Heather Bell
RADFORD — A new attraction highlighting Radford’s rail history will soon be open to the public.
“Regional residents will soon get their chance to preview a unique railroad viewing platform designed and built by Virginia Tech graduate students on the grounds of Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery,” announced Radford Tourism Director Deb Cooney earlier this week.
City officials, representatives from the Radford Heritage Foundation and VT’S School of Architecture + Design will be on hand for dedication ceremonies, beginning at 10 a.m. this Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“They will share the story of how this special project has brought together community members, the wood products industry and university faculty and students to create a concept that merges economic development with history and tourism,” said Cooney.
Radford Mayor David Horton said Friday he is excited the train observation project is complete and ready for residents and visitors to enjoy.
“This project represents the opportunity to showcase one of the most important aspects of our community – our rail history,” said Horton. “Radford is a city of journeys-from the Wilderness Trail to rail and this helps to highlight that.”
“This will be enjoyed by residents and visitors,” Horton added. “There are train hobbyists all over the world who travel to see these locations. And this gives people the opportunity to view our trains in a safe way. That is one of the most important aspects of this project. It allows people to view at a safe, appropriate distance.”
The New River Train Observatory is “the second phase of a vision conceived by a group of volunteers almost 10 years ago,”explained Cooney.
“With a donation from Norfolk Southern Corporation of 1.3 acres of land overlooking the historic New River and an active rail line, the Radford Heritage Foundation and the city’s Tourism Commission began plans to develop the Mary Draper Ingles Cultural Heritage Park in honor of the colonial heroine,” she said.
“We decided the development would be in phases, and fund-raising began immediately for a bronze statue of Ingles,” Cooney added. “Mary’s story of capture and escape in 1755 from Native Americans during the French and Indian War is well known beyond Virginia.”
After the statue was dedicated in 2016, funds were gathered for the train observatory to provide “a close-up, dramatic view of the NS rail line,”said Cooney.
“Media exposure for the park and its statue caught the attention of Virginia Tech professor Kay Edge, who also lives in Radford, and suddenly we had a project beyond our wildest dreams,”she added.
Edge says the observatory’s design is a great example of how low value Virginia hardwoods, such as yellow poplar, can be turned into high-value, high performance building products. Faculty and students will be on site to discuss the design and answer questions about the materials used in the construction. This past year the design was honored by Virginia’s Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Exhibits featuring Mary Draper Ingles and Radford’s railroad history also will be open in the Glencoe Mansion, located at 600 Unruh Drive in Radford, VA.
For additional information, contact the Radford Visitor’s Center at (540) 267-3153 or info@VisitRadford.com.
