I will have to make the 2 hour trip to ride my bike through this tunnel.

"AFTON, Va. (AP) - Hikers and bicyclists can now explore a historic railroad tunnel in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains after nearly two decades of restoration efforts.
The News Virginian reports that the the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail system opened to the public Saturday.
The nearly mile-long tunnel was constructed between 1849 and 1859. Considered an engineering marvel at the time, the Blue Ridge Tunnel was designed by renowned French engineer Claudius Crozet.
The trail has parking lots on both sides and visitors need to bring their own lights to see."

https://www.nbc12.com/2020/11/...pUtjp42-khocu9oSnz_w

That is very interesting

What sucks is that for over 16 years, I made monthly or bi-monthly trips to Cols Oh traveling through that area. (For six of those years I went every month for drill weekend.)

I will have to plan a weekend trip and hit some other sites along the way.

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
That is very interesting

What sucks is that for over 16 years, I made monthly or bi-monthly trips to Cols Oh traveling through that area. (For six of those years I went every month for drill weekend.)

I will have to plan a weekend trip and hit some other sites along the way.

Years ago I read a long article , forgotten the source, about both the building of this tunnel and Mr. Crozet. Imagine the manpower exerted to build this tunnel back in the early 1800's.

I travel that way often going to UVA Medical center in Charlottesville, but I think I will wait until spring to visit the tunnel.

Another article:

"CROZET'S BLUE RIDGE TUNNEL

Waynesboro, Virginia, United States
Completed 1858

"The railroad system is the triumph of the age. The ultimate effects of its introduction are incalculable ...."
- Claudius Crozet, in an address to Virginia legislators, late 1820s

One of four single-track tunnels built by the Blue Ridge Railroad, the 4,273-foot Crozet Tunnel was constructed at a time when hand drills, pickaxes, and black powder amounted to state-of-the-art tunneling technology. At the time of its completion, it was the longest railroad tunnel in the world. Envisioned and built by Claudius Crozet, a French-born educator and civil engineer, the tunnel remains a testament to his belief in advancing rail transportation even when faced with numerous difficulties.

In the nearly 10 years required to build the tunnel, Crozet was forced to deal with fighting between laborers, a cholera outbreak, a national financial crisis, and persistent personal criticism. Overseeing work crews boring from each end, Crozet encountered hard rock, frequent rock slides, unusually heavy winter snows, and problems with ventilation and drainage that adversely affected working conditions. To honor Crozet's accomplishment, a nearby town was named after him.

Facts

Located at the junction of I-64, U.S. 250 and the Blue Ridge Parkway, in an area known locally as Rockfish Gap, the Crozet Tunnel was replaced by a new railroad tunnel with a larger bore in 1944 and is no longer in use.
The 17-mile Blue Ridge Railroad -- purchased by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1869 -- was created by the state of Virginia to provide a rail link across the Appalachian mountains and help establish the first rail connection between Virginia seaports and the Ohio Valley.
Having determined that intermediate, vertical shafts would not be practical, Crozet faced the problem of ventilating noxious black-powder fumes during construction, at least until the tunnel borings met. He devised an exhaust system in which inverted tubs trapped the fumes and, after being submersed in water, expelled them into a network of pipes and valves.
To deal with drainage, he connected hand- and horse-powered pumps to a 2,000-foot length of three-inch cast iron pipe which discharged 60 gallons a minute and is believed to be the longest siphon on record.
During construction, Crozet faced continued professional and personal criticism. As digging progressed, for example, bets were placed on whether or not the tunnels bored by each of his crews along a curved path would actually meet. When the crews finally "holed through" on Christmas Day, 1856, not only did the tunnels meet exactly, but Crozet's calculations were found to be so precise that only one-half-inch separated their alignment.
Resources

Henry S. Drinker, Tunneling ; John Wiley & Son, 1978
The Claudius Crozet Story (90-minute video), Morning Sun Productions, P.O. Box 184, Crozet, VA 22932, 1-800-823-4827
"

https://www.asce.org/project/c...s-blue-ridge-tunnel/

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Claudius Crozet

I've got a friends who live in Crozet -- I never knew until now that there had been a "Mr. Crozet."

