Pocahontas mainline operators

[NW Mailing List]

Marty,

Crews referred to them variously as "operator," "tower" or by name. The 
three mainline Pocahontas towers you mention below, plus HQ tower (the 
late version), were of a similar frame design. Two exceptions were Devon 
(mentioned earlier, was in the depot) and Eckman, between Bluestone and 
Tug. The Eckman operator was in the yard office, a depot-like structure 
pictured in Alex's book, "The Norfolk And Western In West Virginia 
1881-1959" on page 261.

As mentioned, the operator count was a moving target and declined 
through the 1950s. A handy inflection point that includes those 
mentioned here was the start of centralizing TC in Bluefield. I believe 
Bluestone was the first to move and close, barely making it into 1950, 
then Eckman, then HQ.

Grant Carpenter

On 8/23/2021 5:52 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
>
> Thanks for the replies.  I would have responded sooner but haven't had 
> much time to sit and spend on email lately.
>
> I guess from a modeling perspective, when I say tower, in this case I 
> am looking for a structure that's primary or sole purpose was 
> controlling train movements at a yard, junction, crossing, or other 
> such location, to see what options I have for including such a 
> structure on my layout, which I guess you could say is loosely based 
> on or inspired by the Pocahontas Division. I have seen pictures of 
> SU/Bluestone, DY/Iaeger, Tug, KX/Kenova, Cowan, and RD, and was 
> wondering if any other structures would have been standing and in use 
> in the 1950s.
>
> That being said, it is also helpful to know what locations were 
> controlled remotely or by a tower integrated with a station or other 
> building, so that way I know I don't have to spend time trying to find 
> pictures of a structure that never existed.
>
> Marty Flick
>
> -----------------------------------------
>
> From: "NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List"
> To: "NW Mailing List"
> Cc: "NW Mailing List"
> Sent: Sunday August 15 2021 8:37:43AM
> Subject: Re: RD and other Pocahontas Towers
>
> Larry you hit the nail on the head.  The N&W called it a tower.  That 
> gets to the point of how do you define a tower.  By the building or by 
> the function. Or perhaps what the RR wanted to call it.  Jim B
>
> On 8/14/2021 7:33 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
>
>     Add Kermit it wasn’t  exactly a tower  one level
>
>     Larry Evans
>
>     *From:* NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org]
>     *On Behalf Of* NW Mailing List
>     *Sent:* Saturday, August 14, 2021 12:21 PM
>     *To:* 'nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org' <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>     *Subject:* RD and other Pocahontas Towers
>
>     Pages 240-241 of Alex Schust's "The Norfolk And Western In West
>     Virginia 1881-1959" describe and show a picture of RD Tower, on
>     the east end of Bluefield Yard.  What isn't clear to me is if it
>     controlled only the east end of the yard or both ends? If RD only
>     controlled the east end of the yard, was there another tower that
>     controlled the west end, perhaps Graham/RQ?
>
>     While we're on the subject, how many towers were there on the N&W
>     main, particularly between Bluefield and Kenova?  I know there was
>     SU tower at Bluestone Junction, TUG at Welch, DY at Iaeger, and KX
>     at Kenova.  I believe the Devon depot contained the controls for
>     the Buchanan Branch.  Are there any others?  I've tried browsing
>     the online Archives, but haven't had much success, maybe using the
>     wrong search terms.
>
>     Thank you
>
>     Marty Flick
>

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