Virginia Room Digital Collection

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The Virginia Room Digital Collection includes photographs, oral histories, books, pamphlets and finding aids to items in the Virginia Room. Continue to check back for new additions.

Browse Items (162 total)

Creasy14 Roanoke Transportation Museum.jpg
Children ride in model train once part of the Virginia Museum of Transportation (then Roanoke Transportation Museum) when it was located in Wasena Park.

Creasy15 Roanoke Transportation Museum.jpg
Replica of the "Best Friend of Charleston" at the opening of the Virginia Museum of Transportation (the Roanoke Transportation Museum) in Wasena Park.

Creasy16 Roanoke Transportation Museum.jpg
Replica of the "Best Friend of Charleston" at the opening of the Virginia Museum of Transportation (then Roanoke Transportation Museum) in Wasena Park.

Creasy5 N&W Yards.jpg
The Norfolk & Western yards.

Davis 1.822 N&W freight station.jpg
Norfolk & Western freight station. Looking southwest toward downtown. View of buildings on Norfolk Avenue. St. James Hotel in background.

Davis 101.1 Liberty Bell.jpg
Soldiers guarding the Liberty Bell in Roanoke. Hotel Roanoke is visible in the background. The Liberty Bell stopped in Roanoke during its tour through the United States in 1895.

Davis 16.201 Hotel Roanoke fire.jpg
In July 1898, a fire started in the kitchen of the hotel. This photo makes the fire appear worse than it actually was, as the hotel was only closed for several months. Notice the furniture on the lawn; hotel guests and employees removed what they…

Davis 16.2011 Hotel Roanoke.jpg
The Hotel Roanoke in 1886.

Davis 43.21_N&W Office fires.jpg
N&W General Offices fire. Formerly located at the corner of Jefferson and 1st Street, the building was a total loss.

Davis 43.211 N&W General Offices Fire.jpg
N&W General Offices fire. Formerly located at the corner of Jefferson and 1st Street, the building was a total loss.

Davis 55.62c Norfolk & Western Play.jpg
Stage play performed by Norfolk and Western employees.

Davis 55.62d Norfolk & Western Play.jpg
Employee-actors of Norfolk and Western

Davis 55.62e Norfolk & Western Play.jpg
Stage play performed by Norfolk and Western employees.

Davis 57.381 Booster Club.jpg
Members of the Roanoke Booster Club.

Davis 61.11 N&W Railroad.jpg
N&W Railroad - View looking east down tracks - N&W General Offices, Hotel Roanoke, and depot at Jefferson Street crossing all visible.

Davis 61.2 N&W Class Y6b #2189.jpg
Norfolk & Western Class Y6b #2189 locomotive shown shortly before scrapping at United Scrap Iron and Metal Company.

Davis 61.22 N&W Class Sia #244.jpg
N&W Class S1a #244 locomotive at Roanoke Shops. This was the last locomotive built in Roanoke and the last standard gauge locomotive built in the United States.

Davis 61.23 N&W Class N Locomotive.jpg
Norfolk and Western Class N passenger locomotive near Radford.

Davis 61.24 Powhatan Arrow #4.jpg
Norfolk & Western Powhatan Arrow Locomotive #4 east of Vinton.

Davis 61.71 Thaxton Train Wreck.jpg
Train wreck on the Norfolk and Western railroad. Twenty one wounded and the number of killed unknown, as the records were destroyed. Man in foreground unidentified

Davis 61.95 Summer Train Schedule.jpg
Summer train schedule and timetable for the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad.

Davis 61b N&W Rails.jpg
Member of the Travelers Protective Association prepare to leave for Denver.

Davis 645 Virginian 700.jpg
The Virginian 700 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Davis GL 40 Railway Station.jpg
View from Williamson Road of Virginia Railway Station. Jefferson Street bridge in background.

Davis 30.1u Shaffers Crossing Roundhouse.jpg
This 115 foot roundhouse was constructed in sections by J.P. Pettyjohn and Company with the first 21 stalls on July 1, 1918. The first stalls and turntable were put into service on September 15, 1919. The turntable was erected by Norfolk and Western…

Davis2 61.25 Virginian #104.jpg
An unidentified group stands in front of Virginian #104, a class EL-#3A electric locomotive.

