The Flickr Norfolkandwestern Image Generatr

Norfolk Southern's "Norfolk & Western" heritage unit #8103 makes an appearance on CN's Freeport Subdivision on this wet and rainy night, in charge of grain train G889 for Ida Grove, IA.

(cropped) Surprise on the commute this morning. If you zoom in on the bridge, you can see an old New York Central Lines oval logo, presumably from the 1920s. (P.S. this photo was shot blindly from a moving car)

Surprise on the commute this morning. If you zoom in on the bridge, you can see an old New York Central Lines oval logo, presumably from the 1920s. (P.S. this photo was shot blindly from a moving car)

The Shenandoah Railroad obtained a gentle rolling profile following its namesake Shenandoah Valley through Virginia avoiding the Blue Ridge to the east and Allegheny Ridge to the west with two exceptions. Here is one. The Roanoke Valley at its southern terminus and Shenandoah Valley to the north are separated by foothills of the Blue Ridge. From a connection with the main stem of the Norfolk and Western in Roanoke, the route of the Shenandoah Railroad climbs along Tinker Creek to the foot of Tinker Mountain before turning east and following Buffalo Creek to a summit at Nace. Seven degree curves and stretches of 1.4% ascending grade were required on both the northbound and southbound climb to Nace. Norfolk and Western installed US&S Position Light block signals on this division in the 1920s and operated trains using a timetable schedule and train orders. Although Norfolk Southern is gradually replacing the hundred year old signal hardware, some remains. What is today Norfolk Southern’s Roanoke District acts as a secondary mainline predominately for manifest trains.

An early January storm left measurable snow over much of Virginia. Snow continues to fall as northbound Roanoke, VA to Enola, PA NS manifest 12Z grinds up the 1.4% grade past the base of Tinker Mountain at Troutville, 3.6 miles from the summit at Nace.

The technology contrast in this scene is large. Although they are now driven by coded radio messages rather than a hard wired code line, the original US&S Position Light signal hardware protecting the 5942’ siding beginning at Troutville and ending at Kinsey continues function after 100 years. Lamps of the position light simulate the positions of an upper quadrant semaphore signal blade first sold by US&S in 1881. They were placed in service 30 years before N&W acquired their first diesel electric locomotive. Current micro-processor controlled AC propulsion locomotives, including those on Norfolk Southern, are equipped with GPS and communication for Positive Train Control, radio remote control (Distributed Power), energy management cruise control (Trip Optimizer), and remote monitoring and diagnostics.

After departing Bensenville, dad captured this image from his Milwaukee Road Ribside office at Galewood yard, while heading for A5 and eventually Milwaukee. The Norfolk and Western power is laying over, while waiting on a transfer crew.

Lynn A. Longley photo
D.A. Longley collection
Scanned from a Kodak 110 Instamatic negative

Who doesn't love a caboose? CSX B708 used shoving platforms from time to time on the run to Letterkenny, saving the need to run around the train in Shippensburg. For a while, this oddball caboose was the ride of choice: a Norfolk and Western (C-31?) caboose. So how did CSX end up rostering a N&W cabin?

So the story goes, CSX was using a Western Maryland caboose in Hagerstown that the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum wanted for their collection. The problem was: CSX still needed the historic car, so a deal was struck to trade this NW car that had been previously donated to the museum by Norfolk Southern.

The crews appreciated the history of the car, and fingerpainted fun markings into the dirt, including "WM LIVES" - very appropriate for a job that runs the severed top section of the Western Maryland Lurgan Subdivision.

The car ends up sidelined about a year after this photo, reportedly the result of being dragged with the brakes on and giving all 8 wheels flat spots.

V34 flies out of Eggleston No2 Tunnel on the way to Narrows and Glen Lyn.

Norfolk & Western Railway caboose (NW 557584) in Spring City, Tennessee (Rhae County) on a small, downtown park beside the old train depot and main railroad line. The caboose has been in its present location since at least 2002.

This is a bay window steel caboose, Class C7, built in 1962 by the International Car Company in Kenton, Ohio for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (NPK). NPK is commonly nicknamed the “Nickle Plate Road” railroad. The caboose was numbered NPK 484. In 1964, NPK was merged into the larger Norfolk & Western Railway (NW) and the caboose was renumbered to 557584. All its original markings on, in and under the caboose have been painted over.

The outside of the caboose has not been noticeably changed since its railroad days except for the insertion of window air conditioners. The inside has lost all of its original furnishings and fixtures. The caboose now serves as a storage area. It has city power but no plumbing. The caboose is in a public area. Visitors are allowed to climb on the platforms but not enter the cabin.

Norfolk & Western Railway caboose (NW 557584) in Spring City, Tennessee (Rhae County) on a small, downtown park beside the old train depot and main railroad line. The caboose has been in its present location since at least 2002.

This is a bay window steel caboose, Class C7, built in 1962 by the International Car Company in Kenton, Ohio for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (NPK). NPK is commonly nicknamed the “Nickle Plate Road” railroad. The caboose was numbered NPK 484. In 1964, NPK was merged into the larger Norfolk & Western Railway (NW) and the caboose was renumbered to 557584. All its original markings on, in and under the caboose have been painted over.

The outside of the caboose has not been noticeably changed since its railroad days except for the insertion of window air conditioners. The inside has lost all of its original furnishings and fixtures. The caboose now serves as a storage area. It has city power but no plumbing. The caboose is in a public area. Visitors are allowed to climb on the platforms but not enter the cabin.

Norfolk & Western Railway caboose (NW 557584) in Spring City, Tennessee (Rhae County) on a small, downtown park beside the old train depot and main railroad line. The caboose has been in its present location since at least 2002.

