| Obiturary / Dean A Freytag (1924-2010) - Rick Stone |
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Photo |
Dean Freytag was an influential
modeler and N&WHS Member #5. He passed
away December 25. (Bill Linson Photo) |
| The Electric N&W, Part 4: The Glory Years of Electrication - Kevin EuDaly |
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Photo |
The engineer on a LC-2
electric locomotive studies the photographer
from his eastbound train in Hale’s
Bottom a mile or two west of Bluefield,
Virginia. Reportedly, some engineers
did not like the electrics because of the
noise of the rotating machinery behind
the locomotive cab. What appears to be
smoke issuing from the tops of these
electric locomotives is actually water vapor
produced in the liquid rheostats by
heat during acceleration to the 14 and 28
mph synchronous locomotive speeds. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
LC-2 2514 pulls its train eastbound
over Bridge No. 861, better know as Maybuery
Trestle, where Y4a 2092 on Train
85 left the tracks on June 30, 1937, and
plunged over 100 feet to the ground below,
where the boiler exploded. Three crew
members and a pedestrian below were
killed. The track barely visible crossing
underneath the bridge is the Angle spur. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This great view of the power plant
at Bluestone looking northeast reveals
several interesting details. Note the LC-1
chassis on the stub track to the north of
the two through inspection house tracks
(see diagram on pages 44–45 of The
Arrow 26-1, Jan-Feb-Mar 2010). On the
delivery track to the north of the inspection
building are four empty hoppers and one
loaded with coal for the power plant. On
the same track in the distance are at least
10 more hoppers, all coal loads. The long
building in the foreground has been added
since the drawings of the power plant were
done in 1916 (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Drawing |
This grade
profile and track chart is dated May 16, 1925.
The scale on the track chart has been reproduced
accurately at 4,000 feet per inch. The
grade profile identifies the various installations
of the electrification. According to this chart,
the first installment was 29.1 miles from Bluefield
to Kimball (apparently the piece between
Eckman Yard and Kimball was considered
part of the initial installation by whoever drew
this chart). This was followed by an extension
to Farm that added 9.22 miles. The second
extension approved in 1923 included 16.48
miles from Farm to Iaeger. The final extension
was proposed from Iaeger to Williamson,
as seen in this drawing, but was never built. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
LC-2 electric locomotive
2514 is seen with an eastbound coal drag
near Bluefield, Virginia, in June 1930. It is
not generally realized that the N&W electrification
operated through Virginia for about
5.5 miles west from Bluefield to Flat Top
Yard. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Chart |
This chart shows specific tonnages
of various types of service for the
years 1925–1932. At the bottom is total
tonnages for each year. Tonnage peaked
in 1926 at just over 37 million tons, then
stayed steady until the effects of the Great
Depression were felt in 1930 and 1931. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Drawing |
This grade profile from February 5,
1926, was updated on May 20, 1932, and
includes a tonnage chart for the electrified
zone. Obviously, eastbound tonnage far
exceeded westbound tonnage because of
coal tonnage, and apparently no westbound
tonnage was operated by electrics
west of Eckman. Note that it includes
the average number of trains that were
operated over each section. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This is probably the best photographic view
available that shows exactly how the catenary was
strung across yards and multiple main line trackage.
This view is at the locomotive shop in Bluefield,
West Virginia. The maintenance of way cars and the
gondola in the foreground are an added bonus that
the photographer undoubtedly wasn’t counting on. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This diagram of a single LC-2
electric locomotive is dated May 26, 1923,
and shows one half of an LC-2 locomotive
pair. Each LC-2 locomotive unit was 48
feet, 2 1/2 inches long. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This great view shows the catenary
details as the cables round a curve,
and shows especially well the way tension
was pulled on the main cable with a number
of varying length connecting pieces
to achieve the curve. The three through
tracks on a right-hand curve looking west
and the roundhouse in the distance all indicate
that this wintery scene is at Eckman,
West Virginia. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This advertisement was for the specific
type of wire used in the N&W electrification.
