Visa källa för Blue Ridge Tunnel

{{Infobox tunnel
|namn        = Blue Ridge Tunnel
|bild       = Blueridgetunnel.jpg
|caption     = North Entrance to the Blue Ridge Tunnel
|line        = [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) Mountain Subdivision previously C&O Railroad and [[Blue Ridge Railroad (1849-1870)|Blue Ridge Railroad]]
|location    = [[Augusta County, Virginia|Augusta]] / [[Nelson County, Virginia|Nelson]] counties, near [[Rockfish Gap|Rockfish Gap, Virginia]]
|coordinates = {{coord|38.0383|N|78.8625|W|region:US-VA_type:landmark_scale:30000|display=inline,title|format=dms}} (Northwest Portal of new tunnel)
|system      =
|start       =
|end         =
|stations    =
|opened = {{Start date|1858}}
|closed       = {{End date|1944}}
|status      = Abandoned, replaced by new tunnel currently in operation
|owner       = [[Blue Ridge Railroad (1849-1870)|Blue Ridge Railroad]] (1856–1870)<ref name="Dixon8"/> <br /> [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad]] (1870–1878)<ref name="Dixon8">[[#refDixon|Dixon 2008]], p. 8.</ref> <br /> [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (1878–1944)<ref name="COHS">''[[#refCOHS|History of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]]''.</ref><ref name="Logan12">[[#refLogan|Logan 1998]], p. 12.</ref>
|operator    =
|character   =
|linelength  = {{convert|4273|ft|abbr=on}}
|tracklength =
|notrack     =
|gauge       = {{RailGauge|ussg}}
|el          =
|speed       =
|hielevation =
|lowelevation=
|height      =
|grade       = {{frac|70|ft|mi}} (1.326%)<ref name="Drinker1072">[[#refDrinker|Drinker 1893]], p. 1072.</ref>
|
}}
'''Blue Ridge Tunnel''' (även känd som Crozet Tunnel) är en historisk järnvägstunnel som byggdes under uppförandet av Blue Ridge Railroad på 1850-talet. Tunneln var den västligaste och längsta av fyra tunnlar konstruerade av Claudius Crozet för att korsa Blue Ridge Mountains vid Rockfish Gap i centrala Virginia. Vid köpcentret: Konvertera i längd var tunnelen USAs längsta tunnel vid tidpunkten för slutförandet 1858. Tunneln användes av Virginia Central Railroad från dess öppning till 1868, då linjen omorganiserades som Chesapeake och Ohio Railroad (byttes namn på Chesapeake och Ohio Railway 1878). Chesapeake och Ohio ledde tåg genom tunneln tills den övergavs och ersattes av en ny tunnel 1944. Den nya tunneln fick också namnet "Blue Ridge Tunnel", även om den ursprungliga tunneln fortfarande är övergiven i närheten. Den gamla Blue Ridge-tunneln har sedan dess utnämnts till ett historiskt civilingenjörs-landmärke av American Society of Civil Engineers.

== Konstruktion ==
Blue Ridge Railroad införlivades av [[Virginia|Commonwealth of Virginia]] 1849 med [[Claudius Crozet]] som överingenjör. Syftet var att tillhandahålla en tunnel genom [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] för [[Virginia Central Railroad]] in i Shenandoah Valley.

[[Virginia Board of Public Works]], som grundades 1816, stödde många interna förbättringar i staten, och ägde en del av Virginia Central i lager såväl som i stort sett hela Blue Ridge Railroad.

En [[civilingenjör]] med stor skicklighet, Crozet hade identifierat den eventuella vägen redan 1839. Järnvägstrafiken nådde [[Charlottesville]] år 1851; västerut följde järnvägen nära anpassningen av den antika [[Three Notch'd Road]].

För att skydda sina investeringar och möjliggöra transport införlivade och finansierade staten sedan Blue Ridge Railroad för att utföra den hårda och dyra uppgiften att korsa Blue Ridge-bergsbarriären i väster. I stället för att försöka det mer formidabla [[Swift Run Gap]] byggde den statliga Blue Ridge Railroad genom bergen vid nästa stora klyftan i söder, [[Rockfish Gap]] nära Afton Mountain.

Övervakat av Crozet genomfördes övergången genom att bygga fyra tunnlar, inklusive Blue Ridge Tunnel nära toppen av passet. När konstruktionen fortsatte från endera sidan ett decennium före uppfinningen av dynamit, grävdes komplexet fast fast granit med endast handborr och svart krut. Tunnelen var mindre än av perfekt inriktning när den hållades igenom 29 december 1856.

När Blue Ridge Tunnel var klar var USAs längsta i USA och en av de längsta tunnlarna i världen, en anmärkningsvärd prestation av teknik. Det öppnade för järnvägstrafik i april 1858 och ansågs vara ett av de moderna världens tekniska underverk.

== American Civil War ==
During the [[American Civil War]], the infantry under [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] General [[Stonewall Jackson]] earned the nickname "[[foot cavalry]]" by traveling very quickly across the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the consternation of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] leaders opposing them. To do this, Jackson used his detailed knowledge of the gaps in the Blue Ridge and also utilized the Blue Ridge Tunnel as a passageway for his troops.<ref name="Putnam">[[#refPutnam|Putnam 2011]], p. 41.</ref>

== Replacement ==
[[File:New and Old Blue Ridge Tunnels.jpg|thumb|left|View of the replacement Blue Ridge Tunnel (left) constructed by the C&O in 1944.  The old tunnel is visible to the right.]]The Blue Ridge Railroad ceased to exist once the route across the mountains was completed, becoming a part of the [[Virginia Central Railroad]]. In 1868 the Virginia Central was merged with another state-chartered railroad, the [[Covington and Ohio Railroad]], to create the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (renamed [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] in 1878). This helped achieve Virginia's long-term goal of linking its navigable rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with the [[Ohio River]]. The C&O Railroad was subsequently sold to [[Collis Potter Huntington]].

