N&W research assistance

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N&W research assistance
Sunday, June 6, 2010 10:23 AM
From: "Blair Miller" <blair.miller at gmail.com>
To: "f_scheer" <f_scheer at yahoo.com>

Dr. Scheer,

I stumbled across your email address while doing research on the Shenandoah Line.  My hope is you might be able to help me track down additional information on my great grandfather, Wendell T. Miller, who was a N&W locomotive engineer serving the Hagerstown District up until 1938.  

As the story goes Wendell Miller piloted a steam locomotive carrying passengers from Hagerstown, MD to Shenandoah, VA.  In 1938 he died unexpectedly at a boarding house in Shenandoah.  His body was supposedly returned to Hagerstown in a flag draped coffin that was placed on a flat bed car attached behind the caboose.

I have not been able to find any record of his death in Shenandoah or Hagerstown, nor have I found any accounts of an engineers death in local newspapers.  Railroad pension records are not available because due to the timing of his death and the inception of the pension plan, Wendell Miller's widow was informed she was not entitled to any money -- even though Wendell had worked for N&W for many years.

What I am most interested in are photos of this passenger line around this time frame.  Unfortunately I don't even know the number of his engine.

My hope is you can help me, or at a minimum point me in the right direction.  

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Regards,

Blair Miller


June 7, 2010

Good morning, Blair:

Thank you for your inquiry.  Unfortunately, I don't have information about N&W engineers.  I'll pass this along to members of the N&W Historical Society who will contact you directly at <blair.miller at gmail.com> if they can provide some guidance.

Best wishes and good luck,

Dr. Frank R. Scheer, Curator
Railway Mail Service Library, Inc. 
f_scheer at yahoo.com 
(202) 268-2121 - weekday office 
(540) 837-9090 - Saturday afternoon 
in the former N&W station on VA rte 723 
117 East Main Street 
Boyce VA 22620-9639