I am looking for any info on the Southern running north from Newport to Morristown, mainly interested in the coal structures along the Nolichucky river. I remember hangin out their in the early 70s, but it was not active then, so it must have been used prior to this. Was this a major yard at one time? What was it called? Any thing related to this I will be glad to pay for. Thank you, Robert

-- Robert Peak (a63unibody@aol.com), September 01, 1999

Answers

That place where the coaling tower was/is, is called Leadvale, TN. (Milepost 214.8 on the NS). Leadvale is a small junction point on the NS, where a line from Bulls Gap joins the line from Morristown (New Line) to Ashville, NC. The tower was abandoned when Douglas Dam was built, flooding the area. There used to be a little depot out there when SR still used train orders (late 70's-early 80's). It was a lonely assignmet for the operaters and they kept a loaded shotgun behind the door (they said it was to shot crows with). There was never a big yard there and I have no idea why SR had such a huge coaling tower way out in the middle of nowhere. A guess might be that the grades on the line before the lake flooded the area were steep enough that helpers were required so the tower was built to fuel pusher locos. An example of another railroad doing something similar would be the old tower at Chaska, TN on the L&N. AEP

-- Albert E. Pope (aepope@worldnet.att.net), September 29, 1999.