This is a bay window steel caboose, Class C7, built in 1962 by the International Car Company in Kenton, Ohio for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (NPK). NPK is commonly nicknamed the “Nickle Plate Road” railroad. The caboose was numbered NPK 484. In 1964, NPK was merged into the larger Norfolk & Western Railway (NW) and the caboose was renumbered to 557584. All its original markings on, in and under the caboose have been painted over.

The outside of the caboose has not been noticeably changed since its railroad days except for the insertion of window air conditioners. The inside has lost all of its original furnishings and fixtures. The caboose now serves as a storage area. It has city power but no plumbing. The caboose is in a public area. Visitors are allowed to climb on the platforms but not enter the cabin.

I didn't see much Norfolk and Western growing up in North Carolina. I did see them a couple of times when we would go visit my Aunt in Virginia. This scheme was gone by then. I was hoping this train would come out of Voltz earlier and complete its journey to Avondale Yard. But at least I did finally get it leading. Here it is carry what is now a short 25 car manifest to Avondale Yard on the Kansas City District in Birmingham, MO. NS Norfolk & Western ES44AC Heritage Unit #8103 leads with CW44AC6M #4422 trailing.

Because the route chosen by the Shenandoah Railroad followed its namesake Shenandoah Valley through Virginia and avoided the Blue Ridge to the east and Allegheny Ridge to the west only minor grades were encountered with two exceptions. The northbound ruling grade is 1.6% on Lofton Hill beginning at Vesuvius where the line passes over the divide from the James River to the Shenandoah River watershed. Norfolk and Western installed US&S color position light block signals on this route in the 1920s and operated trains using a timetable schedule and train orders. Double track was added for 3.1 miles from Vesuvius north to Pkin during CTC implementation in 1944 to increase operating capacity.

Today, Norfolk Southern extends far beyond the regional interchange locations of the past and this route acts as a secondary mainline predominately for manifest trains. Although NS has been slowly replacing the classic N&W signal hardware, some remains. Broken coupler knuckles on the ground near the at the north end of double track indicate the challenge of starting a train on Lofton Hill after meeting a southbound at Pkin.

On the final evening of 2024, several lines of rain showers passed from west to east over the Shenandoah Valley. The sky cleared briefly and the setting sun dropped under the next approaching wall of cloud. The NS dispatcher in Atlanta has cleared a path south down Lofton Hill for manifest 15T from Allentown, PA to Irondale, AL. The southbound signal at Pkin displays Diverging Clear and the “Y” turnout at the north end of double track is lined to Main #1.

Union Switch and Signal Company was founded by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh in 1881. Norfolk and Western placed US&S color position light block signals on the route from Roanoke to Hagerstown in the 1920s. The cast base of the southbound CPL at Lewis Run, Virginia indicates both its maker and its age some ninety years later.

An empty utility coal train passes the Norfolk and Western color position lights at Lewis Run on its way north in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Counterpart loaded trains operate in a 2X2 distributed power configuration from southwest Pennsylvania to steam plants in North Carolina via Roanoke. N&W installed US&S color position light block signals on this route in the 1920s. Norfolk Southern is replacing those left with modern equipment.

This was my first visit to the GLC, and it was pretty good. Thanks to a friend in the know, I was able to get the rundown of operations for the 2 days I would be here. Both mornings started out with heavy fog which it made it a challenge for chasing anything, so the shots were limited. But to see and hear older EMD's working made up for it.

The first train I found was with the 0900 crew that was putting their train together over in the yard SE of the shop. A quick air test had them rolling through town with 2 of the ex-MRL SD-35's for power and about 30 cars going north. Taking advantage of what little sunlight there was, I decided to go for the artsy, seasonal shot and brighten things up. The chase into the soupy fog was on after that.

GLC 383 blt 11-65 as N&W 1553, to MRL 1553, to IMRL 705, back MRL 705, to GLC.
GLC 386 blt. 11-65 as N&W 1566, to MRL 1566, to IMRL 701, back to MRL 701, to GLC.

The Pocahontas Division mainline of the Norfolk and Western was built west from the original mainline to Bristol, Tennessee to access the high quality bituminous coal discovered in southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. Once reaching a summit of the Flattop Mountain west of Bluefield, the route west chosen to access coal reserves follows the descending path of Elkhorn Creek and the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River and eventually reaches the Ohio River. What was first justified by coal later became utilized as a route over the Alleghenies to the Midwest. N&W would eventually build to western terminals at Columbus and Cincinnati. Movement of coal dominated this route for the first 80 years of its operation. With the expansion of the N&W and later Norfolk Southern, the Pocahontas Division has also become one part of longer routes between distant endpoints for merchandise and intermodal traffic.

NS train 171 uses the Pocahontas Division mainline as part of its route from the former Pennsylvania Railroad classification yard at Conway, west of Pittsburgh, to the former Southern Railway classification yard at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Train M71 (an extra section of daily merchandise train 171) received a manned rear-end helper at Farm and climbs the ruling grade at Elkhorn, West Virginia on an early November afternoon.

The Fall Festival excursion run heads back west toward Hurlock after 1203 ran around the train at the siding east of Federalsburg. The train is passing the former Federalsburg depot, which for now is the home of the Maryland & Delaware's office headquarters. Fanning out toward the camera are the tracks to the Federalsburg engine house and the Koski Enterprises transload.

You can see the repairs to the smokebox door from the mishap with a misaligned switch and an excavator on the tracks while running around at Paradise Jct. (Leaman Place) in November, 2022.