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<DIV>Jeff,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks for the info. I probably should have commented on the
reporter's inaccurate figures, particularly inasmuch as I had looked up the info
on the AAs and saw that the weights listed were different from those the
reporter used. Also, I knew off the top of my head that the Allegheny
grade was not over 2 percent, but let it go. Between the difficulty
interpreting the blurred or washed out microfilms and my occasional
transcription errors I don't have to intentionally inject any errors just to see
if anyone is reading the postings.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gordon Hamilton </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">NW
Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org
href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">NW Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, April 01, 2009 10:17
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Virginian in
1909--Engines</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>Gordon,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>I know the blurred microfilm is
extremely difficult to transcribe at times, and not always 100%
factual. The four class AA's actually weighed in at 295,600 with 279,900
on drivers.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>The Clarks Gap grade is 2.07% (I've
seen it published at 2.11%), while the Allegheny climb tops out at 0.6%
eastbound (1.5% westbound), way below the "over 2%" mentioned in the article.
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>The SMP was R.P.C.
Sanderson.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>It's a real challenge to decipher all
those newspaper articles. Thanks for all your work. It is very
interesting!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Georgia size=2>Jeff Sanders</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">NW
Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts@yahoogroups.com">4VGN Ry Yahoo
Group</A> ; <A title=nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org
href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">3N&W Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 30, 2009 12:05
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Virginian in
1909--Engines</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS">Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>June 23,
1909</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>BUILDING FOUR ENGINES OF ENTIRELY NEW
TYPE</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Richmond Works Constructing "Pushers" for Grades
of the Virginian Railway</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> Four heavy compound engines of a type new
on the Atlantic seaboard are being rushed to completion at the Richmond
works of the American Locomotive Company for use on the Virginian Railway in
bringing heavy coal trains over the grades of the Alleghenies. The
engines will be completed within a few weeks, and will be used as "pushers"
on the Clark's Gap grade, north of Princeton, and in the heavy climb over
the Alleghenies at White Horn [<EM>sic</EM>], where the grade reaches as
much as ? [<EM>Microfilm blurred.</EM>] per cent. In working order it
is estimated that each of the engines will have a weight of 330,000
[<EM>Microfilm blurred. Best interpretation shown.</EM>] pounds, of
which 312,000 will rest on the driving wheels.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> For the greater part of its route the
Virginian, the recently completed road, the construction of which marked the
climax of the career of Henry H. Rogers, has only the most moderate grades,
enormous sums having been expended in the construction across Virginian and
West Virginia from Norfolk to Deepwater, in keeping the gradients to the
lowest possible average, the high standard of railroad engineering and
construction calling forth the admiration of railroad men the world
over.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Within the last few months the bridges
have been put in place, and the line is now in operation from terminal to
terminal. In the location of the road the ruling grade against the
eastbound, or coal-laden traffic was placed at 2 per cent, with the
exception of the climb over the Alleghenies and for a mountainous section
between Princeton and Deepwater, in the heart of the coal fields, where
grades in excess of the regulation 2 per cent are encountered, the excess in
the approach to the Alleghenies reaching as much as ? [<EM>Microfilm
blurred.</EM>] per cent.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> To aid heavy trains over this divide,
Superintendent of Motive Power R. F. C. Sanderson [<EM>Microfilm
blurred. Best interpretation shown.</EM>] has designed a special type
of engine, and is having four of them built at the Richmond works according
to his specifications. The most marked departure from other
locomotives of this general type is the use of a leading two-wheel
truck. In locomotives built by the American works for the Baltimore
and Ohio and the Erie no leading truck was used, while those built by the
Baldwin Company for the Great Northern use such a truck at each end of
the engine. They will be ready for delivery early in July.</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>These engines were obviously VGN Class AA, No.
500--503, 2-6-6-0. It looks as though the Virginian scooped the
N&W on using compound articulated locomotives who's Class X1, No.
990--994, 0-8-8-0, were built in 1910.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Script size=6>Gordon Hamilton</FONT></DIV>
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