Bristol Line

[NW Mailing List]

Regarding the Radford Division and employees, I only ever saw "Pulaski 
District" in writing (timetable), but heard "Bristol Line." 
"Christiansburg" and "Whitethorne" referred to dispatchers while the 
districts were referred to as "N&W side" and "Virginian side." Diesel 
engines were called "motors" and most often by enginemen, with a 
distinction made between EMD and GE. Terms "engine(s)" and "unit(s)" 
seemed more prevalent in that order as you got away from the track.

As Chase points out, the term "motors" extends to the Pocahontas 
Division, but this is an unusual case of "usage shift." Those that 
worked in electrified territory referred to electrics as "motors" and 
even made the distinction between LC-1's and -2's. With a six-year 
interim between the end of electrification and diesels, no direct 
distinction was required, but most tended to refer to diesels by their 
series number as was the practice with steam classes. With no experience 
of the electrification, seems new hires gradually shifted usage to that 
of the Radford Division.

As Frank mentions, term usage depended on the job, location, and era.

Grant Carpenter

On 4/12/2015 7:21 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
> They call them motors here on the NS in WV/VA too. I think the term 
> comes from when they ran the electrics. Not sure though.
>
>
> -Chase Freeman
> Grundy,VA
>
>     Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2015
>     They call them 'motors' out here on the BN, drives me nuts! about like
>     for DP power, a set of 2 or more consists of a DP and 1 or more
>     'Slaves'
>     the DP being the locomotive that is linked to the lead locomotive.
>
>     Nathan
>
>     On 4/8/2015 07:07, NW Mailing List wrote:
>     >  Some people now call Engines "units," and apparently do not
>     know any
>     > better.
>     >
>     > -- abram burnett
>     > (such a curmudgeon that he still uses the telegraph...)
>     >
>     On 4/8/2015 13:07, NW Mailing List wrote:
>     > Now that said, we all know that sometimes local usage may vary.  And
>     > may vary over time.  There are people here in Cleveland that still
>     > refer to "The Big Four Line".  And there was an issue of Vintage
>     Rails
>     > that referred to the C&O's streamlined hudsons as "yellowbellies"--a
>     > term that no one in the COHS including retired C&O employees ever
>     > admitted to having heard before.
>     >
>     > Frank Bongiovanni
>     >
>     On 4/8/2015 07:07, NW Mailing List wrote:
>     "So, if you want to be a real, ontologically true-to-the-tradition
>     railroader, just refuse to use the term "Pulaski District." Call
>     it the
>     Bristol Line."
>
>     -- abram burnett
>     (such a curmudgeon that he still uses the telegraph...)
>

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