2005 NWHS Convention Registration

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

The 2005 NWHS Convention will be held June 23-26 in Williamson, WV.

Registration information for the 2005 NWHS Convention is now on the web site at

http://www.nwhs.org/convention/2005Convention.pdf

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The remote beauty of the Tug Fork River and those gorgeous West Virginia 
mountains are beckoning! It's convention time once again, and where better 
than where once A's, Y's, and J's tread daily... and where Norfolk Southern 
keeps things humming today! Just look at what we have planned!

Thursday, June 23rd
Our convention registration will open at the Williamson firehouse at noon. 
This is the same location that we used in our previous visit to Williamson. 
The firehouse is across the street from the former Williamson passenger 
station,

On Thursday evening, noted railfan photographer Everett Young will present 
a slide show on N&W and NS rail operations and mine runs in the Williamson 
area. Mr. Young is a resident of Pikeville, Kentucky and has co-authored 
Chesapeake & Ohio, Coal and Color, an illustrated book on C&O activities in 
the coal fields of West Virginia and Kentucky.

Friday, June 24th
Our first tour day will be busy day with events throughout the day. We will 
start with a tour of Akers Supply, the largest magnetite producer for the 
coal prep industry. Most coal has pyrite and rock associated with it. The 
pyrite, containing sulfur dioxide, and rock must be removed from the coal 
before it can be burned. Magnetite is a key ingredient in the separation 
process. The tour will then proceed to the Premium Energy surface mine for 
a tour of the operation for a contrasting view of mining from our 2000 
convention tour. Mingo Logan Coal Company will host lunch for the touring 
members. The final stop of the day will be at the Twisted Gun Golf Course. 
This course was built as a mine reclamation project by Mingo Logan Coal 
Company, Premium Energy and the Pocahontas Land Development Company to 
showcase a championship golf course constructed amid beautiful terrain that 
normally would not allow such an expanse to be made. Relatively flat 
terrain is rare in the Tug Valley! Such projects provide economic 
opportunities and recreational space that otherwise would not be possible.

Friday evening's event will be a barbeque at the Matewan Depot Replica next 
to the N&W mainline. The depot will be open for us to view the museum which 
tells the history of railroading and coal mining in the area. The replica 
was funded by NS and Massey Energy. N&WHS member Tim Hensley and Ken Miller 
of Salem, VA were key members of the restoration project. They provided 
their collective talents to make the depot an accurate depiction of a 
classic N&W country station and filled it with significant artifacts and 
photographs depicting the early era of coal mining in the Tug Valley. And 
now for a real treat! The Matewan Development Center and the City of 
Matewan will stage a re-enactment of the famous Matewan Massacre of the 
1920 miner's strike depicting the shoot out between the local police and 
town residents and the agents of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency hired 
by the coal mine operators to evict striking miners living in company 
houses. The evening will close with music from Glen Simpson, a Mingo County 
native, a superb balladeer who carries on the mountain tradition of writing 
the songs and stories of the
Tug Valley and central Appalachia about the country, its people, coal 
mining and railroading. Many years ago, he wrote The Ballad of the Powhatan 
Arrow!

Saturday, June 25th
Our first Saturday tour will take us to the Williamson Shops to view the 
old roundhouse and turntable that witnessed the turning of 611 during our 
last visit The shops still perform light repairs on coal cars, the mainstay 
of traffic in this important marshalling yard for coal traffic on the NS 
system.

For those not wishing to go on the railroad related tour, the Williamson 
Historical Foundation has arrange a self-guided tour of "old grand homes" 
in downtown Williamson. These five homes are large homes built in the 
1890's by the new entrepreneurs of early Williamson. They are all within 
easy walking distances from the firehouse. The WHF will provide historical 
information packages on each of the homes.

On Saturday evening we will hold our annual Society banquet and socialize 
with our fellow members in the Brass Tree Restaurant at the Sycamore Inn.

Sunday, June 26th
Before we leave, the Society will hold its annual business meeting at the 
Brass Tree at a buffet breakfast. Our Farewell Breakfast last year was a 
resounding success, so we're repeating it this year. Afterwards, the 
business meeting will describe the activities of your Society this year, 
the state of the Society and the activities planned for next year.
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