Any Norfolk and Western Railway fan left

[Stourbridge Lion]

No activity in this forum since 07 March, 2006...

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[Robbman]

Plenty of N&W fans... no N&W topics though... and the majority you get are steam topics...

Ask anybody about N&W in 1956 and they'll rattle your ears off... ask them about 1966 or 1976 though, and you'll get a blank stare.

Luckily, there are a few of us who's main interest is the N&W post steam...

[chessie]

I saw a high nosed GP40 recently :teeth: Now that says N&W to me!

Harold

[Mark 4 Design]

Count me in as a Norfolk and Western fan. Just musing on making a high hood GP35 in Z scale and painting it up in N&W.

[Black Cloud]

You mean there's a such thing as non-steam N&W?!? The horror!!! :omg:

[bierbass]

http://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/abq.jpghttp://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/abr.jpghttp://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/abf.jpg

[Flash Blackman]

Selma, NC, March, 2006
http://www.railimages.com/g2/d/13392-2/DSCN5805.JPG
The whole string that same day.
http://www.railimages.com/g2/d/13389-2/DSCN5804.JPG

[dingoix]

Count me as a N&W fan. I liked the Js, As, and Y6Bs.

[chessie]

I saw a string of 2 bay covered hoppers on a NS train today and about 1/3 of them were N&W heritage! (Not in good shape, paintwise)

[Flash Blackman]

Sure seems like the NW paint scheme has been on these cars a long time. I am not sure when the merger took place? It appears that, eventually, these cars are repainted in NS logo.

[r_i_straw]

Dinner in the Diner? Old MOW car auctioned off and in private hands. Was origionally a Nickle Plate car then N&W.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/russellstraw/aqx.sized.jpg

[bierbass]

I know the resolution is lame but...
http://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/abw.sized.jpg

[ncmrdispatcher]

Still a few N&W fans out here. Wish I could get to Roanoke more often, though. This was in 2002, when some of the Va Transportation Museum equipment was moved behind the N&W shops.
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/65491528-M.jpg

[Stourbridge Lion]

Now that is how to get a Fallen Flags topic going!!!!!!!

:thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:

[ncmrdispatcher]

How about a GP-9 painted in "red bird?"

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/65520148-M.jpg

I thought that the red scheme was reserved for passenger locomotives, but I don't see a steam generator on this one. Anyone have more information?

[shamoo737]

Mark, you cant hide that kind information over here. Also, what are you going to do for trucks. Those Bloumberg trucks are not going to do. Also post it in Z scale forum. I am sure Phil and Brian are going to go bananas over this one.

[ajy6b]

I am a big time N&W fan here. I model the diesel era, mainly the late 60's up until the merger with Southern in 1982. I grew up in the former Scioto Division town of Portsmouth, Ohio. I don't recall seeing another locomotive in a color other than black until I got my driver's license.

[ajy6b]

The red was for passenger scheme locomotives. After the end of passenger service the steam generators were removed from most if not all of the GP9's. I believe some of them were regeared for freight use.

In the mid 70's right before the BRAC strike N&W ordered a SD40-2 to be painted in a tuscan scheme with gold block NW letters. During the strike this unit was used by Robert Claytor himself when he took over running freight trains during the strike. The unit was nicknamed the "red baron". One of the first orders of C30-7s N&W ordered one to be painted in the tuscan and gold scheme like the SD40-2, It was C30-7 8010. On the last batch of deliveries of the C30-7s there were more painted in the the tuscan and gold. I don't believe it was more than 10 units numbered in the 8070-8080 series. Some of these units were designated for business train operations and pulling the geometry cars. However a few ended up in freight service as well. I think N&W was experimenting with a more colorful paint scheme. I don't know if the merger killed the experimentation or they decided the tuscan just did not weather well.

Some people may wonder why N&W did not go for E and F cab units. Well, N&W was always frugal and wanted to get the most out of locomotives. They found the cab units (they had leased some from RF&P and ACL during the transistion from steam to diesel), were not good for switching. The section of the passenger trains going Portsmouth, Ohio to Columbus Ohio was sometimes handled by one GP, because it was a relatively flat run. They found that and E or an F unit would arrive at Columbus in the morning and sit all day doing nothing until it was called for the evening train. The yard crews did not like to use it for switching. Because of this, N&W ordered the GP9s for passenger use. Once in Columbus, the GP9 could be used as an extra switcher until it was called to take the passenger train back. Therefore it had a high utilization rate which pleased higher management.




