Norfolk and Western
Prototype Photos
N&W power waits at Weller Yard, VA in 1971
-Everett Young photo
| New | Scenes | Roster Shots | Equipment |
 N&W GP30 543 at Norton, Virginia, 9 May 1979 -Jay Thompson |  N&W GP9 683 at Norton, Virginia, 7 Jun 1979 -Jay Thompson |  N&W GP9 797 on foreign rails at Knoxville, Tennessee, 21 Sep 1978 -Jay Thompson |
 Norfolk & Western GP18s 932, 925 & 902 with SD45 1736 at the L&N engine facilities in Etowah, Tennessee, 11 Jul 1978 -Jay Thompson |  N&W C30 caboose 530313 at Norton, Virginia, 18 Apr 1979 -Jay Thompson |
 NW 234 coming out of the west portal of Woodman Tunnel (on Kentucky side of the Tug River). The train will take the wye bridge to the right and enter the Pocahontas Division mainline at Devon, WV. This train is heading west to Williamson. 2 Sep 1988 -Everett Young |
 NW 4154-549-200-4132 rumble toward Weller Yard with the "Levisa 2" mine run and 13 loads at Conaway, VA on 9 Dec 1984 -Everett Young |
 The following series of shots shots show N&W SD40-2 6096, C30-7 8038 and SD45 1806 working the Dumps Creek Branch north of Carbo, VA as the power for shifter P01C. While technically an NS train, this series is indicative of N&W mine run operations on the branch. Here they have set off part of their train in a siding at Wilder, VA and will soon go back through Sandy Ridge Tunnel to pick up the rest of their train, 7 Sep 1984 -Everett Young |
 Shifter P01C exits Sandy Ridge Tunnel with 23 loads of raw coal for the Moss No. 3 preparation plant north of Carbo, VA, 7 Sep 1984 -Everett Young |
 Clinchfield Coal Company's Moss No. 3 preparation plant at Clinchfield, VA on the Dumps Creek Branch near Carbo, 7 Sep 1984 -Everett Young |
 P01C picks up the loads they had previously set out at Hurricane Jct. 7 Sep 1984 -Everett Young |
 NW SD35 1559 on the point of an eastbound Hill run at Garwood, WV. Actually NS era in Jul 1984 -Honn Tudor |
 Set of two NW SD50S leading a coal drag near Garwood, WV, Jul 1984 -Honn Tudor |
 Two of the six NW SD50S's (6502, 6505) are ready to depart westbound from Williamson Yard on 20 Jun 1981 -Everett Young |
 View of Williamson, WV engine terminal looking west from the employee foot bridge, 20 Jun 1981 -Everett Young |
 NW SD45s 1762 and 1782 sandwich C30-7 8024 eastbound at Looney's Creek, VA with the Dismal #1 Mine Run and 163 empties, 14 Nov 1981 -Everett Young |
 Three SD45s (NW 1734, 1808 and 1729) pass the coke ovens near Vansant westbound with 100 empties, 14 Nov 1981 -Everett Young |
 NW SD40 1596, GP9 829 & 875 and C30-7 8068 climbing a steep grade with westbound coal train at Home Creek, VA, 7 Nov 1981 -Everett Young |
 NW 4-axles 1335-1360-735-4104 head down the Levisa River past United Coal Company's Wellmore 8 prep plant at Big Rock, VA with empties, 8 May 1981 -Everett Young |
 Unique loader at Schlesser Coal Yard, Tacoma, VA, May 1981 -John Wilkes |
 The ex-VGN loadout at Tierney had seen better days (circa 1980) -Bob Slavy |
 Norfolk & Western SD40-2 6114, SD45 1706 and SD40-2 6146 with a coal train outside Carbo, VA on June 27, 1979 -Jay Thompson Thanks to Robert Thompson for scanning his father's photos and adding the descriptions, click here to view more of Jay Thompson's photos on Flickr |
 Coal train at Tacoma, Virginia, bound for Norton. On point is N&W SD40 1621, N&W GP18 2703 (ex-Wabash 703, to N&W 1493), an N&W GP9 and an N&W SD45, 18 Apr 79 -Jay Thompson |
 NW Geeps 818-880, B&O 6971and NW 2804-788 at Weller engine terminal. The white building on the right is the yard office, 3 Mar 1979 -Everett Young |  A quartet of N&W 4-axles led by GP40 4119 backs into the Georgetown Prep Plant near Cadiz, Ohio to pick up its loaded coal train, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |  The huge Georgetown Prep Plant was served by both the PRR and NKP (later PC/Conrail and N&W/NS). The NKP, N&W and CR hoppers are waiting in the raw coal yard, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |
