Another Northfork operational question

[NW Mailing List]

Brent,

Yes, Armour and Wilson were behind the station and shared a facing-point 
spur off of the EB main. Swift was located just across the creek on a 
trailing-point spur off of the EB main. Given the opposing switch moves, 
the shifter crew had to get ahead or behind the appropriate cars on the 
middle track of a busy main.

Usually, the mine run was called early to handle just the refrigerator 
cars before starting their run. The cars were considered "hot" out of 
Chicago and Cincinnati and if they missed their connection with 84, then 
it was Second 84 or the next eastbound, period. This could result in 
"Second 84" being your coal train with refrigerators on the head end 
(See p.125, /The Norfolk and Western... As I Knew It!/, August A. Thieme).

With a trailing point move, the cars were set off on the North Fork 
Middle Track close to all three packing houses there in Northfork. The 
Night Mine Run, the North Fork Hollow Passenger Run, or the North Fork 
Hollow Mine Run would spot the cars, depending on when the cars were set 
off and which job was available. Men would be waiting on the docks to 
unload the cars. Subject to high demurrage, they were picked up in less 
than eight hours and either taken to Bluefield by the Farm Local for the 
next westbound freight or (later) were moved to the nearest pickup point 
(Eckman Yard) for a River crew to take back west in a coal train. This 
is the only case of expedited freight by coal train on the Division that 
I'm aware of beyond some LCL or mules on mine runs.

Grant Carpenter

On 12/2/2025 10:23 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:
> I've seen a few photos of meat reefers at the head end of coal trains 
> on their way to/from Northfork.  I understand that there were at least 
> 2 meat packing facilities in Northfork itself and that they shared a 
> siding.
>
> How were these cars handled on the branch?  I hope Grant can detail 
> the process of how the cars were received, spotted, returned/forwarded 
> in Northfork.
>
> Sincere thanks,
> Brent
>
> Dr. J. Brent Greer
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20251204/77e039da/attachment-0001.htm>