The C&O replaced the Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1944 with a larger, parallel tunnel to accommodate increased rail traffic of World War II materiel. The new tunnel - which was {{convert|4|ft}} [[tunnel hole-through|off alignment]] when constructed - is now referred to as the Blue Ridge Tunnel. It is still in use by [[CSX Transportation]], the [[Buckingham Branch Railroad]] and [[Amtrak]].

== Future use ==
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 [[Crozet, Virginia|Crozet]] is named. It is currently planned to be used as part of a [[rail trail]] project.

The [[Claudius Crozet]] 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 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 [[Afton Mountain]].<ref>Aaron Richardson. September 15, 2013. [http://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/project-opens-rail-tunnel-s-past/article_5c775435-a952-5e5e-a45f-cf7d80bc1418.html "Project opens rail tunnel’s past."] The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress.</ref>

"This is definitely safe where we're going," district supervisor Allen Hale said. "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 [[U.S. Route 250]] on the other side," Hale said... According to The News & Advance 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.<ref>Tobi Walsh. [http://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/inside-the-blue-ridge-tunnel/article_9eb92dc9-31b0-5baf-bf7a-0be3e05898e1.html "Inside the Blue Ridge Tunnel: The historic railroad tunnel, built in the 1850s, is set to become a walking trail]." The (Lynchburg) News & Advance. June 21, 2015.</ref>

===Mapping the tunnel===
In the fall of 2017, a [[University of Virginia]] assistant professor and two graduate students used a ground-based [[autonomous robot]] to scan and map the tunnel using [[LiDAR]]. The result was a three-dimensional map of the tunnel which can be used for restoration or construction projects in the future.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Matt |url=https://news.virginia.edu/content/darkness-uva-robot-maps-historic-tunnel |title=INTO THE DARKNESS: UVA ROBOT MAPS HISTORIC TUNNEL |work=UVAToday |publisher=[[University of Virginia]] |date=2018-01-05 |accessdate=2018-01-09 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Brookville Tunnel]]
* [[Greenwood Tunnel]]
* [[Kingwood Tunnel]], the Blue Ridge Tunnel's predecessor as longest tunnel in the United States

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{Cite journal|ref=refDixon|last=Dixon|first=Thomas W., Jr.|title=A Short History of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Mountain Subdivision|publisher=Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society|publication-place=Clifton Forge, Virginia|year=2008}}
* {{Cite book|ref=refDrinker|last=Drinker|first=Henry Sturgis|title=Tunneling, explosive compounds, and rock drills|publisher=John Wiley|year=1893|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPoiAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=September 5, 2013}}
* {{Cite web|ref=refCOHS|title=History of the C&O Railway|publisher=Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society|url=http://www.cohs.org/history/|accessdate=September 6, 2013}}
* {{Cite news|ref=refJameson|last=Jameson|first=Lynn J.|url=http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2002/11/21/coverStoryAintNoMountainWi.html|title=Ain't no mountain wide enough|publisher=The Hook|publication-place=Charlottesville, Virginia|date=November 21, 2002}}
* {{Cite journal|ref=refLogan|last=Logan|first=Bernard S.|title=Railroad History on the Blue Ridge|publisher=Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine|publication-place=Clifton Forge, Virginia|date=November 1998}}
* {{cite news |ref=refDispatch|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=A Hole Through the Blue Ridge |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024738/1857-01-01/ed-1/seq-2/ |newspaper=The Daily Dispatch |location=Richmond, VA |date=January 1, 1857 }}
* Lyons, Mary E.. The Blue Ridge Tunnel: a remarkable engineering feat in antebellum Virginia. [S.l.]: History Press, 2014. {{ISBN|9781626194212}}; 1626194211. Notes: 191 pages: illustrations (some color), maps (some color).
* 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; Mary Ann Marmion.
* {{Cite book|ref=refPutnam|last=Putnam|first=William L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1bbCu5mq8MIC&lpg=PA41&ots=WO_8C8063C&dq=stonewall%20jackson%20blue%20ridge%20tunnel&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q=stonewall%20jackson%20blue%20ridge%20tunnel&f=false|title=Great Railroad Tunnels of North America|publisher=McFarland|year=2011}}
* Turner, Kristina. 2011. "Forgotten Heroes: Clann Mhór: the Blue Ridge Railroad Project Honors 19th-Century Irish and Enslaved Laborers". Broadside: the Magazine of the Library of Virginia. (Spring 2011), p.&nbsp;10-11. Notes:  Includes photos. "The Clann Mhór project, based in Charlottesville and documented in ... http://Clanmhor.blogspot.com{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}"

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927122718/http://media.gatewayva.com/cdp/siteimages/special/AftonTunnel/index.htm Blue Ridge Tunnel -- from Rail to Trail]

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Augusta County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Railroad tunnels in Virginia]]
[[Category:CSX Transportation tunnels]]
[[Category:Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]]
[[Kategori:Tunnlar klar 1858]]