[N&W] Re: VGN Conveyor Cars

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

[Jim Matthews asked:]
 >
 >I found a very intersting drawing in one of these
 >Cyclopedias of an 'electrically operated conveyor
 >hopper car for use on Virginian Railway coal wharf'.
 >What I was wondering is if the N&W Historical society
 >has any information (photos, more drawings, articles)
 >on this car?

[Marty Swartz responds:]

There is quite a wealth of information available on the
several classes of VGN conveyor cars.
Where shall we start? (If you want photocopies of any of
this, tell me which and send me your street address.)
Note that the TLC diagram book and the N&WHS
Newsletter/Magazine/Arrow back issues are available from
the Society's Commissary (store) on the web site. (cheap plug.)

The diagram reprint book "VGN Classification, Diagrams, and Data of
Miscellaneous Equipment"
published by TLC Publishing shows the following classes of conveyor cars:
- Class CV-2, new 1918, six cars, numbers 11-16,  built by
Wellman-Seaver-Morgan of Ceveland OH.
- Class CV-3  was new in 1924, four cars #17-20, built by Alliance
Machine Co. of Alliance, OH.
- Class CV-2A was a rebuild of CV-2's 11-15 in 1940, with
substantially different side appearance.
(there was also a class CV-1, 10 cars, by the Atlas Car Co. of
Pittsburgh that is not illustrated in this book.)

Several fine B&W photos are available from Bob's Photos, including
roster shots of  #12, 18, and 20, and one end shot of #18 on top of
the coal pier. The National Archives has several photos of Pier 1 at
its opening in 1909.

Rick Stone wrote a splendid series of articles for the Society's
publication (then called N&W Ry Historical Society Newsletter)
covering the N&W and VGN coal piers, including many photos of these
cars. This is "must have" for
your purposes. Articles were as follows:

Part 1 in Nov/Dec 1989 (vol 5 no. 6) cover and pp 3-7 covers piers
place in operation up to 1912.
Part 2 in Mar/Apr 1990 (vol 6 no. 2) cover and pp. 3-9.
Part 3 in Jul/Aug 1990 (vol 6 no. 4) cover and pp. 3-7 describes the
VGN cars in detail, includes the
     diagram you mention, and has a photo of class CV-1 car #2
Part 4 in Jan/Feb 1991 (vol 7 no. 1) cover and pp. 3-6 has excellent
photos of the car dumper on
     the N&W piers 3&4 .

OK, then.  Now on to railway trade journals:
Railway Review, 15-Mar-1924, 487-498, covering construction of VGN
Pier 2. (Excellent.)

How's that. Jim?