Colonel B en n eha n Cameron , Cha irm a n ,

C . B o wie Hon . T . , .

Major W . C . Heath ,

E xec u tive Com m ittee ,

8 . . Special Commissio n , A . W N . C Railroad ,

Gentlemen

a 9 2 3 Following instructions given me by your Committee , in M y, 1 , organizations were perfected and work gotten under way for making three

Wes preliminary surveys , to determine the location for the Appalachian and tern North Ca rolina Railroad . These three Projects are as follows

Ashe County Project ,

Alleghany County Project ,

Watauga County Project .

Later it was decided to add an additional project , namely

Taylorsville P roject .

The first meeting of the Executive Committee was held at North

Wilkesboro , and was attended by the Chief Engineer as well a s the Consult

ing Engineer . At this meeting it was decided by the Committee that the three original projects should be confined to a maximum of eight degree

curvature and one per cent . compensated grades against east bound traffic ,

- and one and one half per cent . compensated grades a gainst west bound tra fli c .

r Later , when the Taylo sville Project was added , it was decided that curvature

o limitati ns for this project should be ten degrees maximum , and that the

tw e gradient limitations should be o per c nt . compensated in either direction . The maps covering all fo u r projects have been prepared and the p ro j e c

tions made within the prescribed limitations . Taking them up in their

respective order , a detailed description follows

ASHE COUNTY PROJECT Starting at the western terminus of the Wilkesboro Branch of South i ern Ra lway , this project extends through Wilkes and Ashe Counties , North 3 Carolina , and Johnson County , Tennessee , distance of miles to a connection with the Big S tone Gap - Mountain City Branch of Southern

Railway, at Mountain City , Tennessee . The end of Southern Railway at

zero m il e North Wilkesboro is , post for this line . The first mile westward follows the old grade of the Watauga and

Yadkin River Railroad . Leaving this grade near mile post 1 , it follows up

Saw Mill and Fish Dam Creeks to near mile post 8.

' C a Just west of Pu rlear , North arolina there is wide valley stretching

. m 8 out from the foot of Rendezvous Mountain From ile post , westwardly the line is projected around this valley crossing under the B o one Trail High

way a t mile post at Purlea r . o On page seven of the Ashe County Project maps , Ho ver Knob Loop and its approaches are shown . The line enters this sheet at mile post . and leaves it at mile post and the p ro jec tio n is on the maximu m grade throughout .

'

Leaving Hoover Mountain . near mile post 1 8, the line is projected along Summit Ridge to a crossing over the North Prong of Lewis Fork Creek at mile post passing Gunners Gap at mile post and Sum mit Post 5 o fli ce at mile post 2 .

A n t r t v r u t f r m ! u er ! m t t rt al e na i e o e o nn s ap . ile p os o N o h

W k b b c d d . f il es oro , has een onsi ere R e erenc e will b e m ade to this ! rou t e i n the c onc lu ding p arag rap h o f the Ashe C o u n ty P roj ec t des

c rip tio n ;

! Crossing Lewis Fork Cre ek at mile pb st the projection follows t b around he ends of Piney Kno Ridge , Big Lump Ridge , Little Lump Ridge and Spur Ridge reaching Fowlers Cove at mile post 32 . Following then around the side of the Blue Ridge , the east portal of Daniels Gap Tunnel is reached at mile post This tunnel will lie in a northwesterly direction

- and will be approximately three thousand feet long . For twenty one miles a p

a hi p ro c n g the east portal of Daniels Gap Tunnel , the p rojected line is con s ta n tly on the prescribed maximum gradient .

Leaving the west portal of Daniels Gap Tunnel the line follows easy

e 6. country for several miles , crossing South Fork of New Riv r at mile post 3

! - At mile post it passes through Shepherd s Gap , thirty one

e hundred f et above sea level , the highest point on the line between North

Wilkesboro and M ountain City .

