Book Review – Appalachian Coal Hauler
by Ed Wolfe and Hugh Wolfe TLC Publishing 2001 ISBN 1-883089-67-0
Review by Dan Bourque
This book is an absolute “must have” for anyone who wants to model mine run operations realistically. This book is the second in Ed Wolfe’s series on the short line Interstate Railroad which served the coal fields of southwestern Virginia. Ed’s father and co-author, Hugh Wolfe, worked for the Interstate (and later the Southern Railway) for many years, and this book goes tipple by tipple, switch by … Read more
The diesel era helper operations on the South-end up to Altapass were really interesting. I think the pushers at least for coal trains often tied on before Erwin–maybe Johnson City or even Kingsport. I can remember seeing pushers cut into coal trains north of Erwin, but this was before the JC cutoff was built. I don’t know that they ever cut off at Poplar or were put on at Spruce Pine. I suppose that there could have been an occasional boost from the Spruce Pine switcher but doubt that it was a planned operation.
The Interstate’s Dixiana Branch sprouted from their Glamorgan Branch north of Norton, VA and served a handful of loaders including the large Dixiana No 1 tipple.
