA : There was a junction with the Lexington Branch of the Richmond & Allegheny Railroad. The water tank was moved from Saint James to here in 1883. A new small single-room station was built in 1885 for joint use of SVRR and the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad. of new siding added in 1885. Today, the station apparently is on the opposite side of the river from route 501. Need picture of modern site.
  • Thompson, VA : Town doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
  • Buffalo Forge, VA : There was a combination station here. Developed by two men from Pennsylvania the Buffalo forge produced much of the iron used by the Confederacy during the Civil War.
  • Emil, VA Flag Stop : Two miles south of Buffalo Forge
  • Glasgow, VA : Glasgow was born on March 5, 1890, the day the Rockbridge Company held a drawing of lots. At that time only two houses, Union Ridge and the Salling home, stood in Glasgow which then boasted a population of no more than 20 people. By June 1890, 55 houses stood in Glasgow. By October 25, 1890, there was a population of over 800, with 12 factories and industries operating or under construction. The SVRR station also opened in 1890. As of 2005 there is a connection with the CSX railroad here.
  • Locher's Siding : Extended in 1883. of siding removed in 1886. This appears before a station for Glasgow, it appears to be a different place, though. In 1848, Charles Hess Locher came to Balcony Falls and founded the James River Cement Works. At the time, construction of the Kanawha Canal on the James River was going to improve the river transportation. The James River Cement Works produced natural cement for most of Virginia until Portland cement, much superior in quality and strength to the natural product, became widely available. Charles Locher's two sons. Harry and Eben, ran the company after the Civil War until it closed down in 1907.
  • Natural Bridge, VA : New combination station in 1911.
  • 206 Mile siding
  • Solitude Order Station : Location of a train order station. There was a junction here with the main line of the Richmond & Allegheny Railroad.
  • Arcadia, VA : A flag stop in 1882. The Arcadia Iron Company was located here, with a tract of. Today, the site is located off Solitude Road as well as a nearby furnace.
  • 212/213 Mile siding : Additional of siding built in 1885. It is unknown what was here that warranted a siding.
  • Buchanan, VA : There is a connection here. NW of Buchanan was an operational mine on the Purgatory Iron property. It was 2-1/2 miles from the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad, which may have met SVRR here. As of 2005, the combination station pad still exists off 15th Street.
  • Ellis Run Siding : Found during site visit in 2005.
  • Lithia, VA : There was a combination station here.
  • Spec Mine Siding: Located at mile marker 221.
  • Nace, VA : Named for Sam Houston, the name was later changed to Nace due to numerous other stations called Houston in the country.
  • Houston Mines Siding : Crozer Steel and Iron Company had an operation mine here in 1884 called Houston Mines. The ore was sent to the Crozer furnace in Roanoake.
  • Troutville, VA : Named after Big Lick native Henry Shaver Trout. Trout, with his father John, ran the Franklin Road inn called the Trout House. Trout, along with Peyton Leftwich Terry, were heavily involved in the convincing of the SVRR to come to Big Lick. The line was leased to N&W. Then four years later, the N&W bought the Roanoke & Southern and turned the line into its Winston-Salem Division. In 1884, there was an operation mine ½ south of the station on Jacob G. Layman's farm.
  • Cloverdale, VA : Confirmed by area resident in 2006 that station was torn down in late 1980s or early 1990s.
  • Hollins, VA : Was a flag stop named Tinker Creek for the nearby stream when built in 1882. A private siding called Hollins' Institute was added in 1883. A station was built sometime in 1889 or later, Cooper's book says it was built after SVRR was absorbed into N&W.
  • Tinker Creek, VA : Was a flag stop named for the nearby stream when built in 1882. This is listed as a separate place than Hollins. Gone by 1908.
  • Crozer Steel and Iron Works Siding : Furnace was put into blast in May 1883. Deed dated October 31, 1887, wherein William T McClure and Benjamin Patterson granted a 1/4 acre located near Upland Mines Railroad Bedford Co. to Crozer Steel and Iron Co. Deed dated September 8, 1905, wherein V.I.C C. conveyed to N&W Railroad Co. additional right of way for side track at Crozer Furnace, Roanoke VA. Copy of court ruling dated June 18, 1892, in suit of Crozier Iron Co. Vs Roanoke Rolling Mill.
  • Gale Mine :
  • Roanoke Gas Works Siding
  • Roanoke, VA : 50-ton iron-frame scale with scale house & C. built. Coal Wharf erected 1889. Brick oil house erected 1889.
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