It appeared in the Electric Railway
Journal in the March 5, 1921 issue. The
photograph used in this ad appeared in
The Arrow 26-1 on page 40 (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
The same photograph in the
advertisement at left was used again on
the cover of the Electric Railway Journal
on April 2, 1921, but this time it has
been completely re-worked, dramatized,
and colorized. Colorized advertising was
almost prohibitively expensive in 1921. The
photos in these ads both show the headlights
in the original roof top mounts. These
were moved to the low mounting position
after a crew member was electrocuted in
an attempt to clear ice and snow from the
headlight on the roof top. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
The photographers in the electric
era were enamored with the scene at
Switchback, and photographed numerous
electric-powered trains there, including this
one with LC-2 2515 in charge. The track
on the left leading downward to the east
is the Angle spur, which will curve under
the Maybuery Trestle less than a mile
ahead. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This combination Baldwin and
Westinghouse advertisement appeared
in the April 28, 1923, issue of the Electric
Railway Journal. It pushes the N&W’s
alternating current version of electrification
for heavy freight service railroading. The
photo employed was one of the standard
publicity shots taken of the same train at
the same time as the photograph that was
reproduced in The Arrow, 26-1, on pages
16 and 17, but this one is from a very
slightly different angle. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
In a typical “more bang for the buck”
advertisement from the January 20, 1923,
Electric Railway Journal, Westinghouse
touts its electric products by including
references to four installations: two for the
Pennsylvania Railroad, one for the New
Haven, and one for the N&W. The N&W ad
copy reads: “Norfolk & Western Ry. 4,000
HP, 382 Ton, 11,000 Volt, Single-Phase,
Alternating Current, Double-Cab Locomotives,
Heavy Grade Freight Service.” (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
Using the same photo that was
supplied to Railway Age (and reproduced
in the 26-1 issue of The Arrow), this
Westinghouse advertisement appeared in
the October 13, 1923 edition of the Electric
Railway Journal. Westinghouse was advertising
and building momentum around
heavy main line electrification projects,
hoping for more sales as they tried to sway
heavy-haul freight railroads into considering
electrification. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
Climbing the hills above
Maybeury in June 1930, LC-1 2508 has a
string of coal loads on the 2 percent climb
up to the tunnel at Coaldale. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Chart |
This chart shows the various mileages
under electric operation from 1918
through 1933. This covers all the major
extensions. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
LC-1 electric locomotive 2504 is
running caboose light at Falls Mills, Virginia,
after pushing a train into Bluefield on
August 7, 1947. This locomotive had been
in service over 30 years by this time. (August Thieme, Jr., photo, N&WHS Collection) |
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Photo |
This eastbound LC-1 electric
locomotive near Bluestone, West Virginia,
must be relatively new because the headlight
has not been relocated below the end
platform and the number boards have not
been relocated below the roof and angled.
Also, the “Norfolk and Western” name
board and the locomotive number board
have not been applied to the sides of the
locomotive. What became Class LC-1 was
originally designated Class C. Likewise,
Class LC-2 was originally designated
Class C-2. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
| Railroad Enginners Meet in Chicago / Electric Railway Journal, April 2, 1921 - Unknown Unknown |
| Electric Traction on Heavy Traffic Lines / Electric Railway Journal, January 28, 1922 - Unknown Unknown |
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Drawing |
These five basic traction systems
represent the state of the art in 1922.
From top to bottom: 1) direct axle-geared
drive; 2) single motor gear and quill drive;
3) Twin motor gear and quill drive; 4) rod
drive with gearIess motor (Pennsylvania
passenger locomotives); and 5) gear and
side-rod drive (Norfolk & Western locomotives). (Electric Railway Journal, 2/28/1922) |
| Some Service Records of Electrical Equipment / A List of Unusual Things Accomplished by Railroads with Electric Motive Power - Homer K Smith |
| Electrification Largely a Financial Problem / Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. Electric Railway Journal, May 19, 1923 - W R Stinemetz |
| N&W Electrification Has Contributed Notably to Knowledge in This Field / Electric Railway Journal, August 11, 1923 - Unknown Unknown |
| A Decade of the N&W Electrification / Electric Railway Journal, August 11, 1923 - Unknown Unknown |
| A Visit to Richlands on the Clinch Valley Line - Paul Mandelkern |
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Photo |
N&W passenger train number 5
stops at Richlands in the late 1950s. (Alvin L. Schultze photo, David P. Oroszi collection) |
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Map |
This N&W
map appeared in the June 1891
Traveler’s Official Guide of the
Railways (later the “Traveler’s”
was dropped). By 1891 most of
the “core” N&W lines were in and
were part of the system. The line
to Norton was complete to the
connection with the L&N, and
Richlands (highlighted in yellow
on the inset at left) was one of 15
stations along the route between
Bluefield and Norton. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
This view shows the N&W coal
wharf at Richlands looking west in 1917.
