Howard, Yes I would say at least three of them did...





The Norwich yard was still a very cool place up till the very end, so much to see.

The initial post of this thread reminds me of the occasionally cryptic queries I often get from other cohorts in the preservation field, typically panicky and hurried missives with no details just like that first query here, and yes, they have to know right away, now now now.

I once exacted revenge upon one of them by sending a text:

"Quick Send 300 lbs white mice. no time 2 explain"

Do you want those "live", or "processed"? Pls specify

Back to VI&M: Looking at that last photo, I see radiators, what looks like a large gate valve (from a water column "pit"?), and endless ferrous bits, all of which are something, perhaps even that last needed part for some one or another restoration.

Glad that some of those stoves survived. All the small stuff, from caboose stoves to number plates, would have brought 10 to 100 times scrap value, if sold off as collectibles. But you guys know that. A miracle that anything at all survives, least of all the full-sized rail euipment. And don't forget those N&W hopper cars.

Howard P.

Boy I hope that Virginia Scrap sign was also saved...

Lets just say it's framed and displayed in a guest bedroom in South West Virginia ;O)

Steven -

As one who tried unsuccessfully to move a donated 150 ton steam powered railroad derrick with all of its rigging intact, it is heartwarming to see that you guys actually did it! My sincere congratulations to you, and to your cohorts. May she long steam!

Les

Les,

This move could not have been pulled off if it was not for one person and that is Will Harris, a board member of the Virgina Musuem of Transportation and the owner of a Tember and Saw mill as well as a heavy hauling trucking company he is a key person in our preservation efforts when it comes to moving big and nifty things! Lets just say with Wills drive and knowledge behind most of the recent "Saves" many of the lost engines / equipment would not have been saved at all if it wasn't for his help!

we had many the conversations about this derrick, we beiieve its fully restorable to operation, perhaps to assist restoring a "lost" engine.

may of these steam derricks continued operation past the steam railroad locomotive demise.

Looks like a neato specialized truck by Will Harris, many applauds there.
It may be handy for many other specialized rail moves so he's got himself a valued moving piece.

Splendid! Was the companion flat saved as well?

Joshua

This shows that there is a special little place in the southwest corner of Virginia where neat things still happen with regard to railroading.

Good work, and a neat crane.

'' For so long the “Cast items, the Iron” wasn’t worth scrapping but now it was clean up time and everything went to the mill, Steam Locomotive drivers heaped up here and passenger car seats heaped up there... ''

Any chance that any of those steam locomotive drivers have not been melted down yet?
Sure would like to have one pair of drivers to display at the Reading RR Heritage Museum, Hamburg, PA.

Anybody have a spare laying around ?

Little bigger than a 5 ton. That is a Mack 10 ton M123 tractor originally used to haul tanks around.

To answer the question about the Flat car that was with the Steam Crane, yes it was also saved. It will be stored off site for future preservation.

The original Crane Boom Tender with water tank that ran with the crane was one of the cars saved at the main Roanoke scrap site; it will be reunited with the crane once preservation is underway. The Flat car that was the boom tender for the Crane was equipped with a small water tender tank with a water pump, and the various connections were present still today on the back of the crane to match those on the tender portion of the water tank. It's very interesting that both the crane and boom tender survived given they were located at two different locations of the same company.

See images showing the Flat as it looked when still at the downtown site of Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal Co.

First an end view of the flat.



Second is a view of the Tank portion of the flat with the pump on the left inside the housing and the water tank in the center with the rest of the flat to the right.



Cool N&W Flat Car.

As for the Steam Loco Drivers, and others...well most of them didn't get saved I'm afraid to say. Most of them had lost their tires long ago as the tire was good scrap and the cast wheels were just piled up around the yard. The Piles of Drivers lasted till the yard closed.



After the yard closed the wheels were quickly scooped up and sent off to the local steel mill. While a dozen or so Driver Axle sets were saved they are now part of the Virginia Museum of transportation collection. The large piles of loose Drivers were mostly lost only a couple made it out. Oddly enough it wasn't just Steam Drivers in the piles but also the main drivers for the Old Electric Boxcabs as well were present. Notice in the images provided you will see some of the wheels had the outer spring gear sections as used to transmit the electric motors motion to the drivers via main rod. Tell you what If I had the chance to buy one today, I'd own one! So cool.

Since those driving wheels weren't shown mounted on axles, I wonder if they were spares from the stores department and obtained after the end of use of their locomotives? Some may have been new, and never had a tire shrunk on them.