Vol. 34, No. 4 October / December 2018  Issue Select 
Issue Details
Cover Title: The Arrow
Cover Subtitle: High Noon on the N&W: Columbus District, The Beginnings of a Great Railroad, 1978 Strike Experience, 1968 Part 3
On the Cover: Winter and the holiday season always brings thoughts of train travel to mind for those folks who remember the era. Even though the steam era had ended some years, there were fans who liked trains and went out with their 35mm cameras and Kodachrome film and recorded some great images of an era now gone. Holiday traffic and mail are well in evidence on this December 1967 day as blue GP-9s 500 and 515 lead an 11 car Train No. 4, the Pocahontas into the Roanoke station. Four head-end cars lead what appears to be 3 modernized PG coaches and another coach. The Geeps are still fairly clean and well painted here showing some pride in the company about its passenger service.
Articles In This Issue
Out of the Past / A local newspaper recollection of passenger service on the Cincinnati District - Clipping Newspaper
  Photo N & W’s 603 on its last run (Newspaper)
  Photo Reproduced here is the complete wire photo as sent out via United Press titled “End of the line.” The sad fate awaiting one of the Class J locomotives at Moscowitz Brothers scrapyard in Cincinnati.  (Newspaper)
High Noon / On the Norfolk & Western - Glenn Fisher
  Photo This view might be considered a typical scene of the Columbus District railroading in the 1950s. No. 1213 leads a (mostly) hopper train eastbound at Lucasville, Ohio with a few mixed freight cars on a sunny summer afternoon. These empty trains averaged 175 cars. This is the epitome of steam operation: a modern Class A with extended coal boards on the tender, canteen (or auxiliary tender) making good track speed. This is, indeed, “Precision Transportation” at its finest in the summer of 1957.  (Joe Collias photo/NWHS Archives NW00888 )
  Photo Class M No. 422 was frequently spotted at Columbus, shown here on the turntable at Joyce Avenue roundhouse. May 1954. (NWHS Archives Photo NW06422)
  Map Much like Cincinnati in our previous issue, Columbus is complicated to the viewer. This map is an excerpt of a much larger undated drawing in our collection. The missing part is the grade profiles and trackage to the right (east and south) to Bannon. Including those made the entire drawing too small to read. The mileposts noted are the N&W mileposts from Norfolk. This drawing appears to show the expansion of Joyce Avenue Yard and many grade crossing eliminations that was began in October 1928 and was finally completed four years later in October 1932. Notice how the tracks were extended and eliminated the tight curvature at the east end of the yard and also added considerable capacity. For readers who are curious, like I was, it is indeed appalling to compare satellite views from recent years to try and figure out what is left. Sadly, there is very little of the railroad depicted on this drawing remaining in today’s world. I finally decided to look for an intersection with two streets named on the drawing, hoping they still survive intact. I looked for the address of the N&W freight station (long gone) at the corner of 5th and Mt. Vernon, found that and started following the track from there. This map is oriented with the north at the top. (NWHS Archives Drawing HS-W00054)
  Photo Class A No. 1240 is rolling along nicely at Circleville, OH in this mid-1950s view. (NWHS Archives /Photo NW00981)
  Map Columbus to Portsmouth.
  Photo Its a fine fall day on October 16, 1956 with very clean Class K-1 No. 101 is at Chillicothe. The K-1 is still a productive piece of equipment at this time, but just two years later would be sent to scrap. (NWHS Archives Collection/NW00959)
  Photo Circleville tower looked kind of shabby on this rainy day about 1920. (N&W HS Archives DS02958)
  Photo The 101 is shifting at the CCA paper company in this fine color view. (NWHS Archives Collection/NW04362)
  Photo This Tom Klinger photo of the 1207 is, in a single photo, the defining steam era photo for the Columbus District of the Scioto Division. The lighting is superb, just a small hint of smoke where coal was added moments ago. The headlight is on in this June 15, 1956 photo. (NWHS Archives Collection/Photo NW01845)
The Building of a Great Railroad / Legends, myths and facts about the earliest days of the Virginian Railway Legends, myths and facts about the earliest days of the Virginian Railway - Tom Salmon
  Photo Deepwater No. 1 did not seem to gather a lot of respect over the end of her life. Note the crookedly applied number on the cab side. She was probably more commonly known as “Fido” and is shown here, at Page after retirement. “Fido” is missing the tender, headlight, bell and whistle and has been shoved, somewhat ignominiously to the end of a stub track. No. 1 was Deepwater’s first locomotive, purchased second hand from the Pennsylvania Railroad for the construction of the original road after 1903. (Author’s Collection)
  Letter Three pages of the letter from Will Page to Abram Hewitt on January 21, 1902. Page could easily see a deal in motion here and was ready to participate. It seems unlikely that Rogers would have been willing to show his hand in Loup Creek for fear of prices rising rapidly. (Library of Congress)
  Photo Godfrey Hyams
  Photo William McKell
  Map Here is a portion the 1916 map presented to the I.C.C. Valuation Hearings. This Virginian survey map shows which routes were surveyed (in white) and what route was actually constructed (in black).
