At least one of the reports quoted someone as speculating that the metal of the locomotive would probably be close to the consistency of cheese by now, given the known chemical nature of the soil, the water present, etc. As many of us may know from experience, a metal object will often fare better totally covered in water than going through wet-dry cycles like rail or a tidal situation. I myself have attempted to salvage metal objects from a variety of underground situations--archaeological digs next to a harbor, anthracite coal mines, etc.--and there's a huge variety in what one will find, depending on the soil, water, etc.

As to restoration to operating condition, it would be doubtful at best for the more logical reasoning that the age and design of the boiler wouldn't meet todays FRA requirements. Even if the boiler hadn't rotted away.

Needless to say I love a treasure hunt and hope this is preverved even if staticly so. I could see another "Al Capone" treasure hunt with live TV coverage like in Chicago, just kidding. Good luck to all involved. John.

There is another explanation that doesn't rely on the politically correct hand wringing that is so prevalent in our society these days; perhaps when the rescue parties entered the tunnel, they found that the locomotive cab was not crushed, and perhaps could even see the engineer's body. The labors, on the other hand, would be expected to be further down the tunnel, right at the site of the collapse (since they were doing the digging that caused the collapse) and any attempt to dig for them just caused more waterlogged earth to flow in. If this is the case, there may be very little physical damage to the locomotive, although water damage is another matter altogether.

The Richmond Churchhill Tunnel connected the C&O Peidmont sub with Fulton Yard and the Pennisula sub. It was built in the early days of the railroad while they were still sewing them selfs together so to speak.
With the completion of the James River Viduct the tunnel was taken out of service.
Poor soil conditions were always a problem and constant cave-ins (in much smaller magnaitude) had always been a problem.
In later years it was decided to re open the tunnel to relive conjestion problems. It was at this time that work was under way to stablize (and I think lower the grade) that the tunnel had it's final cave in. The locomotive inside was delivering a train of something like 5 flat cars for loading with excation debris. It was litterally seconds away from being uncoupled and leaving the tunnel.
As reported by the fireman (who survived long enough to tell the story and sucum to burns a day or two later), the tunnel caved in right on top of the locomotive breaking enough steam lines for him to get burned baddly as he exited the cab. The engineer was pined in by the reverse bar and unable to escape fast enough. As things settled down he got out and worked his way to the east end of the tunnel.

Rescue shafts were dug verticaly from the surface down, one of which struck the locomotive. It runs in my mind that the engineer was removed, and one contruction engineer was found (and another left) . Soil conditions however prevented any further searching.
Their were rumors at one time that a whole new contractor had just signed on at the west end of the tunnel that morning, and that the names of his men had not been added to the pay roll. So the exact toll may not be known. It does seem like a plauseable story to me since the accounts I have seen only listed one or two actual labors known to have been involved or lost....

Find all this and more (with out typos ) in Katy L. Lyles 'Scaled To Death By The Steam'

Probably the condition of this locomotive will be very poor, but I would guess that at least 95% of the solid mass will still exist intact, despite considerable corrosion. The one question that I have is, what will be done to the locomotive if it is recovered and displayed?

As an artifact, this engine has a profound story to tell. The more that is done to “restore” this artifact, the further it is removed from its story. If a person were able to enter that tunnel today, approach the locomotive, and illuminate it, I’ll bet that the experience would somehow convey, in unimaginable terms, the unspeakable terror that unfolded on that long lost day.

Instead of recovering the engine, what would be the chance of creating an access to it, and stabilizing the site where is sits? People could then visit it in the authentic context of its haunting story. I cannot think of any treatment that would be more creative and appropriate than this.

I like restored locomotives, but in this very unique case, I think restoration would amount to a desecration of the artifact.

We expect to find a locomotive that is very rusty but intact. The drilling and camera work is scheduled for July 13 and 14, so we soon will have a much better idea about what we are dealing with.
Your idea of what to do with the locomotive is a good one and will be evaluated along with several other options. A lot depends on whether the tunnel collapsed on top of the engine or on top of part of it or in front of it or behind it or some or all of the above. The city owns the property so its desires control as far as in situ preservation is concerned.
Stay tuned.
Pete Claussen

One story had some survivors escaping by crawling under the flat cars.

It is good to hear that developing preservation and access to the locomotive in situ is being considered. We had a thread on this topic early last spring or so, and it really got me thinking about the Church Hill story. There appears to be a lot of historical information available on the incident, including accounts of entering the tunnel at various times since the collapse. Although, I gather that nobody has actually gotten to the locomotive during any of these explorations.

Apparently, the pesky tunnel has dealt out more than its share of trouble over the years, and even rather recently, with incidents such as swallowing buildings. There does seem to be an unsettled issue of how many people were killed in the accident. My understanding is that this uncertainty stems from the fact that people may have began working in the tunnel before they were documented, and others may have been in the tunnel seeking work. Although, you would think that they would have been missed and their whereabouts suspected. Perhaps it was simply deemed too risky to dig through the collapse on a speculative basis.

It will be exciting to see what is revealed by the camera peering through the boreholes. Good luck Pete. I am anxious to hear what you find.

Today I visited the site of the Church Hill Tunnel in Richmond. I took a few photos:

The West Portal, visibly spewing water from the top of the plug:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... 511532.jpg


Above the west portal, showing tunnel approach and memorial plaque:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... 211923.jpg


Photo of Jefferson Hill Park, showing test bore for locomotive removal project. The tunnel entrance was 50 feet to the left of where I took this photo:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... 413396.jpg


The locomotive removal project is on hold, pending a hydrology report on water found in the tunnel. Given that water is spewing from the top of the tunnel portal plug, there must be a large amount of water in the tunnel.

Ernie Hunt

The update is deeply appreciated.

How long is the hydrology report expected to take?

RTK

I don't know the timing of the report, but it looks to be no earlier than early 2007.

Even if the locomotive is left in place, this tunnel needs to be opened, inspected, and properly sealed. Who knows what is going on beyond the plug, but certainly there's at least 20-25 feet of water on the west end of the tunnel that is trying to find a place to go.

EH