Nostalgia & History > N&W Alco RS3 units on excursions -- Sept 77

If I remember correctly these were the last RS3 engines on the N&W and had been recently retired.
N&W had some class and brought the units back for a couple excursions during the great 1977 NRHS Roanoke Convention.
They even repainted them.
The units pulled the same consist on two excursions in the same day.

(1) The first excursion was a 32 mile roundtrip from Roanoke north on the Shenandoah Division to the Lone Star branch (built in 1951) at Cloverdale. We went down the branch to a cement plant at Lone Star. This was the first passenger excursion on the branch.
In this shot the train is just short of the plant. The RS3 units will run around the train and connect to the other end for the trip back. If memory serves first the train was shoved down to the plant site before heading back to Roanoke for the next excursion.

(2-3) The next trip was very interesting - a tour around the Roanoke area.
The tour included a stop at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
I have plenty of pictures from the two excursions and the other ones from the convention that I would like to post eventually.

Gary

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Nice signal bridge! Anyone know the location?

That signal bridge is at WB, the west end of the Roanoke Terminal on the N&W side.

These are very cool shots, please post the rest. The last location looks like it is on the Roanoke Belt Line that connected the Winston-Salem District to the west end of the north yard along the Roanoke River by way of Wasena Park. I believe that is the former VGN South Yard in the background. The belt line is mostly abandoned now.

Is it possible that I see railroad equipment on the adjacent side of the train behind the trees (not the VGN yard seen in the distance)?

Looks like possibly the 611 in last shot there, just above the 2nd car of excursion. Steam at least. Ben

Very interesting photos. I like fan trip type photos very much.
N&W #2541 was originally a NKP #541. The NKP had 23 RS-3's, #535 - #557.
Even more interesting, to me at least, is the other unit in the photo, N&W #307.
This unit was one of only 8 RS-3's acquired new by the N&W. It was
originally #92. It was, I believe, the only one of the original 8 that
was painted into the N&W black white scheme. I saw it operating in that scheme
in July 1976 at Lambert's Point.
ALLEN

ns2557 Wrote:
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> Looks like possibly the 611 in last shot there,
> just above the 2nd car of excursion. Steam at
> least. Ben


Yes, I'm pretty sure that is the 611.
As you can see, the excursion stopped here for a while to give everyone a chance to see the museum.
It was my only visit to it.
Plenty of comments on the 611 like how nice it would be to see it running again and how that would never happen - surprise!
Gary

Image two with the signal bridge is my favorite.
Bob