The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-10-28
Railroad Is Now
Improving Mail
Service In Ashe
Deferring Some Commercial
Work For Return Trip. May
End Star Route Plan.
MANY ENTERS BIDS

In order to retain the mail SER
vice on the Abingdon branch, the
Norfolk & Western Railway Com
pany is now making special eff
fort, in line with the suggestions Of
fered in the recent petition submit
ted by the patrons of the post Of
fees in the Jeffersons, to speed up
the local mixed train so that it will
arrive more nearly on schedule
time and thereby enable the seven
star routes to service their commu-
mites with the train mail the same
day it reaches here.
In letter to the editor of The
Post, received last Friday, ]. r. Tai
bolt, superintendent of transporta-
ton, gave the following explana-
ton:
$50 long as our train is held at
Abingdon for connection with main
line train No. Al, there is little
that we can do to reach West JEFF
ferson earlier that at the present
time. We will defer all CONNER
cial work that we possibly can on
the going trip performing it on the
return trip but we will have less
carload freight which must be un-
loaded on the southbound trip and
it will be necessary likewise to place
few carload shipments for I'M
loading.
"Deferring as much of the work
as we can for the return trip may
enable us to go to West Jefferson
a few minutes earlier than we are
now doing, but I am afraid that the
train will frequently arrive sub
stantially off schedule"
During the past weeg the train
has been getting here earlier and
more nearly on schedule. It is also
understood that one of the Com
pany's officials has been making
the trip every day, evidently study
; ing the situation with the view of
| improving the service and working
out schedule for performing more
of the commercial work service on
the return trip.
AS further proof Of the Norfolk
and Westerns disere to improve the
promptness of their local train ser
vice, several months ago they re-
commended to the Post Office de-
partment that their train be sche-
duled out of Abingdon at 1880 AM
which of course would have to leave
without making connection with
train Al, due in Abingdon about
1915, but which is frequently late
"It would, however, handle the
mail arriving in Abingdon from the
East on train Is and would likewise
have a connection from the Bristo
line train IA, arriving in Abingdon
at 7:15 AM" Mr.. Talbot stated
But apparently the Post Office De
partment did not think well OF the
suggestion because we have moi
heard anything from them about it.
AS a result of the call for bid:
on the proposed temporary sta1
route service out of Abingdon
which was announced last week,
large number of people are plan
ming to submit bids, Postmaster B
D. Barr states.
Judging blythe tremendous vol
umn of mail witch the train ha:
been hauling, it will require ar
unusually large truck to carry all o.
the mail on this route. Some day.
the volumne is so great that thu
mail car is overfilled and parcel pos
packages have to be carried in thu
baggage car.
By waiting for train Al, as the 10
cal train does, interested citizens
here contend that it would be i'm
) possible for a truck to haul this mai
within ond one half hours from
Abingdon and service all of the pos
offices en- route.
They still contend further, tina
it would be impossible for trucl
: to make the 57-mile trip owe
Whitetop mountain every day dur
!. ing the winter months, and conse
J quently the mail service would b.
worse instead of better, on man!
occasions. The cost Of this servic
should also run pretty high, it is be
lieved.
Rev. J. o. Cox, Methodist paste
at Helton who is being transferred
to another charge, is said to be on
iof the main leaders in the movemen
!. to get the change.