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27:
496:"This is definitely safe where we're going," district supervisor Allen Hale said in 2015. "But once you get to the tunnel and someone walks through here and gets all the way up, they're going to want to go in... The ultimate goal … is to have the tunnel open all the way through to the west side to the Blue Ridge Mountains and have a trail connection to
362:, including the 4,237-foot (1,291 m) Blue Ridge Tunnel near the top of the pass. Construction began in 1850 and was expected to be completed in three years but the first train passed through the tunnel in 1858 and construction continued until 1860. With construction proceeding from either side a decade before the invention of
546:
is a 12-spot parking lot at 215 Afton Depot Lane, while the western trailhead is near 483 Three
Notched Mountain Highway, where there are 25 parking spaces and two oversized areas for small buses. At this time, there are no plans to light the tunnel, so visitors are urged to bring headlamps and/or flashlights.
545:
Eventually, the project will link existing trails, a long-distance trail system, and the historic communities on both sides of the mountains. The tunnel is also near the convergence of
Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail, and U.S. Bicycle Route 76. On the eastern side, there
504:
archives, the $ 450,000 required for Phase II has already been raised. Hale hopes to begin Phase II some time this year. The date for Phase III has yet to be set. The Crozet Tunnel is open to foot traffic. The “Rails-To-Trails” walking/pedal cycling path is not yet, as of April 2021, complete to the
488:
Blue Ridge Tunnel
Foundation secured a $ 749,000 grant through the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board to begin Phase I of the project to reopen the long-closed tunnel with a bike path and hiking trail. Phase I will be a footpath from the former Afton rail
967:
Turner, Kristina. 2011. "Forgotten Heroes: Clann MhĂłr: the Blue Ridge
Railroad Project Honors 19th-Century Irish and Enslaved Laborers". Broadside: the Magazine of the Library of Virginia. (Spring 2011), p. 10-11. Notes: Includes photos. "The Clann MhĂłr project, based in Charlottesville and
952:
Lyons, Mary E. 2013. "From
Skibbereen to Staunton: Callaghans at the Blue Ridge Tunnel". Augusta Historical Bulletin. Volume 49 (2013), pages 61–72. Named Person: Callahan family.; Bridget Callaghan; Mary Callaghan O'Connell; Thomas Callaghan; Dennis Callaghan; John Callaghan; Michael Callaghan;
381:
When completed, the Blue Ridge Tunnel was the longest in the United States and one of the longest tunnels in the world, a remarkable feat of engineering. It opened to rail traffic in April 1858, and was considered to be one of the engineering wonders of the modern world.
346:
To protect its investment and enable transportation, the State then incorporated and financed the Blue Ridge
Railroad to accomplish the hard and expensive task of crossing the Blue Ridge mountain barrier to the west. Rather than attempting the more formidable
377:
Records show that about 800 Irishmen and 40 enslaved
African American laborers worked on the tunnel and there were 189 recorded deaths during its construction including men, women, and children who died during a cholera epidemic in 1854.
538:
On the 21st
September 2020, the tunnel was opened with an access trail. A Nelson County Parks and Recreation press release announced the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail system will open from sunrise to sunset.
582:
1058:
1053:
449:
The C&O replaced the Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1944 with a larger, parallel tunnel to accommodate the increased rail traffic of World War II. The new tunnel—which was 4 feet (1.2 m)
542:
The project incorporates an access trail through the restored tunnel and new trailheads on both sides of the Blue Ridge with access for hikers, walkers, bicyclists, and others.
1013:
1038:
281:
The new tunnel was named the "Blue Ridge Tunnel" as well, although the original tunnel still remains abandoned nearby. The old Blue Ridge Tunnel has since been named a
1048:
410:
leaders opposing them. To do this, Jackson used his detailed knowledge of the gaps in the Blue Ridge and directed his troops to march through the Blue Ridge Tunnel.
81:
289:
in 1976. In late 2020, after a decade of stabilization work and restoration as well as access pathway construction, the tunnel was opened to visitors as a
759:
270:
At 4,237 feet (1,291 m) in length, the tunnel was the longest tunnel in the United States at the time of its completion. The tunnel was used by the
772:
986:
981:
473:
After the original tunnel was replaced, it became known as the Crozet Tunnel in honor of its remarkable engineer, for whom the nearby town of
1033:
1028:
282:
150:
530:. The result was a three-dimensional map of the tunnel which can be used for restoration or construction projects in the future.
438:
in 1878). This helped achieve
Virginia's long-term goal of linking its navigable rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with the
278:
in 1878). The
Chesapeake and Ohio routed trains through the tunnel until it was abandoned and replaced by a new tunnel in 1944.
1018:
720:
689:
422:
View of the replacement Blue Ridge Tunnel (left) constructed by the C&O in 1944. The old tunnel is visible to the right.