This same structure can be seen in the
view on the opening photograph for this
article on the previous pages. Both views
show the elevated track with loaded
coal hoppers positioned at the ready to
load coal into tenders. In this view, the
Richlands station is just back over the
photographer’s right shoulder (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
The narrow gauge train is carrying
shale to the Richlands Brick Company (Gaynelle Thompson collection) |
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Photo |
In March 1975 N&W GP18 934
leads a coal train eastbound out of Richlands
along the Clinch River. (Everett N. Young photo) |
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Photo |
N&W U30B 1944 leads a train
through Richlands in October 1978. (Everett N. Young photo) |
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Photo |
The same power is in Richlands in
October 1978, and consists of U30B 1944,
GP38 4141, GP30 547, and GP9s 749 and
802. The units are returning to their train. (Everett N. Young photo) |
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Timetable |
The passenger section for the
Clinch Valley Line from the June 1891
Official Guide shows an un-numbered
westbound arriving at Richlands at 2:36pm
and the eastbound at 5:58am on the return.
The date at the top of the column (May 24,
1891) is the date that this schedule went
into effect, and passenger service only
went as far west as St. Paul. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Timetable |
The November 1932 Official Guide
had this schedule from October 1, 1932, in
place. It had westbound Train 5 at Richlands
at 9:15am and eastbound Train 6 at
4:50pm. The train obviously laid over in
Norton from noon until its 1:55pm departure
time. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Timetable |
By the April 1944 Official Guide the
schedule is slightly different, with westbound
Train 5 at Richlands at 10:32am and the eastbound
Train 6 at 6:15pm. The Norton layover
is now from 1:20pm to 3:30pm. The symbol to
the right of the station name indicates that
Richlands was a telegraph station. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Timetable |
Westbound Train 5 and eastbound
Train 6 have been adjusted to 12:06pm and
7:00pm, respectively, in this timetable from
the December 1950 Official Guide. The “+”
symbol indicates that Richlands was a coupon
station (meaning it could sell interline
tickets using multiple coupons). (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Timetable |
The writing is not only on the wall
for passenger service at Richlands, it was
in the Official Guide, too. The April edition
shows that April 4 is shown as the last day
of operation for trains 5 and 6, scheduled
to be in Richlands at 11:51am and 6:05pm,
respectively. On April 5, 1959, Richlands
will become one of a growing number of
towns all across the country without passenger
train service. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Timetable |
The May 1959 Official
Guide shows the Clinch Valley Line as
freight only. The freight schedule is from
the January 1968 edition. (Kevin EuDaly Collection) |
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Photo |
The Jewell Ridge Coal Corporation
Power Plant was photographed
on November 3, 1933 (VPI&SU Collection) |
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Photo |
This undated view (probably from
the 1910s or 1920s judging by the automobile
behind the station) shows the east end
of Richlands station, as well as the south
side facing the tracks. The end of one hopper
car on the coal wharf can be seen at
the very left edge of the photo. (VPI&SU Collection) |
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Photo |
This undated view shows the spur
track into the old Richlands Brick Company. (Gaynelle Thompson collection) |
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Photo |
The section foreman’s house was
just east of the Big Creek Branch wye in
Richlands. This structure is still standing
in Richlands today. (Gaynelle Thompson collection) |
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Drawing |
This drawing from February 7,
1923, shows the layout of the yard and
wye at Richlands (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
This aerial view of Richlands
was taken about 1957. The view is
looking northwest with the Richlands station
out of the photograph at the lower right
beyond the coal wharf tracks. The wye
leads to the Big Creek branch. (N&WHS Archives Collection) |
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Photo |
N&W SD45 1754 is parked in
Richlands during a snowstorm, just before
Thanksgiving in 1977. It’s coupled to a
D&H GE unit, and on the next track over is
an Alco. (Everett N. Young photo) |
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Photo |
N&W SD45 1727, C30-7 8071,
and one of the maroon C30-7s lead an
eastbound train passing the Big Creek
Branch wye near downtown Richlands
in1978. (Sidney P. Vaught photo) |
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Photo |
N&W SD35 1567 leads two SD45s
on a westbound east of Richlands in 1978. (Sidney P. Vaught photo) |
| Book Review: / Billion Dollar Coalfield - Ed Painter |
| Tied to the Past: / Operation Lifesaver in 2006 - Kevin EuDaly |
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Photo |
Dale and Judy Jenkins pose in
front of Operation Lifesaver GP59 4638
in Lafayette, Indiana. Dale was still an NS
special agent at the time, and in 2010 Judy
passed her exams and become an official
engineer. One of her early “runs” was
behind the throttle of a Respondek SD40-2
painted in full Illinois Terminal livery. (Kevin EuDaly) |
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Photo |
Power for the Operation Lifesaver
train was spic-and-span GP59 4638. Behind
the power were two cars. Key guests
and members of the press were each
allowed a stint in the cab (Kevin EuDaly) |
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Photo |
The Powhatan Arrow lettering on
the trailing car was a spectacular throwback
to one of N&W’s most famous named
trains. (Kevin EuDaly) |