' From Shepherd s Gap westwardly the line descends on a one per cent . compensated grade to Buffalo Creek , mile post at Warrensville . West 4 Jefferson is at mile post 4. The Junction with the Alleghany County Project is at mile post Besides Buff alo Creek ! the Highway and the Abingdon Branch of Norfolk and Western Railway are also crossed at mile post After crossing Buff alo Creek the projected line passes on to the north

- side of T hree Top Mountain , which it follows to mile post 54, passing

Clifton at mile post 53. 55 At mile post , the line crosses North Fork of New River . Thence

' it e n te rs Bi through a short tunnel and the valley of g Lau rel Creek , at mile

56. post Following up Big Laurel Creek , Paynes Gap is reached at the North Carolina - Tennessee li n e a n d is negotiated with a tunnel one -half mile long , the west portal of which is at mile post 62 .

From the west portal of Paynes Gap Tunnel the line follows along the south side of Forge Mountain to Furnace Creek , where it turns a round the end of the mountain to Goose Creek . Reaching Goose Creek it foll o ws down this stream to Mountain City , Tennessee , and a connection with S outh ern Railway at mile post 4 ' With further reference to the line from Gunners Gap , mile post

' ‘ we ha Ve to North Wilkesboro , which named the Big Ivey Church Line , it b is highly p robably that this is a better line than the Hoover Kno Line , the

! latter of which was surveyed . It was our original intention to survey the

' e xten d to w a rd D ee Big Ivey Church Line , which would p Ford Hill from l e ddie Gunners Gap , and thence down R s River to North Wilkesboro , but

! weather conditions made the territory inaccessible and the Hoover Knob Line was surveyed instead . Should the Ashe County Project be decided upon ,

lin e sho u ld u . this _ by all means be s rveyed

ALLEGHANY COUNTY PROJECT

! It is the purpose of the Alleghany County Project to connect Elkin ,

- ~ North Carolina with Mountain City , Tennessee . The Elkin and Alleghany

a . Railroad , a stand rd guage lin e , ha s been constructed north from Elkin about

fifteen miles . ! ero mile post of the Alleghany County Project is at mile post

f k N . 1 3. 7 8j o El in and Alleghany Railroad near Doughton , orth Carolina While t he Elkin and Alleghany Railroa d is taken in this report as a n existing railroad , at the same time several thousand dollars will have to be

i . n expended on this lin e f it is used as . a part of Appalachian and Wester

North Carolina Railroad .

n is From mile post zero , our li e projected in a general northwestward direction passing between Stone Mountain and Ellis Knob and running on to

1 3. Leaning Knob , which it reaches near mile post

Circling this knob the line reverses an d t u rns in a general southeast

a ward direction to the east portal of Rich Mount in Tunnel . A peculiar n t ne coin cidence in co nection with this un l is , that in reality the east portal ‘

th e d l t . is e west n of it c ue , of course , o the topographyof the country For twelve miles east of the tu n n e l the line cl imbs the mountain on the maximu m ‘ gradient set by the Commission .

!

Rich Mountain Tunnel will have to be about forty ! one hundred feet

l a n . e e long From its west end the line bears towa rd the northwest . passing D

! Church at mile post 2 0 , Cherry Lane at mile post Woodruff s S u mmit 2 2 at mile post , Wolf Branch School House at mile post and Wa goner s 2 7 Store at mile post , reaching the east portal of Peach Bottom Tunnel at mile post The grades between Rich Mountain . and Peach Bottom

in Tunnels a re undulating , the line being kept on high ground purposely

. order to reduce mila g e to a minimum , The line is within two and one

- 2 7 , a half miles of Sparta at mile post and splendid . road can be constructed

- between these two points . At m ile post it is about one half mile south of Whitehead . Peagch Bottom Tunnel will lie almost exactly east and west and its

- len g th will be approximately twenty three hundred feet . The summit at Peach Bottom Tunnel will be the highest point on the line between Elk in a n d

! two fif t - Mountain City , being three thousand hundred and. y six feet above sea level . .

