Long trains rollin'

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

I remember it.  At that time I was only 10.  My dad owned a small grocery store/carry-out in Portsmouth.  A lot of N&W men came in on their way home from work.  One of the men told my dad that the train was about to arrive at the Portsmouth Yard.  My dad could not leave work, so he had my older sister begrudingly drive me, my other sister and a couple of neighborhood kids to see it.  We did not get to see the head end.  We came over the route 52 overpass in Sciotoville, and the train came into view.   I vaguely recall some engines in the middle of the train just passing the SOHIO fuel tanks right next to the highway.   The train stretched on along underneath the huge C&O Ohio River Bridge past the crossing at state route 140 grade crossing and further on up to Wheelersburg.    I did not get to see the end of the train as I was not driving and my sister wanted to head home and she did not know the back roads that went along the track.  The train appeared to be stopped and then
  movin
g again at a very slow speed.

As for press coverage, I believe the Portsmouth Times had a front page article about.  As for the time of the year.  I can't recall, I do remember it being cloudy.

A.J. Gemperline