NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 180, Issue 14

[NW Mailing List]

Branch line locomotives

I wasn't there but branch line locomotives in the coal fields would have
consisted primarily, if not exclusively, with the biggest power available,
Y's of all kinds and Z1's where assigned I suppose.  The exception to that
would have been where G1's "6 and 7 served into the 'fifties on seasonal
cattle extras between Bluefield and Honaker, Virginia over a line marked by
several spindly timber trestles".  Quoted from Norfolk and Western Steam
(The Last 25 Years).

It is my impression that the M's were relegated to the light duty branches
like Abington Branch and the Creeper to Blacksburg.  I grew up in
Harrisonburg where the Chesapeake Western had used 4 M's before they bought
the Baldwin diesels.  Growing up among little 4 axle power, I thought
"switchers" were the norm on branches off the mainline.  That mistaken
understanding was shaken when I went to work for the NW and was sent to
Wilcoe and Auville as 3rd trick yardmaster in 1978.  We had the biggest
power on the railroad.  One particularly telling day I got a call from
Jenkin Jones asking for delivery of 60 shortloads to their cleaning plant.
We had them in the yard, the 3rd Tug was given the loads and up the
mountain they went.  The next day I was told in no uncertain terms to never
do that again.  The three SD units assigned to the 3rd Tug had to double, I
suppose tripple, the hill 25 cars at a time to get that train up the
mountain.  The lightest power we had used 3 GP units going up to Premier
and Majestic Kentucky from Auville.  Someone else can speak to what steam
power was used on those branches.

David Ray

On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 1:41 AM <nw-mailing-list-request at nwhs.org> wrote:

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>    1. Branch Line locomotives (NW Mailing List)
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> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:31:39 -0500
> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Subject: Branch Line locomotives
> Message-ID: <mailman.688.1576117585.7686.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hi folks,
>
> What locomotives were used on the branch lines in the 40's and 50's? In
> particular I'm looking at the coal haulers in Pocahontas Division. I think
> that the Class E2a's were used and perhaps some version of the Class M's.
> Are these right? And are their others?
>
> Thanks,
> Tom Fulton
> Asheville, NC
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