5 , From Peach Bottom Tunnel south to Lau rel Springs is a distance of

- eight and one half miles , and two complete spirals are necessary in order to get down to Cranberry Creek on a one per cent . descending compensated grade . 44 Laurel Sp rings is at mile post , and here the line reaches Cranberry

- Creek . It then follows down this stream for six and one half miles , where it tu rns to the left and heads across country to South For k of New River reaching it at mile post 51 . Following up the river the projection has been made to the mouth 60 h of Naked Creek , mile post , and t ence crossing the river and up Naked

i 64 o n n Creek to Jefi ers o n , at mile post , and to a Junctio with the Ashe

3. County Project at mile post 65. In order to construct the Alleghany

9 6. 4 County Project it will be necessa ry to build miles , representing 65. 3 ' s d miles from Doughton to a connection with the A he County Project , an

- r M n - i , _ miles f om this connection to ount_ a City adding to this miles

h ‘ ” f he representing that portion o t Elkin and Alleg hany Railroad to be rebuilt , we have a total of miles from Elkin , North Ca rolina to Mountain

- th . City . Tennessee ; the whole of e Alleghany County Project

WATAUGA COUNTY P ROJECT

o The Watauga County Project starts from N rth Wilkesboro , zero mile

As P ro ec t a n d post being the same as that of the he County j , , it extends from

- - there ninety three and one half miles westwardly to Butler , Tennessee . The grade of the old Watauga and Yadkin River Railroad is used for seven miles , to Lewis Fork Creek , where the new line turns northwestwardly r 0 and follows up Lewis Fo k Creek to mile post 1 , and from mile post 1 0 it bears up the west prong of Lewis Fork Creek , and thence on to the Boone 4 Trail Highway at mile post 1 . Here it begins the ascent of the Blue Ridge M ountain on the maximum gradient set by the Co mmission . It follows up Fall Creek and the west

' prong of Lewis Fork . Creek , reversing direction several times in gaining distance . Between mile post 31 , and mile post it is necessary to cross 3 the Boone Trail Highway three times . At mile post 3, the line is hardly ' more than a stones throw from the top of the Blue Ridge M o u n ta in a t Deep

Gap , but fa r below it in point of elevation .

‘ Following on along the side of the Blue Ridge , Osborne Mountain

Loop , three miles long , is reached , and the line reverses direction r etu rning ' to Deep Gap where the east portal of Deep Gap T u n n el is reached at m ile

- post This tunnel will have to be thirty two hundred feet long , and twen ty - six miles of the line approaching it from the east will be on the r maximum g ade . Leaving the west portal of Deep Gap Tunnel the Boone Trail Hi gh way is followed and crossed several times to mile post Here it turns toward South Fork of New River which it reaches at mile post 46. The line is projected up this stream substantially following its meanderings to mile s post cro sing the river now and then in order to avoid excess curvature . 6 the P At mile post plant of the Boone ower Company is reached . Boone Station will be situated somewhere in the valley between mile posts 55 54 and . At mile post the Linville River Railroad , a narrow guage line is crossed , and at mile post the sum m it of the ridge between South

s Fork of New River and Watauga River is reached in Hodge Gap , the high

- est point on the Watauga County Project , being thirty two hundred a n d

- t forty six fee above sea level . From Hodges Gap down to Watauga River it is necessary to develop

t de cen d distance in order o within the grade limitations . The river is reached

at mile post near Foscoe . Shulls Mills Station is at mile post 5 a d 69 . 7 s n Valle Crucis is at mile post At mile post , the line enter the n Watauga River Gorge . From here to Butler , Ten essee , 2. distance of

miles , the line follows the meanderings of the river , side hill cuts and fills being necessary . Connection is made with the Big Stone Gap Mountain City Branch of

Southern Railway at Butler , Tennessee , eighteen miles toward Bristol from

Wilk esb ro Mountain City , the distance from North , being miles .

TAYL ORSVILLE PROJECT

Beginning at Wilkesboro Junction , mile post of the Ashe and

Watauga County Projects , this line turns southeastwardly and crosses Yadkin

e n d r River on a diagonal . From the south of the b idge , it heads due south

into the hills and through a tunnel under the town of Wilkesboro . Continuing southwa rdly on undulating grades it passes Moravian Falls

5. 6 at mile post Just north of mile post , the ascent of Brushy Mountain ' is begun , and Kilby s Gap is reached at mile post

s 1 6 From the ummit to mile post , there is a continuous descent , and

- 1 6 from mile post , to m ile post at Taylorsville , the g rades are undu

lating .

