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 .