[N&W] RE: Industries by Division

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Hi All,

I agree that a list of all customers that the N&W served would be a great
help for us modelers. Could we include current NS customers also? I think
that track charts would be a good place to start for this kind of
information. I have in my collection a little book that the N&W put out in
the 1950's that describes each line and what products that were shipped from
the different towns. An updated version with a listing customers, trackage,
freight car types and how many car spots. I know that this would be a huge
undertaking for a project- but I think it could be done. Anybody good
friends with a CYO clerk in Atlanta?

Take care, John Hecker
N&W R line MP72
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The industries on a District or a Division can be found on a number of 
documents held by the Right of Way Department.  Each siding or spur that 
required N&W money or some type of business arrangement or business 
contract had a file built that tells about the spur, the cost of 
installation and something about the business arrangement regarding the 
return on car loadings.  Initially these files were started by the sales 
section of the Real Estate Division as they sought out customers for the 
developing railroad and the lands they controlled.  The RoW Departement was 
in charge of installing the track or at least the switch and the short 
section of track that was on railroad property.   There is a survey drawing 
and a plan as to when the work would be done. This was done by AFE.

Having done this they created a small file for this length of track.

This information would then be added to the Valuation Maps created 
periodically that described in some detail everything along the company 
property.  These valuation maps were drawn on D size paper and covered 
roughly 3 miles of track.  For a record, a large number of these sheets 
would be run, one after another, through the blueprint machines to create 
giant roll drawings covering about 1/3 to 1/2 the length of a district ( 
about 30-40 feet of roll drawing).  The valuation drawing would be updated 
by change notice/revisions as property was sold off or spurs or sidings 
were closed by AFE or abandonment proceedings.  This was all necessary for 
tax and insurance reasons as well as operating reasons.

Also, and simultaneously the Real Estate group would monitor the local 
property values to update the assessed value of the land (and dispute or 
agree with the local tax officials as to value).

They also created a series of 3 ring binders that was a compact reference 
to each siding and the business deal that was made for it.

With all of these documents for a District , one can find the origins and 
end date of every siding or spur that was attached to the N&W.

These documents do not generally have any car loading information.  That 
came out of the car reports or other Transportation Departemtn Documents.

Also, the RoW engineering group would draw up a 400 to 1 roll drawing of 
each terminal area such as the ones sold by the Commissary for Columbus, 
Ohio, Roanoke and Bluefield.  These show all of the local tracks and 
frequently those of other railroads in that area.

The majority of these drawing were made in the teen's, twenties and 
thirties.  But, they are still used by NS.

My point of this description is to say that gaining access to these 
documents is probably a better way to use one's time rather than recreating 
everything from scratch as the railroad documents are very comprehensive 
and certainly definitive.

Network, network, network boys.  And get it for the archives.

Gary Rolih, Sec/Treas
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For the VGN fans, the AFE list on the Resources CD would be a very good start.

Tom Salmon