! The maximum curvature used on this line is ten degrees , and the maxi

- mum gradient is one and eight tenths per cent . compensated . The con

struction work will be light throughout the entire length , considering the

class of country traversed , and the general direction of the line is almost du e

south .

rs d From Wilkesboro Junction to Taylo ville the istance is miles , I . to i and from Wilkesboro Junction North Wilkesboro it s miles , making

i n il e a total distance of s from North Wilkesboro to Ta yl o rsville , or i m les from Taylorsville to Butler , Tennessee , and miles from

Taylorsville to Mountain City , Tennessee .

WATER POWER POSSIBILITIES

T he counties th rough which these lines have been run present p ossi

- b ilities for wonderful hydro electric development . The fall in the rivers make possible a series of units combined through synchronizing plants de

vel o p in g a great amount of power . 7

! s On South Fork of New River , at one p oint , there is a po sibility of a super power plant where something like one hundred and twenty thousand

- twenty four hour horse power could be developed at a reasonable cost . Ri parian rights only , stand in the way , and it is possible that this might be overcome .

MINERAL AND TIMBER RESOURCES

These counties abound in soapstone , mica , feldspar , granite and lime

! m a n a tite m a n a tite stone , as well as large ! uantities of g and copper . The g of

- 52 56 . . e i Ashe County runs per cent pu re iron Ore Knob C 0 p p r M i ne , n ce s Ashe County , on turned out in one year omething over sixteen hundred tons of pure copper , and Peach Bottom Copper Mine , in Alleghany County . is rich in metallic properties .

! t ha s a n n Stone Mountain , in Alleghany Coun y! u limited deposit of the l e i a ta u a finest grade of granite , Ashe County has its soapston and V g County has its mica and feldspar .

Great boundaries of timber including oak , chestnut , poplar , spruce , he m

e lock , pine and walnut are to be found her , and particularly is this true in

Watauga County .

MAN UFACTURING POSSIBILITIES

The elevation of the Blue Ridge Plateau gives it a climate particularly

- suitable for the manufactu re of fine textile products . Hydro electric power possibilities in this territory also furnish great advantages to manufacturing .

SCENERY

The top of the Blue Ridge Mountain averages aroun d thirty - one hundred

- to thirty two hundred feet above sea level , and from the Alleghany County Crest the great Pilot M ountain and the B ru shies stand out in the back ground , and the Yadkin River can be seen in places as a mirror in the land scape .

e From the Ashe County Crest , at Daniels Gap Tunnel , gr at ridges

eddies stretch out in the foreground , and far in the distance R River winds itself into the valley toward the Yadkin . From the end of Osb orne Moun tain , in Watauga County , there is a view , deep in Elk Creek Valley that ca n u not be s rpassed .

Leaving the crest and falling ba ck into the interior a wonderful V iew can be had from the top of Peach Bottom Mountain in Allegheny County ! from the top of Three Top Mountain in Ashe County , and from near Hod a ges Gap in W tauga County . From any one of these places great peaks and valleys covered with blue grass and dotted here and there with grazing sheep and cattle , present a wonderful and magnificent panorama . Such is

” ! the summer time paradise known as the Lost Provinces . 1 0 There is possibly no section of the United States that can excel these counties for summer resort climate . Cool breezes , grassy hillsides , shady groves , babbling brooks and fast flowing rivers , make them an ideal place for summer vacationing , yet upon the completion of the Appalachian and Wes ' . er tern North Carolina Railroad , they will be but a night s ride from the cent of the Nations Industrial Districts . With development this will inevitably ' become a great resort country . With all of this they are only a day s jou rney by automobile , over good roads , to the Sandhill Resorts of North

Carolina , nationally famous as winter pla y grounds . _

AGRICULTURE

Natural blue grass is found in all of these counties . Timber and under

us - br h removed from the hill sides , beautiful blue grass pastu res develop in

i . two years , and except in rare instances the soil w ll not wash Sheep and light weight cattle are profitably grown in this country . Poultry also thrives .

The bottom lands are exceedingly fertile and produce excellent grain ,

especially corn . Apples , pears and cherries are unexcelled . In fact the apples n have taken ational prizes . Cheese is also produced in great ! uantities .

