<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'>
<div> <font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I too am interested in how any non - coal hopper traffic and how much of it was moved on branches mostly existing to service coal mines. <br>
<br>
I have a small O scale railroad that is loosely based on an N&W coal branch. I always assumed that a boxcar of mining supplies or other freight would just be mixed in with the coal hoppers and brought up on a mine turn when needed. <br>
<br>
However I have many steam era boxcars and a 4-8-0. I would love to a model a daily mixed freight on my coal branch.<br>
<br>
Any further info is greatly appreciated.<br>
<br>
Thanks is advance.<br>
Tom Lewis,<br>
Jax,FL </font></font><br>
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-----Original Message-----<br>
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org><br>
To: nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org<br>
Sent: Thu, Oct 22, 2009 12:24 pm<br>
Subject: Mail transportation on the N&W Tug Fork Branch<br>
<br>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:55:20 -0400<br>
From: NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>><br>
Subject: N&W in 1910--Mail service<br>
<br>
Bluefield Daily Telegraph<br>
April 7, 1910<br>
<br>
NEW MAIL SERVICE<br>
------<br>
Inaugurated on Tug Fork Branch of Norfolk and Western<br>
<br>
The Norfolk and Western has inaugurated a new mail service on the Tug Fork <br>
branch. Two mails a day now go to Anawalt and this service is greatly <br>
appreciated. The people along the Anawalt section now want an opportunity to <br>
get the train to lay over at Pageton or Anawalt at night instead of at Gary as <br>
they figure in this way they will be able to go to Welch or some other point and <br>
return the same day. An effort will also be made to get a local freight service <br>
on the line. There are eighteen or twenty mines on the Tug Fork branch and the <br>
coal companies along the line feel that enough business goes to and from these <br>
operations to warrant a local freight. It is likely that a petition will be <br>
prepared asking for such an extension of the local freight service.<br>
------<br>
[If there were no local freight service on Tug Fork branch how did these <br>
eighteen or so mines get the material for the tipples and mine material such as <br>
rails, cars, etc? As far as that goes how did any mines get started before the <br>
railroad reached the mine location?]<br>
<br>
Gordon Hamilton<br>
<br>
<br>
October 23, 2009<br>
<br>
Hello, Gordon:<br>
<br>
Wasn't "local freight" service primarily for carload and less-than-carload <br>
merchanidise freight? My recollection is that "mine runs" on the N&W were not <br>
considered local freight.<br>
<br>
Regarding the mail service, the Railway Mail Service Third Division would have <br>
made a determination that mail volume and dispatches warranted mail being <br>
handled on a second train. Although there were frequent communications between <br>
a railroad's manager of mail (who also usually handled the express company <br>
service relationships, too) and the district RMS staff, the added service would <br>
have been initiated by the RMS, not the N&W.<br>
<br>
Good morning,<br>
<br>
Frank Scheer<br>
<a href="mailto:f_scheer@yahoo.com">f_scheer@yahoo.com</a><br>
<br>
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