Mystery Picture

[NW Mailing List]

Group,

Vanishing Vistas sold a color photograph of this for a number of years. It
represents a oil movement in the early days of WWII when these trains were
routed over the Shenandoah Division in order to avoid German submarine
activity along the Atlantic coast. Someone may have altered this to avoid a
copyright conflict.

Mason Cooper

 

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 10:14 PM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Re: Mystery Picture

 

photo-shopping was not that unusual even back in the steam days, a good
photographer/darkroomist, artist could do all the manipilating you can today
on the basic level.
If the railroad wanted a good PR picture they would do it.
This picture may have been about the tank cars, but we know N&W synonymous
with coal, so theres something about having the tank car train. Its possible
the train was staged, possibly a real delivery but set by the photo crew and
the railroad for a photo op.

-Lynn-

On 12/27/2012 10:38 PM, nw-mailing-list-request at nwhs.org wrote:


Subject: 

Mystery Picture


From: 

NW Mailing List  <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>


Date: 

12/27/2012 12:51 PM

 


To: 

NW Mailing List  <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

 

    I was over at my son's house on Christmas Eve and went downstairs to see
his tree. While there, I noticed he had a picture of a train hanging over
his fireplace mantle. The room was kind of dark and there were some tall
decorations on the mantle hiding some of the picture. As I looked at the
picture, it seemed that I somehow should know where it was taken.
    I went closer trying to recognize the location but it didn't hit me at
first. It seemed familiar, but, I just couldn't place the location. I then
got involved in conversation with my son and other family members, but, I
kept getting drawn back to the picture. I moved in closer and removed some
of the decorations that were obscuring the locomotive. That's when it hit
me... this photo has been printed in reverse. The road number was wrong
(5123), plus, the throttle linkage and air pumps were on the wrong side.

    I then asked my son if he had a mirror where we could look at the
picture in reverse. He did have a large wall mirror close by, so, we took
the picture down. As I held the picture in front of the mirror, it hit me
like a ton of bricks! This picture was taken about three quarters of a mile
north of the station at Cloverdale, Va.



    What a find! But who and why did someone print the photo in reverse and
go to the trouble of renumbering the engine and re-lettering the tender? My
son said that his father in law had given him the picture and that it was a
copy of the same picture his father had at their old home-place. His father
in law said that someone had been able to scan the photo and had copies made
for him to give to several children.
    Some of you may remember that years ago, Vanishing Vistas produced some
large format color post cards of N&W trains. They made one very similar of a
tank train just north of the siding at Cloverdale. For some reason, I didn't
buy it at the time. I tried to contact Vanishing Vistas earlier this year,
but, have heard nothing from them. 
    If any of you have any knowledge of the correct photo taken above or
where I might find a proper copy of the photo, I would like to hear from
you.

Jimmy Lisle

 

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