Question about Virginian Class AE operations following

[NW Mailing List]

N&W 1927 Annual Report - A track scale of 200 tons capacity was installed at Columbus, Ohio, for motion weighing,

releasing one of 150 tons capacity removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, and one of 300 tons capacity, for

motion weighing, was re-located at Portsmouth, Ohio.

 

Alex Schust

 

 

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List
Sent: Monday, August 03, 2015 10:42 AM
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Subject: Re: Question about Virginian Class AE operations following

 

 


  

Any idea when the weigh-in-motion scale was developed for railroad use, and where its first several applications were on the N&W? 

N&W's first application was probably at Prichard, WV circa 1970. Later, a

weigh-in-motion scale was added near Celco on the former VGN side.  Not

all trains crossed the weigh-in-motion scale and adjacent rails routed the

the no weigh trains around the scale.   Back when  6 1/2" X 12" journals

were  good for 263,000# gross weight, one could find coal loads  originating

say from the Clinch Valley crossing the scale at Prichard with a gross weight

of 290,000 lbs plus.  Not only had they traveled overweight for 150 miles 

(+ or -), but they'd move Prichard to Portsmouth before the excess coal

was scooped out.      

 

Prior to the 1943 new hump at Shaffers Crossing, and the weighing of coal at that location, did the N&W also weight its Tidewater coal on its arrival at Norfolk, like the VGN? 

 

Yes.  Speaking about Pier 6 here -- the coal would roll by gravity

from the barney yard and cross the scale just before entering the

thaw shed.  On cold days, when the thaw shed was in operation,

the loads would back up so that one end of a loaded hopper still

rested on the scale.  Another would drop from the barney yard

and couple to the car already on the scale.  Even though there

were three trucks resting on the scale, the weighmaster could

come up with a weight for the 2nd car.  I never figured that out.

 

I suspect the scales on the hump at Shaffers Crossing were for

weighing only "junk" coal going to mom and pop operations,

or for coal going off line.  Bluefield was making solid Tidewater

trains that by-passed the hump.     Harry Bundy

 

 

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