Additional thought about the Shenandoah Division

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

March 14, 2006

Hello, all:

There's been many interesting contributions about the
Shenandoah Division; I want to add a general
observation.  For most N&W fans, mentioning the
railroad usually envokes visions of Js speeding on
tangent track east of Windsor, or coal drags rounding
curves out of Bluefield.  Few think much about the
"other N&W" which was merchandise manifests to
Cincinnati and Hagerstown, or branch-lines to
Lynchburg and Winston-Salem.  With the exception of
Cincinnati, the principal named passenger trains
didn't go these other places, either.

In my view, this year's convention gives many
attendees the opportunity to see a less visible side
of the railroad they enjoy.  While the convention
activity is focused at Strasburg, I hope that
attendees allow an extra day either coming or going to
browse the Shenandoah Division's 200+ miles.  What
they see won't replace places near and dear to their
hearts, but it's likely many newly-found spots will be
added.

Good morning,

Frank Scheer
f_scheer at yahoo.com