Engineers and Locomotives

[NW Mailing List]

Good Morning Folks,

One thing I joined the society for was to find references to the way  
engineers used their locomotives.
I know from many train films how engineers work the throttles back and  
forth when starting out,
and the blasts of sand, but I really want to know how N&W engineers  
tweaked the settings while they
dragged coal over Blue Ridge.

At what point did the Y's get switched to compound?

Did they alter the reverse settings much?

How did the various engines ride?
I know the A's and J's ride nice, and the M2's and K3's didn't.
How did the Y3's ride?  Did the Z's squirm on the rails?

I am trying to portray my mid 1930's N&W with prototypical performance  
from the engines.
Knowing the personalities of the engines is an important part of the  
historical record of the Norfolk & Western in light of the amazing  
locomotives they developed and used.

Mark Lindsey
y3a at earthlink.net