AM&O - Jefferson Street Tunnel
Photos
April 1971. General View Of Portal
Photo taken by Jack E. Boucher for the Historic American Engineering Record
View photos at Library of Congress
BH Photo #301269
Description
Early rough cut stone railroad tunnel built approx. 1870 or earlier.-- Historic American Engineering Record
Facts
- Overview
- Tunnel on Railroad
- Location
- Lynchburg, Virginia
- Status
- Intact but closed to all traffic
- History
- Built ca. 1870
- Railroads
- - Atlantic, Mississippi, & Ohio Railroad (AM&O)
- Norfolk & Western Railway (NW)
- Design
- Tunnel
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.41691, -79.14134 (decimal degrees)
37°25'01" N, 79°08'29" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 17/664476/4142744 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Lynchburg
- Inventory number
- BH 63593 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- November 25, 2019: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
- January 29, 2017: New photo from Royce and Bobette Haley
- September 5, 2016: New Street View added by Dana and Kay Klein
- October 12, 2014: Added by Dave King
Sources
- Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
- HAER VA-9 - Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad, Jefferson Street Tunnel, Norfolk & Western RY main line, Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA
- Dana and Kay Klein
- Royce and Bobette Haley - roycehaley111 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Geoff Hubbs
Comments
I'm reasonably sure this was not part of the AM&O. That was a predecessor of the Norfolk & Western. This tunnel has a Southern Railway heritage. In fact, this was the Southern's main line through Lynchburg until its cutoff (bypass) around downtown was opened in March 1911.
Both RRs occupied space in downtown Lynchburg in the early days. They crossed at grade a little north (Southern) or west (N&W) of the tunnel.
The Southern bypassed the tunnel in November 1970, and the reroute is still used today. Read all about it below.
http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1971/71-3/lynch.html?fbclid...
The picture is similar to the one in the article.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/va/lynchburg-city/bh63593/
Recently the cinder block that sealed the north portal has been removed. It is said that the Amazement Square people would like to incorporate it as part of their children's museum. 1985 and 2019 views.