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Claudius Crozet

I've got a friends who live in Crozet -- I never knew until now that there had been a "Mr. Crozet."

Glad to have enlightened you !

I have an acquaintance who moved to Southside Va many years ago. Talking one day, he said he had lived in Northern Va for many years, got fed up with much of that area, but mostly the high cost of living.

Told me , without checking ( before internet days) , thought Crozet, Va would be a good area in the mountains to relocate to.

Said after settling in there months later, the cost of living had not changed a whit from NoVa.

They have a website:

http://blueridgetunnel.org/

Mary Lyons wrote a book about building of the tunnel, "The Blue Ridge Tunnel".

quote:

Originally posted by 41:
They have a website:

http://blueridgetunnel.org/

Mary Lyons wrote a book about building of the tunnel, "The Blue Ridge Tunnel".

Thank you 41. Perhaps Mary Lyons books is what I remember reading.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Claudius Crozet

I've got a friends who live in Crozet -- I never knew until now that there had been a "Mr. Crozet."

"Mr. Crozet" was quite accomplished.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_Crozet

quote:

Originally posted by imadat:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Claudius Crozet

I've got a friends who live in Crozet -- I never knew until now that there had been a "Mr. Crozet."

"Mr. Crozet" was quite accomplished.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_Crozet

Thank you, I agree, what an extraordinary life he led.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Claudius Crozet

I've got a friends who live in Crozet -- I never knew until now that there had been a "Mr. Crozet."

Glad to have enlightened you !

I have an acquaintance who moved to Southside Va many years ago. Talking one day, he said he had lived in Northern Va for many years, got fed up with much of that area, but mostly the high cost of living.

Told me , without checking ( before internet days) , thought Crozet, Va would be a good area in the mountains to relocate to.

Said after settling in there months later, the cost of living had not changed a whit from NoVa.

horse, wine and liberal part of VA ,

lots of good wine in that area,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
horse, wine and liberal part of VA ,

lots of good wine in that area,

Yessir, for sure.

I'm looking forward to visiting that part of the state a bit more [once the Cootie Clampdowns let up].

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
horse, wine and liberal part of VA ,

lots of good wine in that area,

Yessir, for sure.

I'm looking forward to visiting that part of the state a bit more [once the Cootie Clampdowns let up].

Trump has a winery at North Garden, just south of Charlottesville.

https://www.trumpwinery.com

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
Trump has a winery at North Garden, just south of Charlottesville.

https://www.trumpwinery.com

One of my friends has been there at least once, on employer-sponsored trips. She said it was a great day. I'm looking forward to checking it out myself.

Trump is the old Kluge estate, they do a pretty good Sparkling, and some others well,

your taste my vary from mine, but there are a lot of really good wineries, and some craptier stuff too,

some of our favorites,

Delfosse (excellent, but honestly have not been in a while)

Jefferson (most are good, some, iffy)

Barboursville, (on of if not the best in Va)

Keswick

Pollack

White Hall,

some good B&Bs in the area, as well as good beer , and food,

if the Cooties every goes away, Greenwood Grocery is a must stop for the wine and beer selection (both local, domestic and imported)

I used to go there back in the late 70's while in high school at Fishburne in Waynesboro. fun to explore

Back in the late 50's, you could go in the west side for a ways. It was damp and cold with bats hanging from the walls. They used part of the tunnel for natural gas storage.

The "Mysteries of the Abandoned" TV show had a segment about that tunnel last night.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
The "Mysteries of the Abandoned" TV show had a segment about that tunnel last night.

flashguy

Rats, wish I could have caught it.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
I used to go there back in the late 70's while in high school at Fishburne in Waynesboro. fun to explore

My wife teaches at Fishburne. We live in Waynesboro but love the Crozet area.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
The "Mysteries of the Abandoned" TV show had a segment about that tunnel last night.

flashguy

Rats, wish I could have caught it.

They run it every so often. I've seen it at least twice.

flashguy