NW - Coaldale Tunnel
Facts
- Overview
- Abandoned tunnel for Norfolk & Western Railway
- Location
- Mercer County, West Virginia
- Status
- Abandoned
- History
- Abandoned 1950
- Railroad
- - Norfolk & Western Railway (NW)
- Design
- Tunnel
- Dimensions
-
Total length: 3,015.0 ft. (0.6 mi.)
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.34406, -81.34395 (decimal degrees)
37°20'39" N, 81°20'38" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 17/469534/4133096 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Bramwell
- Inventory number
- BH 60861 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- May 6, 2017: New photo from Dave King
- May 5, 2017: New photo from Dave King
- March 21, 2016: Updated by Ian Martin: Moved marker to location of old tunnel
- March 20, 2016: Updated by Luke: Added abandonment date
- May 7, 2014: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Railroad", "Norfolk Southern Railway"
- May 6, 2014: Added by Robert Elder
Related Bridges
- NS - Elkhorn Tunnel (Successor)
Sources
- Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Luke
- Ian Martin
- N&W Mailing List - Source for tunnel length
- Coaldale, WV - Photos
- Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
Comments
For those looking to learn a bit more information on the tunnel, here's a few links that should help:
https://thetunneldiaries.com/2013/05/27/elkhorn-tunnel/
(refer to comments and look for Buddy French)
http://shinbrierwv.com/coaldale/return_to_coaldale_-_great_s...
http://shinbrierwv.com/coaldale/return_to_coaldale_photos_-_...
For those interested in learning about the operations surrounding that tunnel, especially its tenure of electrification, refer to the book "Norfolk & Western Electrics" by Mason Y. Cooper
There are some photos of the tunnel on the Norfolk & Western Historical Society website, but they're all of the western portal at Coaldale and none of the eastern portal at Ruth.
Does the original Coaldale Tunnel still exist? It's had to find any info on it. Thanks, Geno.
Those tracks look remarkably healthy for a tunnel which has been abandoned since 1950. Is the marker in the right place?
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/wv/mercer/coaldale-tunnel/
Can anyone confirm that the current coordinates of the coaldale tunnel are indeed correct? I'm trying to reference old topographic maps and aerial photos to see if I can find some form of remnant of the eastern portal (although on-foot expedition may be the only real option to confirm).