Life marches on after 'death' (NS Inclusion)

[NW Mailing List]

Good Morning everyone,

I am sharing my thoughts about including NS content in The Arrow. As many
of you have mentioned, this is the NORFOLK & WESTERN Historical Society,
and by golly you are correct.

However, N&W History does not simply cease because the N&W ceased existence
in 1982. Life moves on after death, and much of N&W's heritage was alive
and well into the 2010s. Some of N&W is still around to this day, such as a
handful of Color Position Lights, etc; however, what is left is dwindling.

In 2013 NS closed the Roanoke Hump; what if an article was written
documenting the last days of the Roanoke hump? It would be NS content;
however, it is the continuation of  NORFOLK & WESTERN history and should be
welcome.

What about an article documenting all the changes made to Randolph St. in
2014, when NS completely revamped the east-end control points to allow
faster train speeds and removed Randolph St. Tower? This is NS content;
however, it is directly related to N&W history.

What about the multitude of coal branches abandoned under NS and the
documentation of their abandonment? What about the Caretta branch,
abandoned in 1986 and then was being reworked to be reopened in the 2010s
(not sure if it ever opened or if the project lost steam) Again, this is NS
content; however, it is the N&W history.

Yes, the history of NORFOLK & WESTERN as a company died in 1982. However,
the history of former NORFOLK & WESTERN facilities and rail lines continues
today. There should not be any problem with 2-5 percent (1-2 pages) of The
Arrow's content being NS content as long as it directly relates to the
history of the former N&W. (Items such as the last days of the roanoke
hump, last days of the east end shops, realignment of the tracks at
randolph st, abandonments of several former N&W coal branches, removal of
the last remaining CPLs, the heartland corridor, elimination of former N&W
terminals as crew change locations, etc. should all be welcome)

This inclusion of contemporary history will help connect the NOW to the
THEN and help historical interest in what the N&W was in the glory years
grow among younger members. That's how I became interested in the History
of several Railroads. I was gifted a membership to C&OHS as a teenager and
the magazine had a few articles of 'current events' i.e. CSX on former C&O
lines; this was my first exposure to C&O history, it connected the current
to the past, and this grew, and then I found out I had family that had
worked for N&W and I wanted to learn the history of N&W so I joined NWHS,
and I've never looked back. I look forward to every Arrow. However, I have
often thought, 'What about the history of these places after N&W.?'  So I
say let's go for it, as long as it's only 1-2 pages and directly relates to
the Former N&W.

I'll step off my soapbox now,

Regards,
Nathan Simmons
trainman51 at gmail.com
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