My guess is that Cowan VA is a railroad designated name - maybe at one time there was a tower or office there. Order 544 June 23, 1971 - Engine 7531 - a brand new SD-40, built 02/03/1971 (unless it was old 7531, an F7B...but I don't think so) Order 43 Oct. 6, 1951 - Engines 105 and 106 - C&O (Pere Marquette) E7As Order 26 Dec. 20, 1962 - Engine 4030 (I think that's what it is) - E8A Order 106 Aug. 8, 1970 - Engine 6052 - GP9 This is really great fun to research! :teeth:
Time- Yes. The number is 4030. After reading uncounted numbers of train orders, a person can develop a fair ability to decipher handwriting. :teeth: If you can find anything on my Dante/Dante Yard question, I'd be delighted to know! Boxcab E50
I know a little about Dante - I forgot to answer that question! Dante is way down in the soutwest part of Virginia along side Lick Creek. It's in Russell County, and was on the Clinchfield Railroad down in the coal fields and "hollers" near Sandy Ridge Mountain. There was a Dante Yard, which had a 300-ton coaling and sanding tower, which is a great subject to model because it was small, and pretty typical of the era. There was also a wooden water tank, 120 foot turntable, ash pits, a machine shop, scale house and tracks, etc. I am actually using the Dante Yard plan as a basis for a small yard and engine facility on my N layout - it's in the final planning stage now. I will probably even work the Union Baptist Church in the plan. So here is another twist in my layout which was originally supposed to be C&O - then I decided to make it more generic so that I could turn it B&O if I want - and now, the Clinchfield twist! mg::teeth:
Hmmm. Sounds like it was possible there were two seperate train order offices of Dante, and Dante Yard. Were both the Clinchfield, and the C&O there at the same time? If so, that might explain....? BTW- I do have some Clinchfield flimsies... Boxcab E50
Dante is the town at the Dante Yard - I'm guessing that C&O had leased some rights to run on the Clinchfield. I thought that the C&O interchanged with the Clinchfield at Elkhorn City, Kentucky - I don't remember the C&O being near Dante VA. The Clinchfield became part of the Family Lines, and Family Lines merged into the Seaboard System. In 1986 Seaboard and Chessie merged and became CSX. So still sort of a mystery with that C&O train order talking about trains going north through Dante... Edit: Post some of those Clinchfield flimsies - you can probably tell I'm a Clinchfield fan, too!
