N&W Class J's and Lynchburg, VA

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A few memories of Lee Hawkins:

The N&W Engineer and Fireman would run the engine from Kemper Street to 
Monroe. Ironically the Trainmen and Conductor would change at Kemper Street 
from N&W to Southern. Hence, the front end crew were N&W and rear end crew 
were Southern for the seven mile trip Monroe. After the engines were 
switched out at Monroe, in the later years of steam, a Southern yard engine 
would hook up to the J’s and pull them around the Wye at Monroe.

Some confusion happen one year (late fifties). During Christmas the 
railroads would run extra passenger trains with mail only. On this 
particular run the train came into Kemper street and the N&W trainmen and 
conductor got off but there was no Southern Crew to replace them so the 
train went on to Monroe with no rear end Southern crew on board. In 
Southern world all trains had to have a complete crew to operate a train at 
the time.

This upset quit a few people on the Southern side (the union thing and 
maybe rules too).

I think I may have seen an “A” come through Kemper Street during these 
Christmas moves but I can’t be sure, I was about 12 at the time in the mid 
50”s.