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489:
depot to a concrete bulwark 700 feet into the tunnel. The first piece of the trail will begin and end on the east side of
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1043:
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879:
244:
941:
Lyons, Mary E. The Blue Ridge Tunnel: a remarkable engineering feat in antebellum Virginia. : History Press, 2014.
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The Blue Ridge Railroad ceased to exist once the route across the mountains was completed, becoming a part of the
998:
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, Blue Ridge Tunnel, Highway 250 at Rockfish Gap, Afton vicinity, Nelson County, VA
773:"Inside the Blue Ridge Tunnel: The historic railroad tunnel, built in the 1850s, is set to become a walking trail
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49:
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in the state, owning part of the Virginia Central in stock as well as virtually all of the Blue Ridge Railroad.
321:
395:
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969:
930:
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74:
925:, Clifton Forge, Virginia: Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine
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Blue Ridge Railroad, Blue Ridge Tunnel, U.S. Route 250 at Rockfish Gap, Afton vicinity, Nelson County, VA
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45:
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of considerable skill, Crozet had identified the eventual route as early as 1839. Rail service reached
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from its opening to 1858, when the line was reorganized as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (renamed
271:
671:
443:
351:, the state-owned Blue Ridge Railroad built over the mountains at the next major gap to the south,
59:
63:
715:
The Blue Ridge Tunnel - A remarkable Engineering Feat in Antebellum Virginia by Mary E. Lyons -
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The Blue Ridge Tunnel - A remarkable Engineering Feat in Antebellum Virginia by Mary E. Lyons -
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519:
958:
340:
325:
310:
256:
8:
450:
406:" by traveling very quickly across the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the consternation of the
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454:
391:
430:. In 1868, the Virginia Central was merged with another state-chartered railroad, the
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875:
716:
685:
566:
399:
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when constructed—is now referred to as the Blue Ridge Tunnel. It is still in use by
571:
523:
474:
583:
List of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia
869:
576:
485:
418:
336:
306:
252:
48:(C&O) Mountain Subdivision – previously C&O Railroad and
497:
490:
332:
949:; 1626194211. Notes: 191 pages: illustrations (some color), maps (some color).
814:
550:
339:
by 1851; westward, the railroad closely followed the alignment of the ancient
1007:
348:
207:
96:
83:
579:, the Blue Ridge Tunnel's predecessor as longest tunnel in the United States
403:
367:
352:
260:
67:
861:
A Short History of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Mountain Subdivision
836:"WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 4/21/2023 THROUGH 4/28/2023"
290:
176:
997:
990:
549:
A mini documentary about the reopening of the tunnel was released onto
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366:, the complex was dug through solid granite with only hand drills and
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Overseen by Crozet, the crossing was accomplished by building four
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264:
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assistant professor and two graduate students used a ground-based
247:
in the 1850s. The tunnel was the westernmost and longest of four
26:
863:, Clifton Forge, Virginia: Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
1059:
National Register of Historic Places in Augusta County, Virginia
309:
as chief engineer. Its purpose was to provide a crossing of the
1054:
National Register of Historic Places in Nelson County, Virginia
896:
462:
359:
248:
240:
527:
477:
is named. As of 2022, it was slated for use as part of a
117:
Abandoned, replaced by new tunnel currently in operation
434:, to create the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (renamed
775:." The (Lynchburg) News & Advance. June 21, 2015.
1014:
Buildings and structures in Augusta County, Virginia
1039:
Buildings and structures in Nelson County, Virginia
787:"INTO THE DARKNESS: UVA ROBOT MAPS HISTORIC TUNNEL"
500:on the other side," Hale said... According to the
370:. The tunnel was less than 6 inches (150 mm)
1049:Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia
1005:
442:. The C&O Railroad was subsequently sold to
374:when it was holed through on December 29, 1856.
301:The Blue Ridge Railroad was incorporated by the
871:Tunneling, explosive compounds, and rock drills
553:in March 2021. The tunnel was listed on the
731:
729:
652:
634:History of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
533:
25:
899:. Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
611:
609:
417:
982:Blue Ridge Tunnel -- from Rail to Trail
960:Great Railroad Tunnels of North America
726:
695:
1006:
916:. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Hook.
912:Jameson, Lynn J. (November 21, 2002).
758:Aaron Richardson. September 15, 2013.
740:
640:
628:
626:
624:
468:
324:, founded in 1816, supported numerous
31:West Entrance to the Blue Ridge Tunnel
784:
762:The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress.
606:
594:
513:
385:
243:built during the construction of the
1034:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
987:Historic American Engineering Record
555:National Register of Historic Places
1029:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tunnels
921:Logan, Bernard S. (November 1998),
760:"Project opens rail tunnel’s past."
723:p. 29, p. 103, pp. 143-144, p. 169.
