Luetta McNeil - N&W Telegrapher and Station Agent

[NW Mailing List]

I first learned of Luetta several years ago when Ken Miller sent several
photos of her in a station, taken in the early 1950s.  She had been his
neighbor, and survived until several years ago.   Subsequently I learned an
article had been published on her... but in what magazine?

I could never nail down a good reference to the article until a week ago,
when someone forwarded me an Ebay link to an 1954 Railroad Magazine up for
auction, which magazine carried a feature article on N&W steam.  In reading
the ad, lo and behold, there was mention of another article in the same
magazine dealing with an N&W station agent named Luetta McNeil.  The
mystery was solved, but I was too late and the magazine had been sold.

A quick distress call to Keith Robins. revealed that he had a copy of the
magazine, and he generously scanned the pages for me.  The article had been
written by Ben Dulaney, who worked in the N&W's PR Department.  One wonders
why it was published in Railroad Magazine, rather than in the N&W's own
Magazine ?

Wirtz, Va, is a way station on the N&W's "Punkin' Vine" between Roanoke and
Winston-Salem, 21 miles south of Roanoke.  The 1950, 1954 and 1956 "List of
Officers, Agents and Stations all show "Miss L.M. McNeil" as the Agent at
Wirtz.  She was gone by the time I spent several years braking on "the
Punk" in the early 1960s but, curiously, I never knew any men to work at
Wirtz... all the agents I remember there were women.

The article is attached as a PDF.  Hope you enjoy it.  And thank you,
Luetta, for leaving your mark on history.

-- abram burnett

Moderator:
http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/20130309-Burnett.pdf
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