FE086 Old 97.jpg
The wreck of the "Old 97" was an American rail disaster involving the Southern Railway mail train, officially known as the Fast Mail, while en route from Monroe, Virginia, to Spencer, North Carolina, on September 27, 1903. Due to excessive speed in…

FE089 Old 97.jpg
The wreck of the "Old 97" was an American rail disaster involving the Southern Railway mail train, officially known as the Fast Mail, while en route from Monroe, Virginia, to Spencer, North Carolina, on September 27, 1903. Due to excessive speed in…

FE094 Old 97.jpg
The wreck of the "Old 97" was an American rail disaster involving the Southern Railway mail train, officially known as the Fast Mail, while en route from Monroe, Virginia, to Spencer, North Carolina, on September 27, 1903. Due to excessive speed in…

HNWR001.jpg
Locomotive No. 1219 arrives in Roanoke. The Class A was considered to be one of the "Magnificent Three" designs developed by a Norfolk & Western team headed by J.A. Pitcher, G.P. McGavok, and C.H. Faris. The Class A would break all previous…

HNWR003.jpg
The carpenter crew has almost completed work on the station at Vicker, Virginia in this photo. Carpenters built everything from depots to boxcars and cabooses, to the finished interiors of passenger coaches.

HNWR009.jpg
On July 2, 1889, a night storm swelled Wolf Creek near Thaxton, Virginia, which rose out of its banks just as passenger train No. 2 was crossing. The situation became N&W's first major disaster. There was only one survivor, trainmaster James…

HNWR010.jpg
An N&W passenger train speeds between Roanoke and Christiansburg, Virginia. The N&W provided extensive passenger service through southwestern and southeastern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, West Virginia, and into parts of North Carolina. With…

HNWR011.jpg
This photograph of the crew of Engine No. 82 was taken when Goodwin, West Virginia was a western terminus. The engine was standing on the Wye track. Crew members are S.D. Clowers, engineer; R.S. Brown, engineer; James Emmons, fireman; George…

HNWR012.jpg
Engine No. 500 pulls out of Norfolk with the Pocahontas. The Pocahontas' maiden run occurred on November 21, 1926, when she ran between Norfolk and Columbus, Ohio. That run replaced the former "Norfolk-Chicago Express".

HNWR013.jpg
Passengers board an N&W coach. Passenger service when into a steep decline after the mid-1940s. In 1946, for example, the N&W carried 3.4 million passengers. By 1950, that figure was about 900,000. The automobile was taking its toll on the…

HNWR019.jpg
This photograph was taken at east Radford coal wharf. It depicts Engine No. 138 and crew. Mr. Akers, engineer; Charlie Roby, fireman; Mr. Allen and Mr. Adkins.

HNWR020.jpg
Rail workers watch a safety film inside the N&W's motion picture car.

HNWR021.jpg
In the late 1920s, the N&W developed a new strategy in rail safety education - the motion picture car. Carrying the "Safety First" logo, the car traveled various rail lines of the N&W as a mobile classroom for the purpose of providing safety…

HNWR022.jpg
The caboose functioned in may was as the train's office. Often train orders and other paperwork were handled aboard the caboose, which come on the scene in the late 1800s to serve as living quarters as well as an office for the crew. With the…

HNWR024.jpg
This photograph shows the interior of a 52-foot long baggage and express car built in 1892. Notice the hanging oil lamp and stove at the mid-point.

HNWR025.jpg
Commonly called the "boxcar", this particular model was used by N&W in 1960. The small numbers along the side under the logo indicated its hauling capacity, weight and load limits, measurements, when it was built, and when it was most recently…

HNWR026.jpg
A hopper with coal is ready to go. 1970 was the peak for N&W coal traffic, when the railway carried 90.6 million tons of coal. While coal was profitable, it was not always a source of revenue. Floods, miner strikes, and other labor disputes cut…

HNWR028.jpg
Engine No. 2165 is northbound near Waynesboro, Virginia, hauling a small but varied freight load.

HNWR029.jpg
A freight train pulled by Engine No. 1228 moves eastbound near Bonsack.

HNWR030.jpg
Locomotive No. 1212 pulls a load in a scene of the past: a steam engine at work. The N&W was the last major American railroad to abandon the steam engine in favor of the diesel engine. The designers and engineers of the N&W developed the steam…

HNWR031.jpg
Engine No. 1442 is placed on the new 115-foot turntable and in the new roundhouse of the Shenandoah Division. For this moment, the men of the roundhouse take a break to pose in recognition of achievement.

