F units at Natural Tunnel

bobyar2001 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 02, 2006 8:36 pm

This appears to be a set of F3 units at Natural Tunnel, Virginia, quite some time before it became part of the tourist railroad. Mis-identified as Norfolk & Western, they are Southern Railway:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Norfolk-and-Western ... dZViewItem

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:26 am

What tourist RR? Virginia doesn't have any tourist RR's. We were all too wrapped up in the NS Steam Program.

bobyar2001 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 1:22 am

Sorry, confusing the tunnel in Virginia with the one on the Great Smoky Mtns. RR - different state. I guess I was thinking of the SR steam program also, as I believe they made some trips through the Natural Tunnel.

johnacraft · **Joined:** Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:53 pm **Posts:** 660

As Gary mentions, while Natural Tunnel is a state park and has a viewing platform, CSX and NS freights pass through, not tourist trains.

The photo in the postcard is almost certainly a late-1970s fantrip through the area. Southern freight units were black, not green.

JAC

mridenhour · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:21 pm

If you look close you can see its at least an A-B set of unmodified F3`s which would put the date in the late 40`s or early 50`s. Also note the old cast iron station sign, the telltales, and the pole line.

Later
Michael Ridenhour