Vol. 12, No. 3 May / June 1996  Issue Select 
Issue Details
Cover Title: Next Stop ...Bluefield
Cover Subtitle: 1996 N&WHS Convention Preview
On the Cover: A view of the Bluefield passenger station showing the improvements made during the remodeling in 1941: two entrance canopies instead of three, the lack of cupolas and dormers on the roof, noticeably different window configurations. Compare this with the pre-'41 photo on page 11. Jim Gillum's historical piece of the history of this N&W city begins on page 10.
Articles In This Issue
Observation - James F. Brewer
Mailbag - Staff Arrow
Wandering Tuscan / An update on the history and current location of N&W Passenger Equipment - Jim Cochran
  Photo PG Coach #1645 became N&W MOW 521116 before being retired. She was photographed in sad shape in Salem, VA. (Jim Cochran photo)
  Photo M1 RPO #93 is presently on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. (Jim Cochran photo)
  Photo S-2 Sleeper "Sussex County," her Pocahontas days now just a distant memory, awaits restoration in Richmond, VA by the Old Dominion chapter of the NRHS. (Jim Cochran photo)
  Photo Class BPd Combine #1511 rests at the Ohio Railway Museum in Worthington, OH. (Jim Cochran photo)
  Photo Class P2 coach #512 was built for the Powhatan Arrow. She was last seen in excursion service. (Jim Cochran photo)
Video Review / Great Steam Trains - Volume 3 - Thomas D. Dressler
The Story of Bluefield / 1996 N&WHS Convention Preview - James N. Gillum
  Photo The Bluefield Inn (left) and the Bluefield passenger station in 1892. The Inn was subsequently purchased by N&W in 1909 for use as division offices. New division offices built in 1950 replaced this facility. (N&W Photo Collection/VPI and SU Library)
  Table Freight and Passenger Traffic Comparisons: Bluefield and Pocahontas (N&W RR Annual Reports)
  Photo The Bluefield passenger station prior to remodeling. Notice roof cupolas, dormers and window detail. All of this will change with pending remodeling. (N&W photo/Roger F. Whitt collection)
  Drawing This is the official N&W Railway drawing for the Bluefield, WV passenger station remodeling. It shows the planned changes with original features to be removed (windows, cupolas, domers, etc.) in dotted lines
  Photo Marach 1941 trackside view of the station exterior prior to remodeling. Notice date stencilled on door frame indicating that it was last painted in May 1939. (N&W photo/M. L. Grubb collection)
  Photo This view of the remodeled station was taken from the roof of the new division office building. Note clean roof line and new window detail. Twin passenger shelters are still in place. (Roger F. Whitt photo)
  Photo Before and after: Aerial photographs of Bluefield yards east to west. (Top is west) At left we see the full roundhouse and old 500 ton coaling station still in use as construction continues on new coaling station in lower center. Photo on right shows the completed concrete coaling station east of roundhouse; it still exists today. Note that stalls have been removed from south side of roundhouse to allow for construction of lubratorium buildings. (M.L. Grubb aerial photos)
  Photo March 1948 photo showing steel frame of the new Division Office Building. The former Bluefield Inn stands behind the site of the new building. This served as the Division Offices prior to the new construction. Note "squarehead" electric locomotives in center. (Roger F. Whitt photo)
  Photo June 1994 photo showing the new Division Office Building. The one-story addition to the left of the original structure was built to house the computer dispatching center. The 2,000 ton coaling station (foreground), erected in 1953, still stands in the Bluefield yard. (Roger F. Whitt photo)
Speed Limits, Train Length and the A - Dr. E. L. Huddleston
  Photo N&W No. 1230 westbound in July 1947, when train length was 160 cars, and auxiliary water tenders were absent. White flags were still in use to identify mainline "extras," and headlight is not on, a practice not yet inaugurated. Location is about 3 miles west of South Point, Ohio, betwen South Point and Coal Grove. US 52 (2 lanes) is at left. Gary and his dad were keeping up with 1227 on this stretch of highway. (Eugene L. Huddleston photo)
  Photo N&W 1213 westbound in 1954, when train length was 175 cars. Note the auxiliary water tender. The location is west of South Point, Ohio, between South Point and Coal Grove. U.S. 52 at left became a 4-lane highway in the 1960's. Gary and his dad were chasing No. 1227 before U.S. 52 was widened. (Eugene L. Huddleston photo)
  Photo N&W 1204 westbound in September, 1958 when train length was 190 cars. Note the auxiliary water tender and built-up sides of coal bunker on tender. Location is along the river-front through Ironton, Ohio. The DT&I crossing is about 100 yards further down the tracks. (Eugene L. Huddleston photo)
Restoration News / Students tackle restoration of classic N&W Depot - Staff Arrow
The Virginian Local - Roger Nutting
Remembering the old...welcoming the new! - Roger Nutting
  Photo In 1987, a scene like this was cause for joy. Class A 1218 was being towed to a rebuild. This time there are no such happy thoughts. Ed Painter, Jr. took this photo on Sat, January 26 of northbound train No. O-54 with the 1218 dead-in-tow in Easley, SC, en route to Roanoke for storage. (Ed Painter, Jr. photo)
  Photo Norfolk Southern's new GE units, in primer coat only, make up most of train No. M-79 on January 28, 1996. N&W engineer Bob Hickman (39 years +) is at the throttle as the new units, nos. 8892, 8893 and 8894, ease through Clare Yard heading to NS/SOU Gest Street Yard in Cincinnati. (Gary D. Rolih photo)
View form the Cab / Railroad Hobos - Thomas D. Dressler
The Tennessean / Cinder Service Hoppers - James Nichols
The Tennessean / New Products in HO - James Nichols
  Photo Two photos of AMB N&W lightweight coaches. Above is the model of the P-1 as built for the Powhatan Arrow. Below the model of the Pm. (John Hitzeman photo)
Current News - Robert G. Bowers
  Photo Top Photo: N&W MofW Tool Car R# 526667, in fresh safety green paint, lays over at Shenandoah Yard on February 27, 1996. Despite the smallish "NW," the car is now safely protected from rust. (Mason Cooper photo)
  Photo Middle Photo: N&W MofW Bunk Car R# 527206 also in Shenandoah Yard. This side of the car shows what is possibly the worst job done on all of the N&W heralds; the rest looks very accurate. (Mason Cooper photo)
  Photo Bottom Photo: N&W MofW Tool-Lumber and Bunk Cars R#'s 515142 and 527256 were found in the same spot. The big and bold "NW" herald is something this photographer thought he would never again see in fresh paint, except maybe in a museum. (Mason Cooper photos)
Pearl Harbor Day 19145 / (or, An Awful Day at Auville) - Robert Harvey
  Photo Copy of memo explaining operational problems at Auville Yard, December 7 1945.
Vol. 12, No. 3 May / June 1996  Issue Select