Carl M. Lathrop, whose writings are well-known to readers of our
magazines, has produced a book entitled ‘Sentimental
Journey’ which has a very special story.
It is a history of the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway, the Bee Tree
Lumber Company, and the Leftwich Timber Company, but there is more
to it than that.
The book is dedicated to Carl’s father, Frank O. Lathrop, a
member of the original management team of the railroad, brought in
from the New York & Pennsylvania Railroad to be
superintendent.
Concept of the railroad dates back to the early 1900s.
Construction of the line, to extend in Virginia’s Nelson and
Amherst Counties, began in 1915.
Author Lathrop had a personal interest in the Virginia Blue
Ridge Railway, and many of the excellent photographs in the book
were taken by him. He reviews the good times and the bad, all the
way up to May, 1980. At that time, it became evident that the
railroad would be embargoed July 1.
No rail buff or steam historian should be without this, since it
presents the only volume of collected information on the subject.
It is written with a professional engineer’s insistence on
preciseness of information, and a son’s affection for an
enterprise in which his father played a prominent role.
The 92-page softbound book, with color covers and over 100
pictures, is available at $10.35 from Stemgas Publishing Co., Box
328, Lancaster, PA 17603.
Gerry Lestz
