Nostalgia & History > mundo: N&W Steam in 1957 Part 3: More Shaffer's Crossing

October 16, 1957

Continuing with the slides taken by Ed Von Nordeck, TO user mundo, during the Pacific Railroad Society trip that visited the Norfolk & Western in Virginia in October 1957, we are still at the Shaffer's Crossing roundhouse and locomotive servicing facility on the west side of Roanoke, VA.

1. Class M 4-8-0 #475 poses, in every sense of the word, on the turntable at the Shaffer's Crossing roundhouse. According to data compiled by John Craft, the engine acquired that unlikely collection of Olde Thyme accessories for N&W's centennial celebration:

http://hawkinsrails.net/mainlines/sou/sr_ex_roster.pdf

However, an article by Ed King in the August 2006 Trains says the engine was dolled up for the city of Roanoke's centennial. I can't pin down just when either of those events occurred. Roanoke came into being as "Big Lick" in 1852 but didn't get its current name until 1882, so that doesn't fit. The railroad acquired the name Norfolk & Western in 1881, and while a predecessor with a similar name was started in 1852, photos on the N&W Historical Society site show the twelve-wheeler looking as normal as it can 102 years later in October 1954, so that's a miss as well:

http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=135810

King's article indicates the engine was in its fancy dress by 1956, when it traveled to Bristol, TN to celebrate that community's centennial. Meanwhile, the September/October issue of the NWHS publication The Arrow says 475 was decorated "early in 1957, to commemorate the establishment of a predecessor road - the Shenandoah Valley."

http://www.nwhs.org/arrow/issueList.php?issue_id=104

Wikipedia says the Shenandoah Valley came into being in 1867, so I'm still up a tree. Whatever the reason for the hokey adornments, the engine led at least one triple-headed excursion dressed up that way on the Blacksburg branch on September 5, 1957:

http://www.nwhs.org/arrow/issueList.php?issue_id=104
http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=79411

The 475 lingered in one of Roanoke's roundhouses into 1962, and Craft's data shows an interesting chain of ownership since then. The engine now operates on the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania minus the diamond stack and brass trimmings:

https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4003977,4003984#4003984



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 04:44 by Evan_Werkema.

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3. Several other types featuring 8-coupled driving wheels took their turns posing on the table as well. In the pint-sized and definitely-not-dolled-up department, we have W6 class 0-8-0T shop switcher #12. The engine was rebuilt from a tender-equipped 2-8-0 in 1922 and carried the number 821 for most of its life according to p.97 of N&W: Giant of Steam posted by John Craft in a previous installment of this series:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4339880,4340164#4340164

In October 1957, it was just seven months from retirement.

4. Seven-year-old J1-class 4-8-4 612 takes its turn in the spotlight.

5. Y6-class 2-8-8-2 #2142 stretches out but doesn't quite fill the turntable. Like the 612, the locomotive was a product of the Roanoke Shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 04:45 by Evan_Werkema.

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6. Near the coal wharf, a smaller, simple-expansion articulated, Class A 2-6-6-4 #1239.

7. The next-to-last of the Y3a class 2-8-8-2's, #2078.

8. Class Y6 2-8-8-2 #2152 gives a snort west of the coal wharf. But seriously, what would emission of steam from that area of the locomotive indicate?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 04:59 by Evan_Werkema.

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9-11. With scarcely a speck of coal dust on her glistening flanks, Y6b #2176 poses for the camera.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 04:46 by Evan_Werkema.

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Amazing images.
Bob

12-14. Like any good "hog," it's a certainty that 2176 won't stay clean for long. Soon enough, she'll be looking just like Y6-class #2146 stomping past Shaffer's Crossing with an eastbound.

In the next installment, Ed's slides will take us east to Blue Ridge, VA.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 04:45 by Evan_Werkema.

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Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> 6. Near the coal wharf, a smaller,
> simple-expansion articulated, Class A 2-6-6-2
> #1239.

Correction please; the N&W Class A locomotives were 2-6-6-4.

Still,,,,,all photos are truly SPECTACULAR!!! Thanks a bunch for posting.

HotWater Wrote:

> Correction please; the N&W Class A locomotives
> were 2-6-6-4.

I knew that, I looked it up just to be sure, and then I went and blew it anyway. Thanks for the correction.

Wow!...Just Wow!!!!

