..in America" was an early present. Pictures by O. Winston Link and text by Thomas H. Garver.
What a wonderful book! The pictures are wonderful and the text does not detract. Black and White up to halfway through the book and then early color, mixed with black and white. Such beauty brought out in the pages Ansel Adams would be green with envy.

This is on my wish list this year. This is an excellent book. I love O. Winston Link's work. I really like the inside cover shot of the N&W 261 with its full compliment of crew.

If nothing else, a lump of coal can be donated to a coal fired steamer somewhere. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

My favorite is pages 106 and 107. Shows W.M. Buchanan at his desk in the Green Cove, Va. depot agents office on one page and the facing page is of the store that made up part of the structure. The photo of the store is from the front looking to the rear. Shelves on the left, rear and right. Pot belly stove at rear center and benches left and right with folks sitting. From the book:
"Unlike so many other stations that the railroad demolished when passenger service was terminated, Green Cove remains today because it was owned by the Buchanan family. Subsequently it was acquired by the National Forest Service and has been restored to the appearance seen here. The stove, shelves, counters, seats and glass display cases are still in place".
Any one been to Green Cove Va. lately?

Robin -

Your comment made me grab my copy of "The Last Steam Railroad in America" and when I flipped open the book, it settled on pages 106 and 107. I agree that the two photos are fascinating. I then leafed through the book and found the color photo on page 68 of the outside of the Green Cove depot with Old Maude posed out in front. The engine that OWL photographed pulling into the station is M class #382. I have never been to Green Cove, but I'll assume that the trackage shown has been removed. But here's a thought; the "Lost Engines of Roanoke" can't seem to get off of dead center toward being preserved. Perhaps here might be a home for one. Restore the main line and the passing siding in front of the depot and as far back as the cut in the background. Just beyond the cut, build a shed. Put one of the cosmetically restored "Lost Engines" in it along with some small piece of motive power. Push the steamer out and recreate Mr. Link's famous photo (as much as possible) when the Green Cove depot is open for visitors. At the end of the day, pull the N&W steamer back into the shed, out of the weather.

Yes I know that the class M-2's did not run on the Abingdon Branch. So that might be a bit "unprototypical". I am not sure if the W-2 class (like the 917) might have run on the branch before the M class Twelve-Wheelers took over. In any event, it's a reason to finally do something concrete about saving one of the "Lost Engines". And it just might improve visitation to one of the spots that O.Winston Link made famous.

Just a thought.

Les

Anyone been to Green Cove recently?

Yup, took my family there the last two summers. The depot is in good condition, open part of the year as an information source as well as local attraction. There is an N&W section car (motor car) out front as well. The White Top depot was demolished, but a recreation has been constructed. The line from Abingdon to the NC state line is now the Virginia Creeper hiking/biking trail, and I highly recommend it. To say it's scenic is an understatement.