Servicing Celanese and APCo

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Wed Jun 8 15:44:35 EDT 2022 

Chuck’s description of how Celco was worked is an example of how valuable this list can be. A first hand account of service.

Well done Chuck!

As far as Glyn Lyn goes, I seem to recall from my father’s conductor’s books them setting off cars at Glyn Lyn with eastbound trains, maybe 20-40 cars at a time. At one time, there were two leads in from the Virginian, but all that probably ended with the merger in 1959 and subsequent abandonment of that part of the former Virginian in 1971-72.

The plant had two switchers, a GE switcher which ended up at Virginia Museum of Transportation, painted in Virginia Tech colors, which I think was No. 2. No. 1 painted in West Virginia University colors an EMD SW was donated to Roanoke Chapter NRHS a few years back and is in service at this moment on lease to Gerdeau (formerly Cycle Systems) in Roanoke, as their plant switcher had a mechanical failure and was retired back at the first of the year.

Best
Ken Miller

> On Jun 8, 2022, at 10:11 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> Back in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s train 89 out of Roanoke would deliver cars to Celco. These would consist of mainly box cars and tank cars. The eastbound Bluefield - Radford shifter (formerly known as the Short Run) would deliver coal, usually in 25 - 40 car cuts. 
> Train 89 was called from the “slow freight” pool. This pool handled all the hopper trains west. 89 was called out of Roanoke around midnight by the sinister yardmaster Bayes. He’d call 89 then call three to four hopper trains behind it. Crews hated 89 not only for the all night work but mainly getting “run around” by those trains called behind it, meaning staying in the Matz that much longer. 89 sometimes worked Big Spring Mill at Elliston and would pick up the westbound set off from train BR-2 at Walton middle track and usually set off local cars for Radford. If there were any MofW cars that needed to be set off or picked up at places like Eggelston, Cooke Siding or Pearisburg, that would be done as well. 
> Then came Celco. First order of business was get the switch list from the clerk in the shanty near the set off track switch next to the mainline (I’m thinking he was the Narrows station clerk who came over and listed the tracks). Cut the power off, reach in and grab anywhere between 10-40 outbounds. We’d always have to make up the hoses and knock off handbrakes on the entire cut. Double back to the main train, grab the set off and shove back into one or two of the receiving tracks. While it was fairly straightforward, this took a bit of time to do, all the while one could hear the westbound hopper trains that were called behind flying pass on the other side of the river. It didn’t help your attitude about getting “run around“ if it was raining or snowing. 
>  
> 
> Chuck Akers
> Roanoke, VA
> 540-815-1275
> 
>> On Jun 8, 2022, at 8:35 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Don,
>> I would suspect that Celco traffic would be on a par with traffic to Dupont in Waynesboro, VA. 
>> I didn't make many trips to Bluefield, but, I do remember on one trip back to Roanoke we made a straight set off and pick up at Celco.
>> 
>> Jimmy Lisle
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
>> 
>> 
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Date: 6/8/22 8:13 AM (GMT-05:00)
>> To: 'NW Mailing List' <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Subject: RE: Servicing Celanese and APCo
>> 
>> Thanks Ron. Any idea how much traffic was generated per day? From the photos I’ve seen, by the number of cars spotted in plant, I suspect it was significant.
>> 
>>  
>> Don
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> From: NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org> On Behalf Of NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2022 6:08 PM
>> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
>> Cc: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Subject: Servicing Celanese and APCo
>> 
>>  
>> Don, 
>> 
>>  
>> The Celanese plant itself has always had it's own internal fleet of switchers. Whether a local freight or a road freight served the plant externally I can't say, although I suspect the former.
>> 
>>  
>> The original Celanese steam locomotive, a Porter 0-4-0F #1, is on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.
>> 
>>  
>> Ron
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nw-mailing-list-request at nwhs.org
>> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
>> Sent: Tue, Jun 7, 2022 1:32 am
>> Subject: NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 213, Issue 3
>> 
>> Send NW-Mailing-List mailing list submissions to
>> 
>>     nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
>> 
>>  
>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>> 
>>     https://pairlist6.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/nw-mailing-list
>> 
>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>> 
>>     nw-mailing-list-request at nwhs.org
>> 
>>  
>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>> 
>>     nw-mailing-list-owner at nwhs.org
>> 
>>  
>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>> 
>> than "Re: Contents of NW-Mailing-List digest..."
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> When replying, please edit the Subject line so it reflects the topic you are responding to.
>> 
>>  
>> Also delete the non-pertinent parts of the digest when replying to a referenced post.
>> 
>>  
>> Your fellow list subscribers will appreciate it.
>> 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Today's Topics:
>> 
>>  
>>   1. Servicing Celanese and APCo (NW Mailing List)
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>>  
>> Message: 1
>> 
>> Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2022 14:53:44 -0700
>> 
>> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> 
>> To: "N&W Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> 
>> Subject: Servicing Celanese and APCo
>> 
>> Message-ID: <mailman.316.1654562238.3402549.nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> 
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> 
>>  
>> A question to the knowledgeable folks of the society. How was the Celanese
>> 
>> plant at Narrows serviced, particularly in the 1970's? Did a local come out
>> 
>> of Bluefield, Radford or Roanoke to do the days work there? Or were cars
>> 
>> dropped and picked up by a through freight and a local switcher (employed by
>> 
>> Celanese?) handle the work in plant? How much daily traffic was generated
>> 
>> here?
>> 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> The same questions apply to the APCo power plant at Glyn Lyn, though I
>> 
>> remember seeing a well-used blue switcher there. So I assume that was only a
>> 
>> drop loads and pick up empties on the siding next to the main for the N&W.
>> 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Don Trettel
>> 
>>  
>> #3174
>> 
>>  
>>  
>> ________________________________________
>> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
>> To change your subscription go to
>> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
>> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
>> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
> ________________________________________
> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
> To change your subscription go to
> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/

More information about the NW-Mailing-List mailing list