HNWR032.jpg
Electric engines acquired by the N&W were from Baldwin-Westinghouse. There were 16 locomotives in all. The system, including overhead catenary wires and a generating plant, was completed in 1916. Engine No. 2506 makes the Bluefield run. In 1950,…

HNWR033.jpg
This electric locomotive, Engine No. 126, was from the Virginian Railway. The Virginian was formed by Henry Rogers for $30 million in 1907. Having made his fortune in oil, Rogers died a month after the Virginian was officially formed and his…

HNWR034.jpg
Engine No. 1 was the switching locomotive used at the Roanoke Machine Works (later Roanoke Shops) in 1886. Standing in the cab of the engine is H.S. German. Others, from left, are Brakemen W.H. Hall and W.W. Rule, Engineer Paul DeArmond, and…

HNWR035.jpg
Engine No. 345 was the first compound engine owned by N&W. This photograph was taken at Crewe, Virginia. Crew members include A.D. Lane, engineer, and Julian Hark, fireman.

HNWR036.jpg
During the first part of the 20th Century, N&W tried to cultivate agricultural products and freight as possible revenue. Rail agents often advertised farmland near N&W depots to encourage such activity. Here a "farm train" stops as men gather…

HNWR044.jpg
This history of the Nickel Plate Railroad is an amassment of histories from other lines, such as Lake Erie and Western, Clover Leaf, and the Wheeling and Lake Erie. The Nickel Plate was officially the New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad…

HNWR045.jpg
Like many railroads, the lines of the Wabash Railway Company predated the company's formation in 1877. The history of the Wabash is long and complicated, involving certain dubious personalities, mergers, receiverships, and a wavering bottom line. …

HNWR046.jpg
In addition to Engine No. 1776, N&W also had painted certain cars within their rolling stock to highlight the Bicentennial. Here a caboose wears the nation's colors.

HNWR050.jpg
Locomotive No. 37 was used in 1871 when the South Side, Norfolk and Petersburg, and Virginia and Tennessee Railroads were consolidated, forming the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad. The AM&O was the forerunner of N&W.

HNWR055.jpg
N&W hoppers at a West Virginia coal tipple are loaded for their eastbound trip to Lamberts Point near Norfolk. In 1883, N&W moved nearly 106,000 tons of coal. A century later, N&W moved 75 million tons annually.

HNWR056.jpg
Engine No. 1200. As part of the Class A engines, No. 1200 was the first to be built by N&W between 1936 and 1950. Maximum horsepower was 6,300 at 45 miles per hour.

HNWR057.jpg
Front view of Engine No. 1200, a Class A built in 1936.

HNWR058.jpg
Engine No. 114 was a member of the K-1 Class of N&W locomotives. This class of engine, numbering 100 to 115, was built between 1916 and 1917. The Class K engines were built to pull more weight since new steel passenger cars were replacing those…

HNWR059.jpg
The sleek, Class K-2, Engine No. 118 was acquired by N&W in 1919. These engines, numbering 116 through 125, were rebuilt later and streamlined by N&W.

HNWR060.jpg
Steam Engine No. 130, a Class K-2A locomotive.

HNWR061.jpg
Engine No. 209.

HNWR062.jpg
The Class M Engine No. 1112 was built in 1910. Their purchase was almost solely in response to the increased demands for hauling coal.

HNWR063.jpg
Engine No. 37 was a Class N, as were all engines numbered 28 through 37. These engines, purchased by N&W, were made between 1887 and 1888. This photograph was taken at Wakefield, Ohio.

HNWR064.jpg
Engine No. 76 was a Class U engine. On the N&W line, these engines were numbered 71 through 85.

HNWR065.jpg
Engine No. 800 was an N&W Class W-6. These engines, numbered 800 through 814, were made between 1898 and 1899.

HNWR066.jpg
Engine No. 2023 was a Class Y-3 locomotive. This was one of 50 built between 1919 and 1923.

HNWR067.jpg
The Class Y-3A engines included No. 2058. These engines, numbering 2050 through 2079, were built in 1923. This photograph was taken in Cincinnati.