THE TRUNK LINE RAILROAD

The Blue Ridge Mountain extends from Northern Georgia to Maryland ,

attaining its highest elevation in Mitchell County , North Carolina . The Alleghany Mountain extends from Pennsylvania down through

Maryland , Virginia and West Virginia , and into ! entucky terminating in m foot hills known as the Cu berland Mountains . Between these two ranges

r there is a valley known as the Shenandoah , which runs p actically the

whole length of the State of Virginia . The Virginia East and West trunk lines of railroad cross these two w ranges of mountains as ell as the Shenandoah Valley . One of these lines serving North Carolina has three branches ex tending into the State ; one to Ashe County ; one to Fo rsyth County and

one to Durham County . Besides these three branches all of the North and South trunk lines of railway which pass across the States of Virginia t i and North Carolina , also connect with the Virginia East and Wes trunk l nes .

- t ~ A c ro ss , , the State entirely from North to South the most westerly l ine

' of t hrough rails is a combination of the N o rf o lk and Western and Southern

- Railways from Martinsville , Virginia by way of Winston Salem , Barber ,

Mooresville , Cha rlotte and ! astonia to Blacksburg , South Carolina . Spring

i , r n g . from this line the fi st through rail connection to the west , south of

Roanoke , is a combination of Southern , C . C . 8 O . and C . 8 O . Railways ‘ from Barber to Cincinnati . A little thought makes i t man ifest that some of

' t e e tu these sys em s are interested in , and have probably been factors toward p rp '

atin g the freight rate discriminations against North Carolina . Nearly all of th a ! Nor C rolina s East and West lines of railroad terminate ! in the main line of o S o uthern Railway . Only two lines of road cross the Blue Ridge in N rth 1 1 8 . . he Carolina , they being the Southern and the C . C . O Railways T latter r was primarily constructed to serve the Po t of Charleston , South Carolina , which purpose is about to be realized in its lease to the Atlantic Coast Line

‘ interests . The Southern serves its pu rpose , but it has , in reality , a south western trend through Knoxville to Memphis and Birmingham . The Middle West industrial centers lie ' to the northwest of North Caro

f re i ht ra te s lina . In order to rid ourselves of g discriminations , a new hort ‘ line from our coast to the Middle West must be devised , and this new short

! line must avoid dependence upon any , and every one of Virginia s East and

West trunk lines of railroad . There are several lines of railway in Northern North Carolina leading

, to the Blue Ridge! from the east and several extending to the foot hills on the other side from the west .

It would seem then , that the first step of progress should be made by connecting the rail heads ne arest t o gether - a f the northwestern corner of the

- l State . This would give North Carolina Ports a new short ine of rail con n e c tio n s to the Middle West , and would form a splendid base of complaint , for reduction of freight rates and relief from freight rate discriminations .

The great East and West trunk lines o f Virginia have thei r te rminations in Newport News and Norfolk and it is to these Ports that they wish to

to n a e haul their g for export because , thereby , they not only get the revenue for the long haul but also the revenue from the Port facilities which in some cases they own . P r With ade! uate orts constructed in Eastern No th Carolina , and with the new short line railroad to the Middle West realized , relief from freight m e rate discriminations must come , and ou r Ports will beco e comp titors with

Norfolk .

o f the Appalachian and Western North Ca rolina Rail In the location _ road , it has been deemed wise to pass through , or nea r , the northeast corner of Tennessee in order to have the western connection fall south of the Alleghany Mountains and a v oid having to negotiate the grades over both it and the Blue Ridge .

S outhern Railway has a line from Big Stone Gap , nea r the intersection

a n d of the line between Kentucky , Virginia Tennessee to Mountain City ,

Tennessee , near ou r Ashe County lin e . This same system has a railroad from

Greensboro to North Wilkesboro on the east side of the Blue Ridge . Three first preliminary lines have been projected with the idea of ha vin g the Appalachian and Western North Carolina Railroad connect these ' o two branches of S uthern Railway . This does not mean that Southern Railway shall dominate the Appa l a chia n and Western North Carolina Railroad , it simply means the first step ' toward North Carolina s transportation freedom . S outhern Railway can be given an opportunity to cooperate in this ' a movement , and become not only wonderful North and South carrier , but on the other hand it can become a great competitor with the Virginia East and 1 2 8 . West lines by cooperating with the L . N out of Cincinnati , and the Ap p a la chia n and Western North Ca rolina Railroad .

