305:, but the conditions at Brookville were found to necessitate the use of a much stronger and more reliable brick, as the rock and earth was weaker. Because of their low quality, Crozet decided to not use Dettor's bricks in the Brookville Tunnel, but only in the Greenwood Tunnel, where the earth was slightly more stable. The best of the available bricks were chosen to be used in the tunnel, but problems with the quality of the brick still arose later on, when it was found that during freezing and thawing conditions, the arch was weakened by water. Nevertheless, the Greenwood Tunnel was completed and put into use by 1853, with a total cost of construction of $ 74,400. Although the construction of the Greenwood Tunnel was, as Crozet states, "excessively dangerous," the work was completed without accident.
321:
255:
27:
292:
During the construction of the tunnel, the earth encountered was composed of clays and rotten slate, which created difficulties in maintaining a solid structure and was described by Crozet as "of most unfavorable character for tunneling." Because of this, it was found necessary to line the entire
288:
was appointed as the chief engineer of the Blue Ridge
Railroad. Crozet developed a plan to cross the mountains using a series of four tunnels. The Greenwood Tunnel, the first tunnel on the eastern approach to the mountains, was driven through a small ridge near the village of Greenwood.
308:
The tunnel continued to be used by the
Virginia Central's successor road, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, until it was bypassed by a cut about 600 feet (180 m) long and 130 feet (40 m) deep in 1944, part of a series of improvements to accommodate increased
300:
However, the brick arching procedure was hindered due to the poor quality of the bricks provided by Joseph Dettor, a local brickmaker. The bricks provided by Dettor were also planned to be used in the next tunnel west of the
Greenwood Tunnel,
338:
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Charter of the Louisa railroad company: and the several other acts of the
General assembly relating to the same. Also, form of a power of attorney to vote at a meeting of the stock-holders
266:
passed an act to incorporate the Blue Ridge
Railroad. This railroad was intended to construct a rail line over the Blue Ridge Mountains for the Louisa Railroad, which was renamed the
655:
675:
74:
317:. Although the tunnel was abandoned, it was left in place beside the new cut and was sealed with concrete, in which state it remains to the present day.
234:
Although no longer in use, the
Greenwood Tunnel still exists, albeit sealed. It is located adjacent to the old C&O line, which is currently owned by
501:, Richmond, Virginia: Archives, The Library of Virginia, Virginia Board of Public Works, Entry 125 "Blue Ridge Railroad", Box RG 57, Box 216, Folder 3
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in
February 1850. The route was planned to extend from a point near Blair Park at the eastern base of the mountains to
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208:
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211:. The tunnel was the easternmost tunnel in a series of four tunnels that were essential for crossing the
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Letter from
Claudius Crozet Reporting the Cholera Epidemic at the Brooksville Tunnel, September 1, 1854
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592:
547:
HAER No. VA-3, Blue Ridge
Railroad, Greenwood Tunnel (Chesapeake & Ohio R.R., Greenwood Tunnel)
320:
254:
480:
Annual
Reports of Officers, Boards and Institutions of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Part 2
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212:
8:
591:, Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, archived from
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302:
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243:
613:
Annual Report of the Virginia Central Railroad Company to the Stockholders 1861–1863
339:
List of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia
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204:
649:
314:
89:
76:
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Greenwood Tunnel in 1917, as seen from the platform of the Greenwood Station
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A Short History of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Mountain Subdivision
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517:, Clifton Forge, Virginia: Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
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History of Brick in Charlottesville and Albemarle County
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Buildings and structures in Albemarle County, Virginia
324:Greenwood Tunnel after abandonment; the concrete
676:Historic American Engineering Record in Virginia
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293:length of the tunnel with a strong arch made of
610:Virginia Central Railroad Company (1861),
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393:History of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
231:(C&O) until its abandonment in 1944.
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570:, Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
537:United States Department of the Interior
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553:, Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress
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16:Historic railroad tunnel built in 1853
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409:Historic American Engineering Record
666:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tunnels
528:Geographic Names Information System
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313:traffic and the increasing size of
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628:Virginia General Assembly (1849),
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533:United States Geological Survey
523:"Greenwood Tunnel (historical)"
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207:during the construction of the
567:History of the C&O Railway
380:Virginia General Assembly 1849
368:Virginia Central Railroad 1861
246:that bypasses the old tunnel.
1:
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513:Dixon, Thomas W. Jr. (2008),
512:
470:
461:
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357:Greenwood Tunnel (historical)
238:. The line is leased to the
227:, the tunnel was used by the
661:Railroad tunnels in Virginia
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158:535.5 ft (163.2 m)
7:
634:, Colin, Baptist and Nowlan
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229:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
144:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
51:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
10:
692:
609:
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249:
240:Buckingham Branch Railroad
225:Albemarle County, Virginia
671:Tunnels completed in 1853
495:Crozet, Claudius (1854),
477:Crozet, Claudius (1853),
268:Virginia Central Railroad
264:Virginia General Assembly
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31:Greenwood Tunnel in 1916
242:, which runs through a
203:constructed in 1853 by
199:is a historic railroad
582:Sweet, Palmer (1998),
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262:On March 5, 1849, the
259:
544:Clement, Dan (1983),
323:
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90:38.05389°N 78.77306°W
213:Blue Ridge Mountains
109:Abandoned and sealed
209:Blue Ridge Railroad
139:Blue Ridge Railroad
95:38.05389; -78.77306
86: /
46:Blue Ridge Railroad
21:
429:, pp. 19–20.
330:
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236:CSX Transportation
19:
598:on March 11, 2013
328:are not original.
303:Brookville Tunnel
276:Shenandoah Valley
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61:Albemarle County
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616:, H. K. Ellyson
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286:Claudius Crozet
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219:. Located near
205:Claudius Crozet
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169:4 ft
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593:the original
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280:Rockfish Gap
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141:(1853–1870)
48:(1853–1870)
450:Crozet 1853
439:Crozet 1854
164:Track gauge
155:Line length
93: /
68:Coordinates
650:Categories
638:January 1,
620:January 1,
602:January 1,
574:January 1,
505:January 1,
487:January 1,
483:, Virginia
471:References
462:Dixon 2008
427:Sweet 1998
326:buttresses
272:Waynesboro
81:78°46′23″W
78:38°03′14″N
452:, p. 282.
345:Footnotes
221:Greenwood
150:Technical
114:Operation
464:, p. 10.
382:, p. 30.
370:, p. 79.
333:See also
217:Virginia
183: in
57:Location
37:Overview
557:May 11,
412:, p. 3.
311:wartime
274:in the
250:History
178:⁄
295:bricks
201:tunnel
127:Closed
119:Opened
106:Status
596:(PDF)
589:(PDF)
551:(PDF)
135:Owner
640:2013
622:2013
604:2013
576:2013
559:2020
507:2013
489:2013
297:.
282:.
278:via
195:The
130:1944
122:1853
42:Line
244:cut
223:in
215:in
652::
535:,
531:.
525:.
417:^
400:^
539:.
189:)
185:(
180:2
176:1
173:+
171:8
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