HNWR068.jpg
The Class Y-4 engines were developed by N&W in 1927. Only 10 were produced, with Engine No. 2087 among them.

HNWR069.jpg
In an effort to heavier freight, N&W developed the Y-6 locomotive. While retaining many of the design elements of the previous Y models, the Y-6 had a new steel frame, roller bearings, and mechanical lubrication at 213 points. A peak horsepower of…

HNWR070.jpg
Engine No. 2156

HNWR071.jpg
Between 1948 and 1952, 30 Class Y-6B engines were produced by N&W. Engine No. 2200, the last of the Y-6Bs, is shown here at Roanoke.

HNWR072.jpg
Engine No. 1438 was one of many Class Z-1A engines used by N&W. This particular engine was built in January 1916 in Schenectady, New York. These engines, numbered 1315 through 1438, were built between 1912 and 1917. A number of them were purchased…

HNWR073.jpg
To join the celebration of the nation's bicentennial, N&W painted this diesel locomotive red, white, and blue. The engine's number was appropriately 1776.

HNWR074.jpg
The Shenandoah Valley Railroad operated a 239-mile line from Hagerstown, Maryland to Roanoke, Virginia, which was completed in 1883. Norfolk & Western purchased the railroad in 1890. The Shenandoah Valley's president, Fredercik Kimball, would…

HNWR076.jpg
Safety became a paramount concern of the railroad. Pictured is the Eckman Shop Safety Committee on Engine No. 1343. In 1893, Congress passed the Railroad Safety Appliance Act and in 1916, rail employees won Congressional approval for an 8-hour work…

HNWR077.jpg
The shop gang of the Portsmouth (Ohio) Shop pose in front of Engine No. 600. In 1901, N&W purchased the Cincinnati, Portsmouth, and Virginia Railroad for $2.5 million. Portsmouth would become a major location in the future operations of N&W.

HNWR078.jpg
Some "cars" were used for necessary tests to properly maintain a railroad track. One example is the Scaletest Car in this photograph. The car was used to test the scales on the N&W system that weighed the rolling stock. Instructions on the car…

HNWR080.jpg
Passenger coaches went through numerous stages of development. From wood to steel construction, and from basic amenities to luxurious accomodations, the coach was designed for both comfort and safety. This is an early passenger coach used by N&W.

HNWR083.jpg
The Pocahontas moves east through Blue Ridge, Virginia pulled by Diesel No. 1014. The engine, though bearing the N&W name, was a diesel originally belonging to the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac. By the late 1950s, as the N&W was…

HNWR084.jpg
Electric engines were developed in 1914 so crews could safely navigate the tunnel at Coldale, West Virginia. Slow-moving steam engines choked the badly ventilated tunnel to the detriment of the crew's health. The electrified line ran between…

HNWR085.jpg
Diesel Engine No. 1633, photographed shortly after being built. Notice the railroad's last corporate logo, the more streamlined "NW". The white-on-black design was introduced by John Fishwick when he was the railroad's president in 1971.

HNWR086.jpg
Diesel engines could operate more efficiently than the steam engine and American railroads were quick to make the switch. Between 1941 and 1955, the number of diesel locomotives in use went from 1,200 to 20,000. Pictured is Engine No. 8511.

HNWR087.jpg
The diesel engine was developed in 1890 by Rudolph Diesel. The Central Railroad of New Jersey was the first to use a diesel locomotive in 1925. It was not until 1955 that N&W began to order diesel locomotives, primarily from American Locomotive…

HNWR089.jpg
Passenger locomotive No. 29 pulls into the Winston-Salem yard in 1890. This train may have been operating on the former Roanoke and Southern track that was absorbed into the operations of N&W in 1892.

HNWR090.jpg
Engine No. 1100, a Class M-2, was one of a number of engines purchased by N&W in 1910. The Class M, as rebuilt, had a 4-8-0 wheel alignment, allowing it to meet the freight demands of the railroad.

HNWR093.jpg
A school group lines up to board the Powhatan Arrow. The name of the train was the result of a contest conducted by N&W, wherein 140,000 entries were submitted. The winner of the $500 first place prize was an N&W retiree, Leonard A. Scott.