621:
287:American Society of Civil Engineers
283:Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
13:
923:Railroad History on the Blue Ridge
14:
1070:
975:
526:to scan and map the tunnel using
937:. Richmond, VA. January 1, 1857.
929:
897:"History of the C&O Railway"
702:
672:"Historic Landmarks | ASCE"
109:(Northwest Portal of new tunnel)
931:"A Hole Through the Blue Ridge"
914:"Ain't no mountain wide enough"
911:
868:Drinker, Henry Sturgis (1893).
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322:Virginia Board of Public Works
1:
920:
859:Dixon, Thomas W. Jr. (2008),
858:
852:
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615:
600:
1019:Railroad tunnels in Virginia
895:
633:
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317:into the Shenandoah Valley.
171:4,237 ft (1,291 m)
151:Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
7:
957:Putnam, William L. (2011).
560:
436:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
432:Covington and Ohio Railroad
276:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
156:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
46:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
10:
1075:
1024:CSX Transportation tunnels
785:Kelly, Matt (2018-01-05).
459:Buckingham Branch Railroad
1044:Tunnels completed in 1858
428:Virginia Central Railroad
315:Virginia Central Railroad
272:Virginia Central Railroad
239:) is a historic railroad
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706:(January 1, 1857), p. 2.
444:Collis Potter Huntington
303:Commonwealth of Virginia
16:Historic railroad tunnel
989:(HAER) No. VA-2, "
838:. National Park Service
534:Reopening of the tunnel
518:In the fall of 2017, a
795:University of Virginia
520:University of Virginia
423:
68:Rockfish Gap, Virginia
996:HAER No. VA-5, "
421:
402:earned the nickname "
394:, the infantry under
372:off perfect alignment
355:near Afton Mountain.
326:internal improvements
311:Blue Ridge Mountains
257:Blue Ridge Mountains
469:Phased construction
245:Blue Ridge Railroad
235:(also known as the
146:Blue Ridge Railroad
97:38.0383°N 78.8625°W
93: /
50:Blue Ridge Railroad
21:
968:documented in ...
935:The Daily Dispatch
703:The Daily Dispatch
514:Mapping the tunnel
502:News & Advance
455:CSX Transportation
424:
392:American Civil War
386:American Civil War
341:Three Notch'd Road
19:
953:Mary Ann Marmion.
721:978-1-62619-421-2
690:978-1-62619-421-2
567:Brookville Tunnel
400:Stonewall Jackson
233:Blue Ridge Tunnel
229:
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102:38.0383; -78.8625
20:Blue Ridge Tunnel
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305:in 1849 with
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200:1,435 mm
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963:. McFarland.
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903:September 6,
901:. Retrieved
887:September 5,
885:. Retrieved
870:
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840:. Retrieved
830:
820:, retrieved
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798:. Retrieved
790:
780:
771:Tobi Walsh.
767:
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742:
736:Jameson 2002
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659:Drinker 1893
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404:foot cavalry
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368:black powder
357:
353:Rockfish Gap
345:
330:
319:
300:
297:Construction
280:
269:
261:Rockfish Gap
236:
232:
230:
153:(1870–1878)
148:(1856–1870)
747:Putnam 2011
692:p. 7, p. 22
509:Present use
414:Replacement
396:Confederate
390:During the
291:linear park
263:in central
177:Track gauge
168:Line length
158:(1878–1944)
100: /
75:Coordinates
1008:Categories
853:References
842:2023-05-05
822:2022-02-10
816:The Tunnel
800:2018-01-09
661:, p. 1072.
647:Logan 1998
616:Dixon 2008
601:Dixon 2008
479:rail trail
440:Ohio River
88:78°51′45″W
85:38°02′18″N
589:Footnotes
557:in 2023.
481:project.
163:Technical
122:Operation
791:UVAToday
749:, p. 41.
649:, p. 12.
561:See also
505:tunnel.
398:General
364:dynamite
313:for the
265:Virginia
225:(1.326%)
196: in
56:Location
37:Overview
618:, p. 8.
603:, p. 9.
551:Youtube
360:tunnels
285:by the
249:tunnels
220:⁄
191:⁄
132: (
60:Augusta
945:
878:
719:
688:
475:Crozet
463:Amtrak
457:, the
241:tunnel
127:Opened
114:Status
64:Nelson
528:LiDAR
408:Union
208:Grade
142:Owner
943:ISBN
905:2013
889:2013
876:ISBN
717:ISBN
686:ISBN
484:The
461:and
320:The
231:The
134:1858
130:1858
42:Line
259:at
1010::
933:.
793:.
789:.
728:^
623:^
608:^
493:.
465:.
446:.
343:.
331:A
293:.
267:.
222:mi
218:ft
213:70
62:/
1000:"
993:"
971:"
907:.
891:.
845:.
803:.
674:.
637:.
215:+
202:)
198:(
193:2
189:1
186:+
184:8
136:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
