Luetta McNeil - N&W Telegrapher and Station Agent

[NW Mailing List]

A great article...thanks for sharing. 



Jim Brewer 



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From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
Sent: Saturday, March 9, 2013 7:20:04 AM 
Subject: Luetta McNeil - N&W Telegrapher and Station Agent 

I first learned of Luetta several years ago when Ken Miller sent several photos of her in a station, taken in the early 1950s.  She had been his neighbor, and survived until several years ago.   Subsequently I learned an article had been published on her... but in what magazine? 

I could never nail down a good reference to the article until a week ago, when someone forwarded me an Ebay link to an 1954 Railroad Magazine up for auction, which magazine carried a feature article on N&W steam.  In reading the ad, lo and behold, there was mention of another article in the same magazine dealing with an N&W station agent named Luetta McNeil.  The mystery was solved, but I was too late and the magazine had been sold. 

A quick distress call to Keith Robins. revealed that he had a copy of the magazine, and he generously scanned the pages for me.  The article had been written by Ben Dulaney, who worked in the N&W's PR Department.  One wonders why it was published in Railroad Magazine, rather than in the N&W's own Magazine ? 

Wirtz, Va, is a way station on the N&W's "Punkin' Vine" between Roanoke and Winston-Salem, 21 miles south of Roanoke.  The 1950, 1954 and 1956 "List of Officers, Agents and Stations all show "Miss L.M. McNeil" as the Agent at Wirtz.  She was gone by the time I spent several years braking on "the Punk" in the early 1960s but, curiously, I never knew any men to work at Wirtz... all the agents I remember there were women. 

The article is attached as a PDF.  Hope you enjoy it.  And thank you, Luetta, for leaving your mark on history. 

-- abram burnett 



Moderator: 
http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/20130309-Burnett.pdf 
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