More on the Pocahontas image

[NW Mailing List]

Rick,  Any chance of getting the train consist sheets you have into the
Archives for all of us to peruse? I'm assuming they're not in there now. If
they are someone please direct me.  Love this info. Gives us a glimpse into
why two S1a were assigned to Roanoke Station; one East-end,  one West-end.
Thanks.

John Garner  Newport VA

To answer Ray's question about how mail and express cars which came east on
N&W train 4 returned west: Number 3 ran with only the BMf car Norfolk to
Roanoke.  In Roanoke, two more express and storage mail cars destined for
Cincinnati were picked up.  One of these came from Petersburg on local train
7.  At Portsmouth train 3 picked up three more head end cars, two from
Greensboro and one Washington-Cincinnati car (all from Southern Ry).  These
cars were forwarded west in local train 23.  The Washington-Cincinnti car
came off The Tennessean at Roanoke along with a New York-Roanoke car!  To
complicate matters, not all these headend cars operated every day of the
week.  The Washington-Cincinnati car ran only on Saturday.  After the demise
of the N&W locals, what was left of the interline mail and express business
moved to the name trains. Jim is correct that prior to the 1960's you did
not see box express cars running on most N&W trains, but you did on the
Southern run throughs. The term
  express car does not necessarily mean "box express." The mail and express
cars on the Tennessean operated to and from Chattanooga except for the
baggage-coach combine running on to the train's Memphis destination.

The Pocahontas had a heavier eastbound consist than westbound.  The consist
sheets show 15 cars between Williamson and Roanoke on Thurs, Fri, Sat,
Sunday.  So yes, a J had the capability to handle so large a consist.  The
best photo of this is in Norfolk and Western Passenger Service 1946-71 by
Warden and Ken Miller, page 36. Fourteen cars, and 6 of them are
heavyweights.

Who says passenger train operation and modeling isn't interesting?

--Rick Morrison
  From: NW Mailing List
  To: NW Mailing List
  Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 10:25 AM
  Subject: Re: More on the Pocahontas image

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