The Blacksburg Branch or “Huckleberry”

The Blacksburg Branch of the N&W Railway began as the private Virginia Anthracite Coal & Railway Company in 1902. The company was formed to mine the anthracite coal from mines at Merrimac and to provide rail service to Blacksburg. The officers of the company had ambitious plans to extend rail service to coal mines along Brush Mountain and to iron ore deposits on Craig Creek. The N&W invested in the VAC&Ry. by purchasing $14,000 in bonds. The VAC&Ry. went into receivership and the N&W forced foreclosure of the company. It purchased the railroad property in 1911 and officially took ownership in January 1912. The line was operated as the "Blacksburg Branch" until the 1960s, when the line was abandoned from just north of Peppers Ferry Road into Blacksburg.

Per a January 6, 1912 letter from E.H Alden, Secretary of the N&W, to L.E. Johnson, President of the N&W, relating to the purchase of the rail line.

Branch starts 290.0 miles from Norfolk
Miles
From
Christiansburg		Station
0.00Christiansburg Passenger Station
0.53Initial Point of Spur to Canning Factory, 0.45 miles long
0.68N.&W. Main Line overhead crossing
2.33Blacksburg Road Crossing, Flag Stop
3.48Peppers Ferry Road Crossing, Flag Stop
3.53P.S. Peppers Ferry Road siding, 223 ft. long
4.64Virginian Ry. Overhead Crossing
5.03P.S. Virginian Ry. Connection, 0.45 miles long
5.06Merrimac Mines Station
5.07P.S. Siding to Coal Tipple (abandoned), 1300 ft. long
5.26Water Tank
5.28Coaling Station
5.39P.S. siding to coaling station, 630 ft. long
5.47P.S. Prices Fork Road siding, 319 ft. long
6.11Linkous Road Crossing, Flag Stop
7.72Crumpacker Road Crossing, Flag Stop
8.67P.S. Blacksburg Station siding, 962 ft. long
8.75Blacksburg Station
8.88End of Blacksburg Branch and Beginning of siding to Black Bros. Warehouse, 160 ft. long