 The N&W units have now coupled up to their train and are performing a brake test before heading back toward Adena on the Adena, Cadiz and New Athens (AC&NA) branch, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |  RS36 2873 is showing its NKP colors on home rails south of Cadiz, OH, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |  The coal train, with ex-NKP GP35 2910 in the consist, slowly plods through Hanna, OH, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |
 The coal train, bound for Cleveland, first travels through the tiny town of Georgetown, OH, on the AC&NA, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |  It's Ohio, but helpers are still required at times. NW SD40 1581 and an ex-NKP SD9 push ahead of 3 cabooses. The pushers are likely pushing to Rexford before heading to Pine Valley, OH, 17 Oct 1977 -Everett Young |  NW 1352 east (just barely visible in the smoke) passes the coke ovens of Jewell Coal & Coke near Vansant, VA, 12 Jun 1977 -Everett Young |
 N&W SD45 1763 and SD40-2s 6081 and 6074 at the Carbo, VA terminal. The building on the left is the bunk house/yard office. In the background, the Dumps Creek Branch crosses the Clinch River and forms a wye junction with the CV District main, 5 Jul 1976 -Everett Young |
 N&W SD35 1538 and a pair of SD45s cross the bridge at Bud on their return to Elmore, WV after pushing a loaded train up the grade to Clarks Gap, Jul 1976 -Donald Haskel |  A westbound N&W coal transfer run crosses into Ohio and meets an empty on the bridge at Kenova, WV, Jul 1976 -Donald Haskel |
 These next three photos are from the same train at Rait Tunnel in WV. NW SD40-2 1643 leads a train into Rait Tunnel long-hood forward, 14 Sep 1975 -Everett Young |
 Pusher units for 1643 and class C-31P cab enter Rait Tunnel, 14 Sep 1975 -Everett Young |  After cutting off of the train and replacing the cab on the other side of the tunnel, SD45 1792 leads the light pushers eastbound, 14 Sep 1975 -Everett Young |
 NW SD45s 1757 and 1764 switching in front of the old bunk house at Weller Yard, VA, 23 Mar 1975 -Everett Young |
 Alco T-6 switching at Norfolk, VA, Feb 1974 -Dan Bourque collection |  SD45 1732 leads a coal drag east of Petersburg, VA, Feb 1974 -Dan Bourque collection |
 N&W 6-axle EMDs including SD35s 1553 and 1515 switch loads at Clinchfield Coal Company's Moss No. 3 prep. plant at Clinchfield, VA, 6 Aug 1973 -Everett Young |
 NW Trainmaster waiting at Mullens, WV circa 1973 -Tom Marshall |  A pair of GP9s leads an SD40 and SD45 past an endless line of cabs in Bluefield, WV, Aug 1972 -Donald Haskel |
 The trailing end of the same lashup with SD45 1746 and SD40 1618 in new paint, Bluefield, WV, Aug 1972 -Donald Haskel |
 Once the home of the Virginian's massive electrics, the motor barn at Mullens, WV is home to a wide variety of diesels including EMDs, Alcos and Fairbanks-Morse Trainmasters, Jul 1972 -Donald Haskel |  NW T-6 18 has a Speno ballast cleaning train as 1769-1774 arrive eastbound on the Williamson, WV yard lead, 15 Aug 1971 -Everett Young |
 NW SD35 1500 switches the west end of Williamson, WV yard, 28 Mar 1971 -Everett Young |
 NW C628 1127 and SD40 1599 at Weller Yard, VA 31 Mar 1971 -Everett Young |  NW SD45 1754 and SD35 1511 arrive at the east end of Weller Yard, VA with a short mine run on a snowy 15 Feb 1971 -Everett Young |
 Ex-Virginian Trainmaster, now N&W 156, still works her old stomping grounds at Mullens, WV, Jun 1970 -Donald Haskel |
 In a nice display of pre-Dash-2 SDs, SD35 1562 leads an SD40 and SD45 at Hagerstown, MD, Feb 1970 -Dan Bourque collection |   These shots depict train #42, the "Pelican" at Bristol, VA, 1969 -Ron Flanary |
  "Pelican" continued, 1969 -Ron Flanary |
 An N&W SD35/C628/SD40 set waits for its next train on the ready tracks at Norton, VA, 1969 -Ron Flanary |  Ex-Virginian Baby Trainmasters (H16-44s) switching coal hoppers at Norfolk, VA, 21 Oct 1967 -Dan Bourque collection |