HNWR095.jpg
The Powhatan Arrow boasted the finest passenger service amenities when introduced, including a tavern-lounge car. Here the Arrow moves from Roanoke to Bluefield and was photographed at Singer, Virginia. The round-end tavern car, No. 581, allowed…

HNWR096.jpg
Called a "vestibule car", this interior shot shows passenger seating in an 1892 coach. Notice the window shutters, ornate interior design, and fold-down seats. Despite its comfortable feel, early trains of this era were unsafe and not that pleasant…

HNWR097.jpg
Engine No. 475 steams out of Roanoke. In 1946, the year considered to be the beginning of N&W's modern passenger service, an average ridership per train was 118. By 1971, when N&W discontinued passenger trains, the number had dropped to less than…

HNWR098.jpg
The Pocahontas traveling along the New River. This route was the most spectacular and difficult. After leaving the New River Valley, The Arrow climbed abruptly to Bluefield and then downhill along the Tug River at Williamson.

HNWR099.jpg
This head-on collision occurred at Rippon, Virginia. Engine No. 481 is at left.

HNWR100.jpg
A closer view of the Thaxton wreck shows the debris pile. Engineer Pat Donovan's body was so badly mangled he was only identified by his clothing. The entire woodwork of the train was burned due to exploding gas lights in the coaches. Seven cars…

HNWR101.jpg
Engines No. 14 and No. 37 collided at Rural Retreat. Note the collapsed front half of the first baggage coach. While engines could often withstand collisions, the wood-constructed baggage and passenger coaches were extremely vulnerable.

HNWR107.jpg
Engine No. 53 and her crew excavate for new track near Bluefield, West Virginia. N&W pioneered and financed early coal production in the mountains of West Virginia and carved the rail beds that allowed the "black gold" to move east.

HNWR109.jpg
Freight Engine No. 173 of the Radford Yard is depicted at a Radford pipe shop.

HNWR111.jpg
Diesel Engine No. 1590 passes through Buena Vista, Virginia. Notice the train order raised to be grabbed by the engineer as the train passes.

HNWR113.jpg
An interior view of a sleeper car.

HNWR114.jpg
This image symbolizes the commercial ventures of N&W - a coal train enters the picture as a passenger train, the Powhatan Arrow, leaves. Engine No. 1213 is westbound out of Williamson, West Virginia, to deliver coal to the Great Lakes region. The…

HNWR115.jpg
Unidentified men work in a standard rail mail car. The United States Postal Service discontinued use of the railroad post office in 1967.

HNWR116.jpg
This photograph includes three types of modern, coal-burning steam locomotives designed and built by N&W. These represent the best elements of steam engine design: low initial investment, high utilization, low-cost operation and maintenence, and…

HNWR120.jpg
Engine No. 17 is surrounded by rail employees in this photograph taken near Elkton, West Virginia. On the ground at the extreme left is G.W. Pile; standing fourth from the left is H.S. Walker; standing second from the right is C.C. Edmondson; and…

HNWR124.jpg
Employees repair an N&W locomotive at the Roanoke Shops.

HNWR125.jpg
An interior view of the erecting shop at Roanoke showing an engine's assembly in progress.

HNWR126.jpg
Taken from the Roanoke passenger station, this photograph shows the Birmingham Special in the background and the Pocahontas in the foreground..

HNWR134.jpg
The Dynamometer was pulled by locomotives to determine their actual horsepower and potential speeds. Such calculations were extremely important for effeciently moving freight over different grades and distances. The ability of the locomotive to do…

HNWR135.jpg
Here, a former N&W mail car is a museum display. Notice the period mail bag hanging from its post. As the train would pass, the mail clerk would position the hook, grab the bag, and then begin the sorting process inside the car.

HNWR136.jpg
The Powhatan Arrow on one of its runs. The Arrow traveled along a diverse scenic route through Virginia's Dismal Swamp, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Alleghanies, and into the West Virginia coal fields.

HNWR139.jpg
Engine No. 382 runs the steepest grade of all - a sustained three percent grade to the summit at White Top Station. This run, affectionately known as the "Virginia Creeper", ran between Abingdon, Virginia and West Jefferson, North Carolina. Here,…

HNWR140.jpg
A small coal yard in West Virginia. N&W pioneered and developed the state's coal industry.

HNWR141.jpg
When passenger services encompassed long distances, dining service was offered. While cooks had to operate in a relatively confined space, they prepared full-course meals as good as any fine restaurants.