! In the meantime North Ca rolina s interests s eparate and apa rt from any and all existing railway corporations should get hold of as much of the

Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway as possible in order that , if necessary , the co m b i n a tio n o f the Appalachian and Western North Carolina Railroad and _ the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway can be utilized in forcing North

! Carolina s freedom along transportation matters . From Mountain City , n in Ten essee , it is not far down Watauga River to where a connection could 8 t be made with the C . C . O which will soon have its wes ern terminus

8 . . with an L . N connection It would not seem that North Carolina should construct more railways than are necessary . When the Appalachian and Western North Carolina m W Railroad is constructed , the co bination of lines ith this railroad will put m i North Ca rolina Ports , every one of them , on a similar lage basis from the

Middle West with Norfolk .

n This should be the first step , a d if the proper cooperation is not given by the other railroads , then steps should be continued until every hindrance

‘ is eliminated , for a complete trunk line of railroad can be built from Cincin nati , to a connection with the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway for the amount of money the interests of North Carolina lose in si x years time due , absolutely , to discrimination against the State . Your Engineer does not advocate the State owning railroads except in self defense , but he does ventu re the remark that the S tate owning a railroad from Cincinnati diagonally across the State of North Ca ro

' l her P o rts ina , touching two or three of , all owned and operated by the State w ould be a veritable gold mine .

h W ile we have p roduced map records covering the four projects , at the same time it must be understood that the su rveys and maps were made to develop feasibility , and the funds available would hardly. permit fu rther investigation .

A line of railroad could be built exactly on the lines as surveyed , but among other things , in the making of these surveys and the preparation of these maps , your Engineer has learned that the Blue Ridge Mountain country is not one for a practical ad a ptation of maximum eight degree curves

- e r e . and one , and one and one half p c nt grades . Of cou rse , further investi

' a tio n a n d r o g refinement of p ojections c uld be made , by additional surveys , and the road could be put through within the prescribed limitations , but it i s recommended that maximum cu rvature be raised to ten degrees and that the maximum gradients be increased to two per cent . compensated aig a in s t west

ffi . bound tra c leaving the original maximum of one per cent compensated , against east bound traffic to be maintained .

' e This , of course , means entir ly new surveys east from the summit of ' the l e n th the Blue Ridge , but it will cut g of each of the lines ten miles an d cut the cost of construction thirty to forty per cent . 1 3 Should the Alle ghany County Project be decided upon a s the line to be constructed , serious consideration should be given to the co mpletion of the Statesville Air Line Railroad from Statesville to Elkin .

SOME MILEAGE COMPARISONS

Based on the revised grade and cu rvatu re limitations as above rec o m

o f mended , the following mileage data may be interest !

M I L E S

V ia

! L . 8 N A . 8 W ! V ia

N . C 30 11 C . F Harrim an Ju nc t ion

8 Y V . a n d A c . L . ! noxv ille 8 A shev ille R d o r N . S . ailroa s

Beaufort

Wilmington 7 64 842 824

This mileage table contemplates using existing lines in connectio n with a the Appalachian and Western North Carolina R ilroad project , avoiding the use of any part of any one of the Virginia East and West trunk lines . It is possible to cut the mileage from Cincinnati to Mountain City some thirty to thirty - five miles by the constru ction of a few new links of railroad . Fu rther consideration should be given to the fact that east bound ton nage by way of the Appalachian and Western North Carolina Route , would have nothing heavier to negotiate over the Blue Ridge Mountain than one

. per cent . compensated grades and ten degree cu rves Louisville and Nashville Railroad from Cincinnati to Big Stone Gap is a fairly good structure . Southern Railway from Big Stone Gap to Mountain n City , should have some grade revision and structure betterment made whe tra fii c increases to justify it , and the North Wilkesboro B ranch of Southern Railway would need very little work to put it in condition to handle heavy to n a g e .

Faithfully yours ,

FRANK T . MILLER .

h e n in er C i f E g e . 4 Greensboro , N . C . , August 1 , 1 9 2 .

1 4