 GP9 957 at Bristol, VA, 1965 -Ron Flanary |
 SD35 1519 at St Paul, VA, 1965 -Ron Flanary |
 Mallet 2-6-6-2 1480 at Norton, VA, Apr 1957 -Stuart Thayer Collection |
 Ex-NKP RSD-12 256 in Toledo, OH, Jul 1970 -Dan Bourque collection |
 RSD-12 258 is on it's third number; its first was Nickel Plate 333, the second NW 2333, Mar 72 -Dan Bourque collection |
 GP35 237 mid-consist in Feb 79 -Dan Bourque collection |
 Wearing the so-called "13D" paint scheme, GP9 710 awaits its next assignment at Roanoke, VA, 8 Sep 79 -Dan Bourque collection |
 GP9 728 at Cincinnati, OH, Apr 56 -Stuart Thayer Collection |
 GP40 1370 stands alone in Bristol, TN. In the NS era, GP40s became mainline power in the coal fields when paired with RP-E4D road slugs, 10 May 77 |
 NW 1596 represents an early NW SD40 with blue paint and a standard truck and cylinder arrangement, Feb 70 -Dan Bourque collection |
 NW SD40 1605 in the engine facility in Toledo, OH -Dan Bourque collection |
 An N&W hi-nose SD40 on the point of a westbound train eases by the Golden Minerals loader at Tacoma, Virginia, 18 Apr 79 -Jay Thompson |
 SD45 1709 in a nice blue paint--location unknown, Feb 70 -Dan Bourque collection |
 NW SD45 1776 in Bicentennial colors at Bellevue, OH, May 1978 -Dan Bourque collection |
 U30B 1936 in as-delivered blue and gold paint at an unkown location, Oct 71 -Dan Bourque collection |
 Norfolk & Western GP35 sitting in the yard at Norton, Virginia on June 7, 1979. This unit is ex-N&W 3547, ex-Wabash 547. She has the distinction of being the last new unit delivered to Wabash before the merger with N&W. As of September 2006 she was at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, MO with NMOT 2918 on the cab. -Jay Thompson |
 Another kind of switcher--ex-Wabash SW-7. Note the relatively rare "N&W" paint scheme applied to only a small number of N&W units in 1970 prior to the black and white "NW" scheme, Oct 71 -Dan Bourque collection |
 Ex-Wabash Trainmaster (H24-66) on the mainline somewhere in coal country, Jun 70 -Dan Bourque collection |
 While GP38s were extremely popular with the NW's merger partner, the Southern, they were comparatively rare on the NW. Here GP38AC 4133 sits solo in 1980 -Dan Bourque collection |
 NW SD40-2 6077 awaits its next assignment, Jul 1978 -Dan Bourque collection |
 N&W SD40-2 6109 at Norton, VA, 9 May 79 -Jay Thompson |
 Norfolk & Western ordered a mix of high- and low-nose units from both EMD and GE, unlike their later merger partner, Southern Railway, which stuck with high-nose units until the very end, Jun 79 -Jay Thompson |
 Norfolk & Western SD40-2 6129 at Norton, VA. Note the triple brake cylinders and extra brake shoes on the N&W units, 7 Jun 79 -Jay Thompson |
 While this doesn't look like the coal fields, C30-7 8023 is certainly coal field power, Aug 83 -Dan Bourque collection |
 In the last years of the N&W, an SD40-2 and a few C30-7s were painted in this tuscan and gold scheme which lasted well into the NS era, Mar 86 -Dan Bourque collection |
 Norfolk & Western U30B sitting in the yard at Norton, VA. These units were more common in Ohio and the flatter areas of the N&W, but as this photo shows, anything could be used as coal field power, 9 May 79 -Jay Thompson |
 This ex-Wabash caboose is not a common site in the coalfields, but here it is in Norton, VA. N&W designated this class C-18, 24 Jul 82 -Jay Thompson |
 Norfolk & Western caboose 557543 (class C-6P) at Norton, Virginia, awaiting its next assignment. These ex-NKP cabs weren't as popular in coal country as the high-cupola C-31s, 9 May 79 -Jay Thompson |
 N&W's diminutive pier switcher at Norfolk circa 1970 -Dan Bourque collection |
 NW '40 boxcar still in old paint scheme at W. Palm Beach, FL, Jul 1973 -Rich Picariello |  NW covered hopper 182873 near Conway, PA, Jul 1994 -Rich Picariello |
For more related photos, try the Virginian and NS photo pages
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