Railroaders' Nostalgia > AFT Maps Newport News to Norfolk

October 4, 1976
As the crow flies Newport News to Norfolk is only about 38 miles. But if said bird takes the train, it's 182 miles. US Army (2mi), Chessie (former C&O 63mi), SCL (30mi), and N&W (87mi).
The Army reassembled to train on the base, and then the 4449 (with the Crew Car) pulled the train (both the locomotive and the consist backwards) 2 miles to the Chessie at Lee Hall. At Lee Hall the 4449 runs around the train, and takes the train to Amaco where it is wyed and run back through Lee Hall and on to 17th Street yard-Brown Street Yard (Richmond). Here the SCL assumes control and pilots train to Collier Yard (Petersburg). From here it's the N&W all the way to Norfolk. The N&W handled the switching at the Norfolk Naval Base.
Locomotive watered and serviced at Petersburg (Walnut Street Shopping Mall). P/U press at Suffolk. The track at the Norfolk site is still there.

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Yeap, that routing Newport News-Norfolk is my favorite aboard the Ringling' trains as well. It's about 15 miles between the two arenas the Circus plays (Hampton Coliseum and Norfolk Scope), unlike where the Freedom Train with the 4449 displayed at Ft. Eustis, Va. just before this TO.COM thread's train-run topic/discussion. These days it's the opposite direction for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Norfolk to Newport News (Hampton), and we roll right on by Ft. Eustis spur (just east of Lee Hall), but WOW what wonderment might we see some day if Doyle and his staff choose to haul either RBBB train with the 4449! The FREEDOM TRAIN had astonishing exhibits to see, too -- I sure would like to see this repeated for some legitimate reason again in the 20-teens ... wouldn't you!?