I saw this over on Instagram, but N&W 475 will have her headlight mounted on the center of the smokebox door. This will be the first time since 1950 she has had this configuration! I cannot post this picture as it is not mine to post.

HALLELUIAH!


Les

Was the previous Strasburg look the original look for #475 and the N&W changed it?

For the M class, yes and no. I wouldn’t know the history of 475 having a centered headlight, but a comparison would be between Abingdon branch legends 382 and 429. 382 had a headlight in similar position to 475, while 429 had a headlight on the middle of the smoke box. Might’ve just been crew preference.

Or.....it might mean we're going to see 429 during the fall photo event. :)

/Kevin Madore

So I found the reason for headlights being lowered in this older interchange page. The more you know.

http://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20369

Steamguy73 -

Thanks for digging out this old thread. I found out that I had actually commented about N&W 475 having a middle of smokebox headlight over 13 years ago in that thread. The photo I mentioned was in J. David Conrad's "Steam Locomotive Directory" but I wasn't sure if I had remembered the photo correctly, so I looked it up. David's book does show the 475 on a mixed train back in July of 1954 with that centered headlight. What was REALLY striking to me though, is what was in that particular train that day. Behind 475's tender is a "Route of the 400 Streamliners" Chicago & North Western boxcar, of the type that was recently repainted at our museum. I can't quite see the road number of that particular car, so can't tell for sure that it isn't our particular car, C&NW 284. And, the second freight car in the short consist that day appears to be a N&W boxcar, of a similar type that we have at the museum (N&W # 54880). So, we could do a pretty good replication of that 1954 train, IF we had a combine for the rear...and of course a "Mollie" up at the front end. If only....!

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Now it just needs a swinging bell. Every pic I've seen of the Mollies they're sporting air rockers on their bells, unlike how 475 is configured at Strasburg. Regardless, it'll be great seeing it run again.

No problem Les. I couldn’t find too many photos on the internet of a centered headlight M class, though I do have plenty in my book of O. Winston Link photographs that’s not with me at this current time. It was just blind luck that I found that particular thread including N&W 433 and centered headlights. Pretty cool to find out it was based on overhauls and not crew preference.

Which one? ;)

Hi All
After reading the last post, I when looking through some of my books and I found basically the same shot, in this book. Norfolk & Western Steam The last 25 years by Ron Rosenberg and Eric H.Archer published 1973
The page photos N&W # 382 at the water plug by Martin H. Cohen next
N&W # 475 photo by Harold K.Vollrath.

Yeah I definitely prefer the older look now that I see them side by side.

Pat-

A lucky ebay search a few years led me to be able to purchase an original print of that photograph. It's uncropped, showing that he's standing under the eaves of the station in Christiansburg. When I bought it, I wasn't aware of it being in any books, but I've since learned it's at least in "N&W: Giants of Steam"

Bill

Wow!!! Thanks for reposting that. Really fantastic image that shows a lot more detail than the book.

Thanks Pat for posting the photos of 382 (old style headlight mounting) and 475 (newer headlight mounting). And thanks Bill, for posting the larger rendition of the 475 photo.
Never let it be said that I would doubt anything that the N&W did in the way of steam locomotive improvements. If the steam era had not ended, all of the surviving 4-8-0's would have probably had the middle of the smokebox mounted headlights. Plus (as I've indicated before), they just make the Twelve-Wheelers that much better looking!

Les