Vol. 15, No. 3 May / June 1999  Issue Select 
Issue Details
Cover Title: A Home Away From Home
Cover Subtitle: Norfolk & Western's YMCAs
On the Cover: This 3/4 view of N&W's YMCA at Williamson provides a closeup view of the entrance to the facility.
Articles In This Issue
The Norfolk & Western 'Y' / A railroader's home-away-from-home - James N. Gillum
  Photo A handsome building for its time, the Williamson "Y" had three floors plus an above-ground basement. The broad front porch was a favorite spot for railroaders to visit with one another and view the activity of the busy Williamson Yards (N&WHS Collection / VPI&SU)
  Photo There are many "layovers" on this day in the early 1900's inside the Williamson "Y". Note the stamped metal ceiling, a common treatment for ceilings in those days. (N&WHS Collection / VPI&SU)
  Photo The Atlanta Braves they're not, but this typical baseball time from the 1920's was every bit as competitive. Athletic competition was an important part of the social activities supported and encouraged by the N&W in the communities along its lines. (N&WHS Collection / VPI&SU)
  Photo From the front, the YMCA at Portsmouth (OH) was very similar in appearance to the one in Williamson (and Wilcoe); the wide front steps were a prominent feature,. This building was smaller, though, as noted by the number of dormers on the roof. (N&WHS Collection / VPI&SU)
  Photo Unlike the other "Y's" on the N&W, the Bluefield faclity was a brick structure, located just west of the roundhouse on Roanoke Street. Government-subsidized housing now occupies this site. (N&WHS Collection / VPI&SU)
Scenes from an Ice House / A young boy's place to watch trains - Ed King
  Photo Looking through the Mary Street Bridge, we see the yard action in Bristol. The small, white building to the right of the hopper is the ice house where the author spent many an hour getting an education in railroading. (Ed King)
  Photo N&W Class M #433 shuttles a Southern express car in the Bristol yard. The engine would escape the scrapper's torch to become a permanent display at Abingdon, VA. (Ed King)
A Bad Day on the Railroad / An elephantine-sized story - Gary Rolih
  Photo Dead Elephant hanging from N&W derrick car. Scene believed to be from Ringling Brothers Circus at Columbus in 1918. (Gary Rolih)
On the Ground! / Researching ICC reports for N&W accidents - Robert Harvey
  Photo The first wreck of the The Powhatan Arrow, occurred just 15 days after its inaugural run, coincidentally in Powhatan, WV, when the engineer sped through a 35 mph curve at 55 mph. (Eastern Regional Coal Archives, Bluefield, WV)
  Photo One of the most famous (or infamous) accidents on the N&W was the derailment and subsequent locomotive boiler explosion of Time Freight #85 in Maybeury, WV on 6/30/1937. (Jim Gillum Collection)
  Chart Norfolk & Western Accidents Investigated and Reported on by the ICC
  Photo Missing from the ICC records is this head-on collesion dated 6/1928, involving Class M #393 and #481, and a third in the double-header whose number wasn't given. (N&WHS Archives Collection)
The Sand House Hoodlum / A tiny sparrow brings perplexes an entire railroad - Frank Marshall
The Tennessean / Norfolk & Westerns Standard Tenders: Part 1 - James Nichols
  Photo N&W Class B #61 rests in storage in Bluefield, prior to being scrapped in July, 1934 (H. E. Nichols Photo / Jim Nichols collection)
  Drawing This drawing of the 9,000 gallon tender is show at 70% of full 1/4" scale size.
The Virginian Local / What on earth is a telferage? - Martin E. Swartz
  Drawing Telferage sketch by Bill "Sarge" McGhee with advice by Randolph Hearn.
Current News / What's going on in today's railroading - Robert G. Bowers
  Photo N&W caboose R#518407, class CH, is back in service on the Buckingham Branch Railroad at Pleasant Valley, VA in 1998 (C. L. Hill)
  Photo Tow N&W cabooses, R# 530323, class C30, and R# 518444, class C2, rest on display at Rural Hall, NC on 1/25/1999. (Leroy Foster Jr.)
Vol. 15, No. 3 May / June 1999  Issue Select