These are fantastic! Thank you.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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>> According to data compiled by John Craft, the engine acquired that unlikely
> collection of Olde Thyme accessories for N&W's centennial celebration:

> However, an article by Ed King in the August 2006 Trains says the engine was dolled up for the city
> of Roanoke's centennial. I can't pin down just when either of those events occurred. Roanoke
> came into being as "Big Lick" in 1852 but didn't get its current name until 1882, so that doesn't
> fit. The railroad acquired the name Norfolk & Western in 1881, and while a predecessor with a
> similar name was started in 1852, photos on the N&W Historical Society site show the
> twelve-wheeler looking as normal as it can 102 years later in October 1954, so that's a miss as
> well:

> King's article indicates the engine was in its fancy dress by 1956, when it traveled to Bristol,
> TN to celebrate that community's centennial. Meanwhile, the September/October issue of the NWHS
> publication The Arrow says 475 was decorated "early in 1957, to commemorate the establishment
> of a predecessor road - the Shenandoah Valley."

> Wikipedia says the Shenandoah Valley came into being in 1867, so I'm still up a tree. Whatever
> the reason for the hokey adornments, the engine led at least one triple-headed excursion dressed
> up that way on the Blacksburg branch on September 5, 1957:

> The 475 lingered in one of Roanoke's roundhouses into 1962, and Craft's data shows an interesting
> chain of ownership since then. The engine now operates on the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania
> minus the diamond stack and brass trimmings:

Two more data points from Jeffries' book. There may not have been a single event that prompted the back-dating. 1957 was the year N&W made the decision to fully dieselize and retire its steam locomotives (and back shops, and water service department, etc.), so 475's appearance change may have been part of softening that blow. The 'celebration of a predecessor line' and the 'Roanoke Centennial' may even be the same event.

If you compare all the photos of 475 posted and linked, you'll notice multiple changes in pilot (road pilot in 1954, footboards with the "Shenandoah Valley" lettering, a different road pilot and N&W lettering for the NRHS Convention tripleheader). If I remember correctly, 475 got a tender swap while all this was going on as well.

While 475 may have been on the property until 1962, if I remember correctly, it was retired off the books in 1958 (I think May, but I could be wrong about that).

Two other comments: N&W 612 on the turntable is a J, not a J1 - The J1 designation disappeared in 1944 when the new rods were fitted and the engines were fitted with bullet nose and skyline cowling.

And I guess you never saw N&W 1218 up close, because if you had, you wouldn't be using the word "small" to describe it in any grammatical form ;)

Very much enjoying these photos, thanks to everyone involved in the posts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/17 11:28 by johnacraft.

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These are all incredible shots! If I had to pick a favorite out of this bunch, it would have to be 2176. Fresh from the shops and ready for battle! Fantastic!

Really great series of photos! On the turntable the 612 seems to be at least as long as the 2142.

Tom

Amazing that they could get 2176 that clean! Daily operations of a coal burner usually produced some serious scum on the engines. Thanks Evan and Ed.

nycman Wrote:
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> Amazing that they could get 2176 that clean!
> Daily operations of a coal burner usually produced
> some serious scum on the engines. Thanks Evan and
> Ed.

You would be amazed at the cleaning job that any of the N&W "Lubritorium" facilities would/would do on any locomotive that was processed thru them. However, In my opinion the 2176 has just been returned to service after a shopping, and thus she is even cleaner than usual, i.e. fresh paint too.

The 2176 shot is like a builder's photo! All those pictures are beautifully processed and scanned! Thanks Evan and Ed!

The photos are all great, but the ones of 2176 are spectactular. It looks like it just emerged from the shop after a significant rebuild. It is as spit and polish clean as an excursion locomotive. Fantastic!

Thanks for posting them.

Scott Griggs
Louisville, KY

johnacraft Wrote:

> And I guess you never saw N&W 1218 up close,
> because if you had, you wouldn't be using the word
> "small" to describe it in any grammatical form ;)

Well shucks, even little ol' #12 is big if you're standing in its way. But you're right - if the data on steamlocomotive.com is correct, the overall engine+tender wheelbase of the N&W Class A, 108.27 feet, is longer than any of the Y's except for the Y6b.

http://steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-6-6-4&railroad=nw
http://steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-8-8-2&railroad=nw

Love that cantilever signal bridge in the last photo--unique design.

This is what the J1 looked like before it changed to be a J class.

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