Can anyone here relate the history of the 2-3 remaining N&W 2-8-8-2s in Roanoke, scrapped in the 1970's? Specifically-at a time when steam had been gone everywhere, Roanoke was building a transportation museum-what efforts, if any, were made to save one of these locomotives?

jcpdeke@aol.com

I think the folks working on CPR Hudson #2839 (Atlantic Central Steam Co) went down and picked up some of the parts from those engines. I remember hearing stories about those old girls getting cut up. It is sad but then again we have lost some other sweet old girls in the post steam era.

Tom

> Can anyone here relate the history of the
> 2-3 remaining N&W 2-8-8-2s in Roanoke,
> scrapped in the 1970's? Specifically-at a
> time when steam had been gone everywhere,
> Roanoke was building a transportation
> museum-what efforts, if any, were made to
> save one of these locomotives?

Our family road the Pocahontas from Cincinnati to Roanoke the week before it was taken off before the inception of Amtrak. My brother and I found the scrap yard and took some pics of the Y-Class engines you mentioned. I have the slides around someplace in a tray. I think there were 2 engines and tenders, or maybe an extra tender, I can't remember. We also visited the other place that has all the smaller engines that are still there. It is a shame they got torched, especially with the VMT there in Roanoke today. They could have had an A, J, and a Y in the same museum! Oh well, hindsight is always 20-20! I remember my dad saying that average scrap value for a steam engine in the late 50's was about $5,000. Seems like a low value, but there was not a rush to purchase them at the time.
Greg Scholl


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Check out Ziel's and Foster's book, "Steam in the Sixties". There is at least one Mike Eagleson photo of the Y's sitting, fairly intact, waiting for a savior. I think the locos might have been static boilers, but I may be confusing that with the Union Carbide A's which were definitely used as boilers. The locos hung around for a long time until somebody simply reached the decision that steam locos were dirty, outmoded, and forgotten junk. For the amount of steel in them, they were probably worth more than the $5000 average. One has to remember that C&O cut up several locos in Russell, Ky., abouat the same time, and there were lines of Clinchfield articulates as well. NKP Berks were serviced, rebuilt, rolled out, and ....sat in lines until somebody turned them into cash. The stories are endless.

glueck@maine.edu

And let us also remember that $5,000 was a lot of money in those days. My first full-time job in 1969 paid $6,000 per annum.

K4s1361@hotmail.com

> And let us also remember that $5,000 was a
> lot of money in those days. My first
> full-time job in 1969 paid $6,000 per annum.
That was exactly my point when I said nobody was rushing to buy them. And yes, the articulateds were probably worth a bit more than $5K scrap, especially when they were finally torched.

I disagree with the comment there were a lot of engines around like this. Yes there were the engines at Russell, Northumberland(happy ending there), and the engines at Sterling into the early 70's, but beyond those there were not many others I can recall that late.

I think my brother has shots of the Russell engines in the late 60's. Thats where 614 came from!

I think there are still engines in the scrap yard north of Mexico City aren't there?

I think my brother has shots of the Russell engines in the late 60's. Thats where 614 came from!


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> I think my brother has shots of the Russell
> engines in the late 60's. Thats where 614
> came from!

This wasn't worth putting in the last post twice. I copied and pasted it above the Mexico comment figuring it deserved to be there, but forgot to delete the bottom one. Must be old age setting in.

Wonder what my scrap value is...not much I bet!:)
Greg


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I remember seeing a picture of the two engines in Trains Magazine in the mid 70's. They were sitting pilot to pilot and I seem to remember there were no tenders. I do not have the magazine anymore but perhaps someone can fill in the details if they can find a copy. I do remember one of the engines was used on an end of steam fantrip N & W ran. I think it was the 2174. Apparently the owner was not willing to deal with preservation groups and had rejected offers for the engines.

About five years ago I was searching for photo locations around the scrap yard when I climbed onto a pile of scrap covered with vegetation. When I looked down I saw I was standing on a pile of drivers with the axles cut out that certainly looked like Y-6 drivers. I think Spencer tried to get one of these drivers for display in the roundhouse but was rejected.



jhbohon@yahoo.com

There are several 4-8-4's (maybe three?) in Mexico, stripped, sitting in yards, waiting for placement in a museum. Contrary to the idea that these are up for grabs, I believe each one is spoken for and has an owner in the wings. Double-check your dates on the Russell, Ky. locos. I'm betting that the scrappings took place in the late 60's or very early 70's. Carrying it one step further, there are plenty of un-tutored eyes that still view steam locomotives as so much iron, and that's all. Vigilence is still required.

glueck@maine.edu

> There are several 4-8-4's (maybe three?) in
> Mexico, stripped, sitting in yards, waiting
> for placement in a museum. Contrary to the
> idea that these are up for grabs, I believe
> each one is spoken for and has an owner in
> the wings. Double-check your dates on the
> Russell, Ky. locos. I'm betting that the
> scrappings took place in the late 60's or
> very early 70's. Carrying it one step
> further, there are plenty of un-tutored eyes
> that still view steam locomotives as so much
> iron, and that's all. Vigilence is still
> required.

Gentlemen: From J. David Conrad's volumes on Steam Locomotives in North America-

C&O 2-8-2 #1189 and 2-8-4's 2770 and 2781 were scrapped "circa 1970" at Russell, Kentucky.

N&W 2-8-8-2's 2143, 2174 and 2189 were scrapped at Roanoke, Virginia "circa 1976."

Les Beckman (HVRM)

midlandblb@cs.com

> Gentlemen: From J. David Conrad's volumes on
> Steam Locomotives in North America-

> C&O 2-8-2 #1189 and 2-8-4's 2770 and
> 2781 were scrapped "circa 1970" at
> Russell, Kentucky.

> N&W 2-8-8-2's 2143, 2174 and 2189 were
> scrapped at Roanoke, Virginia "circa
> 1976."

> Les Beckman (HVRM)

Thanks Les for the engine numbers and dates. I remember now that it was a case of more engines than tenders, not the other way around. I know there was at least one engine with a tender there in Roanoke at the time(1970). I think it is possible one of the tenders went into excursion service someplace during the 70's. Not sure of that, but its possible. I know there were a couple of old L&N tenders used, on 2716 for example on the Southern.
Greg


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I think the Y-3 at IRM came out of a scrapyard in the early 1970s. According to one of the Nickel Plate books, some of the Berks stayed on the inactive roster as late as 1963, just before the N&W takeover. Must have been a trust or mortgage issue there.

> Check out Ziel's and Foster's book,
> "Steam in the Sixties". There is
> at least one Mike Eagleson photo of the Y's
> sitting, fairly intact, waiting for a
> savior. I think the locos might have been
> static boilers, but I may be confusing that
> with the Union Carbide A's which were
> definitely used as boilers. The locos hung
> around for a long time until somebody simply
> reached the decision that steam locos were
> dirty, outmoded, and forgotten junk. For the
> amount of steel in them, they were probably
> worth more than the $5000 average. One has
> to remember that C&O cut up several
> locos in Russell, Ky., abouat the same time,
> and there were lines of Clinchfield
> articulates as well. NKP Berks were
> serviced, rebuilt, rolled out, and ....sat
> in lines until somebody turned them into
> cash. The stories are endless.


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