  Drawing This early survey line shows the line going off to the west rather than to the east at the little location called “Deep Water.” This vision would come back several times over the next number of years. (N&WHS Archives Drawing Name HSC11177.2)
  Photo Jenny’s Gap showing the Deepwater track on the left, and the truncated C&O line on the right. (Author’s Collection)
NW / My experiences during the Norfolk and Western Strike of 1978 - Tom Heinrich
  Photo N&W No. 8499 eastbound coming off of Attica, IL the bridge over the Wabash River December 14, 1978. The strike had been over for less than three months at this time. (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo A Chicago and North Western employee is picketing at Chicago’s North Western station in this September 1978 photo. (Wire Photo/Editor’s Collection)
  Photo N&W No. 217 eastbound at Ryan, IL February 14, 1978. (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo N&W No.1737 southbound at Litchfield, IL. TGC is in the siding at the left, December 11, 1978 (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo N&W No. 514001 Track Geometry Car at Orrick, Missouri, May 10, 1978.  (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Letter Left: Internal document issued regarding travel home. The signature is Leon Atkinson, General Manager-Transportation (N&WHS Archives Collection)
  Photo N&W No. 3366 SW9 at Decatur, IL December 1, 1978 (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo Eastbound at Logansport, Indiana are two SD-45s August 20, 1978 (Greg Henschen Photo)
  Photo KM-2 heading eastbound from Peru to Montpelier. This was a train that handled auto parts cars (loaded and empty) from Kansas City to Montpelier where it was broken up, with some going to Detroit and others Toledo, etc. (Greg Henschen Photo)
  Photo N&W No. 4115 at LaFayette Junction, IN, April 27, 1978. Eastbound train entering Westward Main track. (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo This shot is of an eastbound train (probably a “TC” train) at West Peru. We had this same power consist out of Bellevue westbound in the afternoon of August 19, 1978. (Greg Henschen Photo)
  Photo This is the same train shown at the bottom of page 34 going away. That is the author coming out of the cab with the red hat. He had to wait 40 years before seeing this, the only photo he is aware of him on strike duty! (Greg Henschen Photo)
  Chart The author’s record of his service during the 1978 Clerk’s Strike. (Thomas C. Heinrich Collection)
  Photo NW No. 6175 Roanoke Shops, early July 1978. I believe No. 6175, Tuscan red, was just out of the paint shop. It was posed over at the passenger station for the company photographers after being turned (David T. Callahan)
  Photo N&W No. 1776 Roanoke Shops, June 27, 1978. I believe No. 1776 had just been delivered to the shops for repainting from the red/while/blue paint scheme to standard black. (Thomas C. Heinrich Photo)
  Photo For Further Reading The infamous 1978 strike was documented in book form and issued by the N&W in late 1978 and copies were given to each participating employee. It contains more details and a list of all the employees and their assignments. The N&WHS has the hardcover volume for sale in the Commissary for $15.95 (SKU# 142.13). This book has normally been $34.95 ($25.95 members) but we have to clear out some shelf space for new product. Every N&W fan should have a copy in their library, and what better time than now at a great price!
  Chart Below: While not directly related to the author’s experiences, this Dispatcher’s train sheet from Friday, July 14, 1978 was the 5th day of the strike. This is for between Crewe to Norfolk. Several items of interest on the sheet show member Landon Gregory (who provided the sheet) as dispatcher from 3:00 p.m. to midnight. Extra 1770 east (units 1770, 1567 and 1505 with mixed train of 90 cars left Crewe at 10:13 a.m. arrived at Norfolk at 3:00 p.m. with President Robert B. Claytor as engineer. Time Freight 86 with 4152, 206, 766, 2462 and 942 with 161 cars was handled by Norfolk Division Road Foreman of Engines Frank Collins. Frank Collins is also remembered for being assigned to normally operate 611 or 1218 during the excursion program from 1982-1987 as System Road Foreman-Steam (when Frank retired). (N&WHS Archives Collection)
A Half Century Ago / The Norfolk and Western in 1968 – Part Three - Ken Miller
  Photo The 40 foot boxcar was still a pretty important piece of equipment in 1968. Here we see a former Wabash car, now N&W Class B-72, No. 30049 which was equipped to carry automobile transmissions with an original N&W boxcar (number not quite discernible) at an unknown location. (N&W Photo/N&WHS Archives Collection)
  Photo One form of N&W traffic that boomed exponentially in the 1960s was the movement of automobiles via Trailer Train auto racks. Coal was still important, as can be witnessed on the eastbound coal train on the right. This 1965 view of Roanoke Yard features the former 10th Street Bridge, with an eastbound train lead by three Alco RS-11s, bracketed with two EMD Geeps and perhaps another unit or two out of the picture at left. (N&W Photo/NWHS Archives Collection)
  Photo The “Half Moon” N&W herald certainly was showy and made quite an impression when seen in the yard. (NWHS Archives Collection)
  Photo Big steam makes its first appearance since early 1957 on the Shenandoah Division on October 22, 1968 with the NKP 759 deadhead move to Roanoke . The 759 is passing the 1914 design depot at Buchanan, Virginia. (Dorr M. Tucker Photo)
  Photo One of the up-and-coming “stars” of the N&W in 1968 was a very young David Goode posed here in the General Office Building South. (N&W Photo/NWHS Archives Collection)
  Photo A variety of motive power is shown here at the locomotive servicing facility at Bellevue, Ohio. The gantry system allowed delivery of fuel, lube oil, water and sand to the units as they are spotted without further movement. The gantry features an elevator to allow reaching the sand or water fill on any design of unit reaching the facility. Member Gordon Hamilton who designed the facility says there was also a single track version of the system located at Williamson, West Virginia, which was installed prior to this one at Bellevue. This scene is probably summer 1968. (N&W Photo/NWHS Archives Collection)
Vol. 34, No. 4 October / December 2018  Issue Select