M #382 at Bristol

[NW Mailing List]

Ed (or anyone else).

Curious when and especially why the number plate on the Bristol based Class
M 382 was removed and replaced with the lowered headlight. There must be an
interesting back story to this modification.

Thanks,  John Garner

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Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2016 13:54:07 -0400
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
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Subject: Re: Striped Driver Tires ?
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Jim - 

The M at Bristol that was fancied up was the 396.  It was done for the
Bristol Centennial in 1956 (my Heavens ? was that sixty years ago?).  It was
done with the full impetus of the local MP bosses.  In fact, one of them
laid out and produced two five-pointed stars for the cylinder heads to go
with the white running board edges.  I think that probably company policy
wasn?t that stringent at that late date.  This is the same company policy
flouted by allowing Engineer Fitzhugh Nichols to put his own whistle on the
Abingdon Branch engine.  

The 396 was not regular on the Branch, because it lacked a superheater, but
it did get to West Jefferson at least once while it was duded up.  It was
kinda like putting a pink ribbon on the tail of a plow mule.

EdKing

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