Areas of Interest on the N&W (was Salem Shifter)

Thu Sep 16 16:33:33 EDT 2021

I wish I had noted dates and things more. I have a few B&W Polaroids of the station crew and the GP-9s used there but nothing else.
I didn't have a good 35mm camera until I went in the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk. I made it a point to visit Lambert's Point as often as possible. I mostly shot the diesels and just watched the H16-44's switching hoppers. Great place and they were always friendly. I took a zillion B&W prints and traded most of the negatives to Howard Ameling for other prints. I loved Norfolk and got to meet some very nice folks. Bill Warden, H. Reid and Bill Vivian to name a few. Love Virginia!
Roger HuberDeer Creek Locomotive Works 

    On Thursday, September 16, 2021, 01:57:47 PM CDT, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

 Great memories Roger!Thanks for sharing w membership. Herb Edwards 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 16, 2021, at 12:20 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

Matt,
Great story! That's the way I remember the N&W. Everyone I met was kind and helpful with questions and things. I grew up near Baltimore, MD and every Summer we'd vacation in Roanoke. Sometimes a week but usually 2-3. I'd basically live at the station and especially after dinner they would drop me off there. I'd hang around and watch the freights go through and enjoy all the passenger trains and the switcher running all around adding and removing cars. Usually got to ride with the switcher crew and sometimes in the Southern E-units as they'd uncouple and move east or west down the main to allow head end cars to be added/removed. The E-units were awesome! Everyone was so nice. Mr. White was the Stationmaster and after he was assured I would follow the rules he would give me a lineup of where to be for what trains and all. Very nice gentleman. The train crew was also great and would teach me things about the engine (GP-9) and answer a ton of N&W and railroad questions. Roanoke was so busy then and it was heaven to me. We'd also visit the Virginian yard and roundhouse.
A visit to the GOB was something special too and everyone there treated us so well. Actually that's the N&W and Old Virginia I remember.
I understand your affinity for Circleville. We all remember and love the railroading we grew up around. The Greg Scholls DVD's have made me see and appreciate the N&W out that way. I never got to see any of it unfortunately.
Growing up where I did at that time was pretty awesome for me as the B&O and Pennsy were all over. I had many GG-1 cab rides to DC and several B&O E-unit cab rides and RDC's to DC and Brunswick. Things were certainly different then! 
Moving to Scum City (Houston, TX) I was accosted by the MKT or SP railroad cops and threatened at gunpoint several times for taking pictures from public roads there. No love lost in that place.
Roger HuberDeer Creek Locomotive Works 

    On Thursday, September 16, 2021, 06:08:45 AM CDT, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

 I get what you’re saying, Roger - and to a small degree, Roanoke comes to mind for me also. But when I think of the N&W, I primarily think of Circleville, with Columbus and the beautiful stretch of the Scioto River valley between Chillicothe and Portsmouth a bit behind that. Then Roanoke. 
The only (semi) direct connection I have to Roanoke is related to a story my dad told me. When he was a kid, he spent a lot of time along the tracks in Circleville, watching the goings-on. One day asked a railroad worker how the locomotives (probably a Z working the Old Main) were able to “bend”. After a few false starts at an explanation, the guy gave up and called someone in Roanoke. That person then spent several minutes explaining articulation to a ten-year-old! 
At least that’s how I remember the story. Dad may correct me.
Matt Goodman, Columbus, Ohio, US

On Sep 14, 2021, at 5:35 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
<snip>

As to being Roanoke Centric, since it was the main center for the original railroad and all lines went through their and all it seems only natural to me for the Arrow to have more Roanoke based articles and information avaiable. I never slight the other cities or branches served but the truth is when people think of the N&W, the Big Three and the Star City do come to mind.
Thanks for all you do for us, it's greatly appreciated.
Roger HuberDeer Creek Locomotive Works 

    On Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 01:28:37 PM CDT, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

 I’ve started writing this morning, have a handful of photos to show with it. I will try and cover what I know about the Shifter and Catawba Branch, my father worked the job for quite a bit of the 1950s and part of the 1960s and occasionally in the 1970s. It was his favorite job. I’d like anyone with photos to contact me, as I have a moderate number of images, but I far prefer not to fill the magazine with my own photos, unless I have to.

One reason I’ve been hesitant on writing something like this, is I am trying to not to make the Arrow to be Roanoke centric. However, readers must remember that is what we have a lot of, and a lot of knowledge on the subject. In years past, I’d heard an occasional complaint that for all practical purposes of coverage, the railroad stops at Williamson. While we know that is not true, it is what we have.It is the best coverage we have, and honestly, it is difficult at best to write about territory that I have minimal knowledge of and do not know well and have little resources to call on.

So, the comment here is, if you want to read about something specifically, better start looking for someone who knows it, or find the folks who do. We have very  little on the former Wabash or NKP territory, as nobody seems to write about it. 

Personally, my interest is primarily steam, diesels to about the merger with NKP and Wabash. Even through I grew up with the period right after that, it only interests me but so much. However, with research, I wrote a three part segment back in 2018 on the N&W in 1968. 

So, the call is still out, looking for material on the diesel era, on up to the merger with Southern, and even afterward.

Best
Ken Miller

> On Sep 10, 2021, at 10:25 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Ken, I think it would make a good article.  :)
> 
> Don
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org> On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
> Sent: Friday, September 10, 2021 3:47 AM
> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Subject: Re: Salem Shifter
> 
> Don
> 
> I’ll write up some more details for you and post to the list, and if there is any interest, will place in the Arrow. There might be a few others who were around, Abe Burnett worked the job some with my father, but a couple other folks around are not on the list.
> 
> Briefly, the Shifter changed over the years, normally in the 1950s was a six day a week job, laid in on Sunday. By the early 1960s, it became a five day a week job. Having my father’s time book really gives me a fair amount of detail. My mother would frequently take me out to watch the Shifter work because I loved it. We would often go to the junction at Salem or up by the freight station.
> 
> I’ll write it up, actually sounds more like an article to me. :)
> 
> Best
> Ken Miller
> 
>> On Sep 9, 2021, at 6:51 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Ken Miller’s “Another Interesting Tidbit” piece in the recent Arrow sparked my curiosity. His brief description of the Salem Shifter (his fathers favorite job) go me wondering if there has been any article or deeper description of the job. I would like to learn more about the job in his father’s time, the 1960’s and 70’s. Did it run daily? How far did it go? Did the one job work both the heritage N&W and heritage Virginian lines? How long was the crew’s typical day (almost 14 hours on the day noted)? What were the “two dozen” customers the shifter serviced? Perhaps we have some members that worked the job and can give us some insight?
>> 
>> Don Trettel
>> 
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