Nostalgia & History > Couple NW photos from Bluefield WV in the 1980's

1 - East end of Bluefield Yard.  A. Grain train is about to depart.  The Condr worked hard.  The yard is on a descending grade.  
     I forgot how many handbrakes they had to set when parking a coal load or grain train.  Or how many handbrakes needed
    to be released.  1st time I've seen a condr carry a stick to help tighten up or release the brakes.  One of the C&E folks 
    probably know what it's called.

2 - Mine run heading out to add cars to there consist.  Somewhere west of Bluefield.   NW/NS ran with the big GE's long hood 
     forward as a common practice.  Glad I didn't have to breath the exhaust stack fumes my entire run.  Now if only NS purchase 
    a/c in the units the crews could close the windows.   

Photo are mine



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/25 21:22 by highgreen.

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Some call it a brake club.

Thanks for posting.

Photo #1 really is great.

Yarding and departing trains at Bluefield could be quite an ordeal. The employee timetable had all the details. Unfortunately I don't have a scanner.

On NS, we referred to the device as a brake stick. Originally they were fiberglass. Later they were aluminum in long and shorter sizes. Our first trick air bleeder got the first one at our terminal, and he would march with his fully extended proudly like a soldier with his rifle. He did that until it accidentally hooked a through freight passing at speed.

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highgreen Wrote:
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> 1 - East end of Bluefield Yard.  A. Grain train
> is about to depart.  The Condr worked hard.  The
> yard is on a descending grade.  

You caught an exErie Lackawanna SDP45 as fifth unit. N&W owned those units, acquired in the Dereco era.
I remember seeing those as leased units on SP in the late 80's and ear;y 90's.