VGN Narrows
The Virginian Railroad
Formed in 1909, the 600 mile Virginian Railroad was created to haul coal from the mines in West Virginia to the ships at the Sewells Point docks in Norfolk, VA which were waiting to carry the coal to foreign ports. It was built through the vision and financial backing of H. H. Rogers, who hired talented people and gave them the best equipment that his money could buy.
The railroad owned 83 freight steam locomotives and nearly 15,000 coal cars. In 1950 the VGN hauled over 28 million tons of coal.
Among other achievements, they had a very successful electrification program, replacing steam engines with 7000 horse power electric engines to haul 70+ coal car trains carrying 16,000 tons for the run out of the mountains over 2% grades from Mullens, WV 134 miles to Roanoke, VA. The current was generated at the Narrows, VA power station halfway between the two. The system was activated in 1925 and ran until 1962.
Narrows
Narrows, Virginia was chosen as the site for the power plant because of a town already there and it being half way between the extreme ends of the electrified territory; Mullens and Roanoke. The plant’s primary building was 220 feet by 156 feet and roughly 140 feet high. Two brick stacks stood 376 feet tall. There were three turbo generators with a fourth available as needed, each capable of producing 15,000 k.w of electricity. By means of transformers, the power could be raised to 88,000 volts when it left the plant. After the merger with N&W, diesel was the favored and most economical means of transport, so the Narrows Power Plant was demolished in 1970.
The power plant was located across US 460 from the cache location. I have heard that one of the buildings there now was part of the original power plant. My grandfather worked at the power plant as a machinist. He lived about ¼ mile to the west in front of where the bank building is now.
The cache is in a high muggle area. Please maintain secrecy and return it to the least obvious place It is small so BYOP.