Vignettes of Dante, Virginia—Heart of the “North End” of the Clinchfield Railroad

by Ron Flanary, Ridin' the Rails
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David DeVault positioned himself on Saw Mill Hollow Road on a blustery February 1963 day to catch northbound manifest No. 95's assault up the 1.8 percent to the south end of the tunnel--the top of the grade. The mile and half past the north end of the yard at Dante was the ruling northbound grade on the railroad. It's a certainty the wheel slip indicator light on No. 818 is flashing, and her engineer is applying traction sand to help the F-units keep their feet in the battle against gravity.


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