N&W vs. ACL

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Bill:
Make no mistake about it -- the purple people-eaters weren't Class J's,  but
they did command a lot of respect.  ACL didn't exactly baby  them.  At the
end, they'd get catch an  assignment at Wash., DC and go all  the way thru
to Jacksonville at speeds of 90 MPH plus.   They could put  out as much black
smoke as a steam engine.  ACL's maintenance ?  Most had  severe battle scars.
Eng 501, currently at the NC Transportation Museum, was 3rd out in   2nd 2's
consist at Maples, SC (Dillon) when the train hit a gapped switch  point 
making
90 MPH.  My last night of employment on the Jacksonville Terminal  (12/24/64),
I checked the inbounds before I left the mail dock.  ACL had entrusted  No. 
87,
The Florida Special,  to the care of Eng 506  (and two other E's).  This was 
the same
unit that was leading No. 8, Dec. 11, 1943, when it collided with No. 91  at
Rennert, NC at a speed of 56 MPH.  Twenty-one years later, it was  still 
turning
out transportation.
 
It's subtle differences like this that make the study of  railroads 
interesting. Even on
the N&W there were obvious distinctions between districts and  divisions.  In
Roanoke, management noted that in 1959, N&W merged with VGN.  In  1964,
N&W merged with P&WV, NKP, and WAB.  In the not too far  distant future, they
foresaw N&W merging with the Scioto Division.  No offense  intended, Mr. 
Smith. 
                                                              Harry Bundy 
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