Nelson & Albemarle Railway
21/12/21 07:05 Filed in: Shortline Railroads | Nelson County
The Nelson & Albemarle Railway took a circuitous route between a connection with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the Southern, serving mills at Alberene and Schuyler as well as the soapstone quarries along the way.
Charles Clegg photo - California Railroad Museum collection
The Nelson & Albemarle was a perfect complement to both the soapstone industry it served and the scenery through which it ran. Vulcan built saddle tank steam locomotives hauled short trains along a lightly graded right-of-way.
Alberene Stone Company and the N&A could certainly provide excellent inspiration for an On30 model railroad. But the N&A is standard gauge …
Moving Materials
25/11/21 09:45 Filed in: Soapstone in Virginia
The soapstone mills were built in remote areas close to the Soapstone Belt.
Quarries supplying stone to the mills were scattered through the surrounding countryside.
Kierk Ashmore-Sorensen collection
At the time local roads were built to handle agricultural wagon traffic. The high volume of stone from quarry to mill and finished products from the mills to the outside world necessitated the construction of rail lines.
Virginia-Alberene Stone Company
19/11/21 09:28 Filed in: Soapstone in Virginia | Nelson County
One Company in particular was very successful manufacturing and marketing soapstone products.
Kierk Ashmore-Sorensen collection
In the early 1900s, Alberene Stone Company had 100s of workers in the mill cutting, finishing, and assembling a variety of soapstone products.
What is Soapstone?
08/11/21 08:26 Filed in: Soapstone in Virginia
Soapstone is a term used to describe a range of minerals with the common characteristic of high talc content.
Abandoned soapstone quarry, Albemarle County, Virginia
Talc gives the stone a slippery feel when wet. Soapstone is not particularly rare. Stone from most deposits is milled into powder for its high talc content. But the soapstone in central Virginia is unusual in that it has a high density, consistent grain pattern that allows it to be cut, carved, drilled and routed.
Native Americans carved cental Virginia soapstone into bowls. In colonial days it was used for foot warmers. With the advent of indoor plumbing, there was a huge demand for Virginia soapstone. It is still used for kitchen and bathroom applications, and is well suited for labratory countertops.
Soapstone slabs for countertops
Abandoned quarries in the woods are silent reminders of what was once a flourishing industry in the Blue Ridge foothills.
A Likely Candidate
30/10/21 20:17 Filed in: Nelson County | Soapstone in Virginia
As it happens, there is a unique and commercially viable stripe of soapstone deposits running right along the western Piedmont of central Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Virginia Minerals newsletter, April 1961
One of only a few places in the world where the quality of the stone is high enough for architectural and dimensional applications.