HNWR148.jpg
The crew of Engine No. 19. This engine, like most of the engines used by N&W in its infancy, was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.

HNWR149.jpg
An early example of freight locomotives used by N&W was Engine No. 264.

HNWR150.jpg
Class Q Engine No. 516 pulls into a depot at Nolan, West Virginia. The engine was originally put into service in April 1882. Crew members are servicing both passenger and express cars.

HNWR151.jpg
Shop employees and crew of Engine No. 205 in Roanoke, shortly after the locomotives construction.

HNWR152.jpg
Engine No. 54 with her crew (from left): Engineer E.H. Jones, Fireman Guy Emery, and Conductor Lloyd Pugh. The train was running between Sardinia and Hillsboro branch, and the main line of the Cincinnati, Portsmouth, and Virginia Railroad.

HNWR162.jpg
Freight cars line up outside a coal-cleaning and prep plant near Gary, West Virginia. The N&W relied heavily on many of the larger coal mines and facilities throughout West Virginia.

HNWR166.jpg
This engine was a Class W-1, 2-8-0 type and was originally built by the Roanoke Shops in October 1900.

HNWR167.jpg
Engine No. 102 rolls out of assembly at the Roanoke Shops and employees pose for the customary photograph of the engine.

HNWR168.jpg
The "Jawn Henry" was the nickname for this combination steam-electric locomotive. It was N&W's last-ditch effort to give steam one last try. The engine had 12 traction motors, weighed in at 1.1 million pounds, and was 161 feet long. Delivered in…

HNWR172.jpg
Passenger Engine No. 90 was an example of many engines purchased by N&W in its early years from Baldwin Locomotive Works. Engine No. 90 was a Class A engine.

HNWR173.jpg
Engine No. 72 is another example of a Class U locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1892. This passenger locomotive weighed in excess of 132,000 pounds and was later converted to simple cylinders.

HNWR174.jpg
Engine No. 93 was a small shifting engine used at Roanoke Machine Works. It was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1883.

HNWR175.jpg
The old Class M engine was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1883. N&W owned two of these engines, Nos. 94 and 95, as shown here.

HNWR176.jpg
Freight Locomotive No. 1203 rests on the turntable at Shaffer's Crossing in Roanoke.

HNWR177.jpg
A stock train rolls through the Virginia countryside. As a way to encourage agribusiness, N&W operated a working farm at Ivor, Virginia for some years around 1910-1915.

HNWR178.jpg
An interior view of an express car used by N&W. Express cars held all kinds of freight, from passenger baggage to commercial merchandise.

HNWR182.jpg
This passenger train stops in Ivanhoe, Virginia. Passenger service would serve as a popular form of distance travel until the emergence of the automobile.

HNWR183.jpg
The Class J 600 is pulling a Southern Railway streamlined passenger train. The Class Js were built between 1941 and 1950.

HNWR189.jpg
This photograph of a bygone era shows a racehorse car with an auction occurring on the platform car. Taken by George Davis of Roanoke, it hints at the possible location of the auction. There were several racehorse tracks in the Roanoke Valley at…

HNWR191.jpg
Engine No. 550 is a later example of the steam locomotive used by N&W. The crew poses for a picture in Roanoke.

HNWR192.jpg
The Birmingham Special moves northbound, having detoured through Waynesboro, Virginia, on account of a washout on the Southern Railway's main line between Monroe, West Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia. The Special was among a number of other…

HNWR193.jpg
An industrial hoist rests in the yard at Roanoke. Notice the huge pulleys hanging from the arm. Engine No. 131 is in the background.

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Norfolk & Western's passenger service ceased in 1971. Here is the Pocahontas on her last run, traveling eastbound at Blue Ridge, Virginia. An estimated 100,000 spectators lined the route to catch a glimpse of a passing era.

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Engine No. 2146 pulls a load of coal. In the 1940s, N&W served the following seven coal districts: Kenova, Thacker, Tug River, Pocahontas, Clinch Valley 1 & 2, and Radford.

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Diesel Engine No. 322 pulls a consist of coal through Virginia. The switch to diesel was difficult for N&W given its commercial investment in coal.

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Two N&W locomotives prepare to pass one another heading to and from the West Virginia coal fields.

MP 27.0 Engine 2151.jpg
Engine 2151 of Norfolk & Western Railway.