How about a GP-9 painted in "red bird?"

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/65520148-M.jpg

I thought that the red scheme was reserved for passenger locomotives, but I don't see a steam generator on this one. Anyone have more information?

[traingeekboy]

Just checking in with the N&W crew. I'm a proud owner of N&W locos.

I lived a block from a N&W line as a kid and spent alot of time watching trains back then. I never saw anything colored other than grimy black on that line. I gotta say that Gp9 in red is really nice looking. It's got me thinking I may have to have one some day. The gold and red is just too pretty.

[chessie]

I remember the NC Transportation Museum having a "Redbird" N&W unit at some point in the past.... I don't know if it is still there, but I probably have a photo of it...

Harold

[Robbman]

How about a GP-9 painted in "red bird?"

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/65520148-M.jpg

I thought that the red scheme was reserved for passenger locomotives, but I don't see a steam generator on this one. Anyone have more information?


Steam generator was removed and partition removed from fuel tank in the 70s...

521 is a true passenger GP9 (the last one)... the one in the NCMT is a freight GP9 painted in the passenger scheme.

[Bruce-in-MA]

Found this picture of a boxcar in Palmer MA in June of 2000 (from the NERAIL website):

http://photos.nerail.org/photos/2005121013091520696.jpg

[skyav8r]

1982 was when the merge with southern rr took place.

[SecretWeapon]

http://www.railimages.com/albums/michaelsabia/aku.sized.jpg

[SecretWeapon]

http://www.railimages.com/albums/michaelsabia/aci.sized.jpg

[Allen]

Still a few N&W fans out here. Wish I could get to Roanoke more often, though. This was in 2002, when some of the Va Transportation Museum equipment was moved behind the N&W shops.
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/65491528-M.jpg

I believe that the lettering for this scheme "N&W F2" should be delux gold (yellowish) not white as the museum has it painted.

[Robbman]

It is/was gold... it's just heavily faded in this photo (which was taken when the museum was building its pavillon). IIRC, lettering has been redone

[chessie]

High nosed SD45's are a treat :teeth:

[Stourbridge Lion]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Black Cloud]

Hmmm. I have a theory on why there is little activity here. I believe that N&W fans are some of the most studied fanatics in the railroad kingdom. Every N&W fan I've spoken to knows alot about the rail line, and has oodles of information gleened from the 'net. I don't get a lot of questions about the N&W RR, and since I have a lot of raw data and info myself, I seldom ask any.

But, again, this is just a theory. Or maybe a hypothesis? I'm not sure...

[cap187]

Hi All! Just found this board. I worked for the NW from '68 to '74 at Calumet yard in Chicago as a foreman and yardmaster. Worked the road (Ft. Wayne to Chicago) from '74 to '88 when I took a seniority buy-out. I've used a lot of the equipment shown on the 'net over those 20 years.

When I started on the NW it was 4 years after the merger. Sam Chandler was the trainmaster at Calumet and he still operated the yard the way it was under the NKP which was great.

I'm not the expert Railfan you guys are, but I have hands on experience. My favorite steam is the 765 which I've been conductor on a few times on excursion trains. Diesel wise, I'd say the SD-45's were my favorites.... 1776! Cabooses... definately the shop built NKP bay windows.

The old days... whether doing flat work in the yards or riding the tail of a hot shot pig train... it was fun.

Will have to dig up some of my photos, scan, and post.

Don't have room for a layout, but have collected power, cabs, and rolling stock over the years. My favorite piece is the NKP dynamometer car in brass.

[chessie]

Welcome to TrainBoard, cap187! I don't get up to N&W territory much, but I did pass through Buena Vista, Va. today and saw that the old N&W position type signals are still there!

Harold

[Stourbridge Lion]

Is this one to at risk of being closed...

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/images/statusicon/forum_old_lock.gif

[Esky]

Hello all! I am new to trains & model railroads in general and, being from Roanoke, consider myself to be a N&W fan. I've been trying to read anything I can about trains and model railroads, and have just completed a fascinating book on the Class J steam locomotive published by the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. I've not yet taken the plunge into modeling just yet, but probably won't be able to resist much longer. There are a few other projects that my wife insists that I do beforehand.

[bierbass]

Welcome to Trainboard. Roanoke and the surrounding area has some great scenary, great for modeling.

[N&W]

Welcome Esky!

[chessie]

I must make the pilgrimage to Roanoke some day...

Harold