MP 27.1 Engine 601.jpg
Engine 601 of the Norfolk & Western Railway.

MP 27.2 Engine 604.jpg
Engine 604 of the Norfolk & Western Railway.

MP 27.3 Engine 609.jpg
Engine 609 of the Norfolk & Western Railway.

MP 58.0 Ole 97.jpg
The aftermath of the wreck of the "Ole 97". Due to excessive speed in an attempt to maintain schedule, the train derailed at the Stillhouse Trestle near Danville, Virginia where the train careened off the side of the bridge, killing eleven personnel…

PC 122.13 N&W 611.jpg
"Norfolk & Western 611. In the classic rods down pose, Northern 611 and its excursion train wait in front of the Roanoke, Virginia station, October 1982. The Norfolk & Western and sponsor, Roanoke Chapter, NRHS, ran several excursions throughout…

PC 122.10 Engine No. 2171.jpg
"Engine No. 2171 just built by the Norfolk & Western Roanoke Shops poses for the camera."

PC 122.11 Engine No.603 Class J.jpg
"Norfolk & Western No. 603 Class J passenger engine at Roanoke Shops."

PC 122.12 N&W Engines.jpg
"No. 600, No. 1203 and No. 2123, respresenting the main types of modern Norfolk & Western steam power."

PC 122.14 Virginian Railway No. 135.jpg
"Roanoke Transportation Museum Virginian Railway's Number 135. Former Virginian Electric Number 135 is viewed in front of the old Virginian Depot in Roanoke, Virginia on March 29, 1983 prior to being placed on display in the Roanoke Transportation…

PC 122.15 Locomotive No. 1218.jpg
"Norfolk & Western's Locomotive Number 1218. Norfolk & Western Railway's Class 'A' (2-6-6-4), Number 1218, was built by the Roanoke Shops in June of 1943. After many years of Main Line service with the N&W, Number 1218 served as a stationary boiler…

PC 122.151 Locomotive No. 1218.jpg
"Norfolk & Western's Locomotive 1218. Norfolk & Western's Class 'A' (2-6-6-4), Number 1218 rolls past her birthplace, Norfolk & Western's East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, where she was built in June of 1943. After serving the Norfolk & Western,…

PC 122.16 Virginian.jpg
"Virginian - Southern Railway Consolidation 722 and Shenandoah & Atlanta Pacific 750 blast through Montvale, Virginia on the Norfolk & Western Railway with the Roanoke Chapter, NRHS Special Virginian, August, 28 1971."

RC46 Transportation Museum.jpg
N&W Class J 611 and N&W #6 on exhibit at the Roanoke Transportation Museum in Wasena Park.

RNC 3 N&W Salvage.jpg
Norfolk & Western Salvage Warehouse, formerly located at 201 Campbell Avenue SE.

RNC 8 Wilson & Company.jpg
Wilson & Company, seen in the foreground, was a wholesale meat company. It was located at 312 Campebell Avenue SE. Hotel Roanoke and N&W General Offices can be seen in background.

RVNH40250.jpg
Virginian Railway Engine No. 127 in Roanoke.

RVNH40421.jpg
Class J-1 Engine No. 605 rolls out of the Norfolk & Western Shops. War rationing meant no streamlined cowling or roller bearings on the rods.

Scyphers20 Pocahontas.jpg
The Norfolk & Western Pocahontas passenger train, possibly on its last excursion. The passenger train ran from November 1926 through May 1971.

Scyphers21 Pocahontas.jpg
Passengers aboard the Norfolk & Western Pocahontas, possibly on its last excursion. The passenger train ran from November 1926 through May 1971.

Scyphers23 N&W GP9.jpg
Norfolk & Western GP9 #516 locomotive pulling the Pocahontas near the N&W shops.

Scyphers26 Pocahontas.jpg
Norfolk & Western employees stand in the doorway of the Pochontas, possibly on its last excursion. The passenger train ran from November 1926 through May 1971.

Scyphers28 Pocahontas.jpg
Passengers aboard the Norfolk & Western Pocahontas, possibly on its last excursion. The passenger train ran from November 1926 through May 1971.

sr180.jpg
“Memphis Special” made its debut through the Roanoke Valley on June 20th, 1909, running between Memphis, Tennessee, and New York City. The Memphis Special remained for years a popular passenger train, being the fastest and most direct route to New…
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