The following was an ad on Steamlocomotive.com almost two years ago. Anything ever happen?

September 2000:
The Norfolk & Western locos at Virginia scrap iron and metal are for sale by owner! This includes 2 M-2 4-8-0s, 1 M-2c 4-8-0 and a W-2 2-8-0. This sale is all or nothing it also includes 2 baldwin diesel switchers, 4 hopper cars and any parts on the property.

Apologies for the oxymoronic (since beer and trains don't mix well)email but "superheater" was taken at all the other free web domains.



superheater@beer.com

They are still for sale and probably will be for a loooooooong time. I highly doubt they are going anywhere soon. If I remember correctly, the Scrap Yard owner was or is asking some ridiculous price.

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa

Not to mention the engines are very bad off.

unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

> They are still for sale and probably will be
> for a loooooooong time. I highly doubt they
> are going anywhere soon. If I remember
> correctly, the Scrap Yard owner was or is
> asking some ridiculous price.

> Jeff Lisowski
> West Chester, Pa

> Not to mention the engines are very bad off.

The scrap yard owner is making things very difficult by demanding to sell all of the equipment at once. If he would sell piecemeal I would bet that most of the equipment would be gone by now. But who has enough money to buy the locos, extra tenders, cars and then have money left over to ship these things anywhere.

todengine@woh.rr.com

Now didn't we just have a discussion about mean scrap dealers?? :)

J.T.

jtjjtb@aol.com

I did an fairly extensive photo reconnasaince of these locos in Feb. of 2001, and Hume Kading did a beautiful job of splicing the photos together in a brief. Check the back records of this website.
None of the locos was in great shape, but I have seen worse in parks, such as Lynchburg's Riverside Park and C&O #2760. None of the equipment in Roanoke was ready to roll, and all of it is in desperate need of homes. I am also sure that all manner of steam scrap lays buried in that yard as well, most not having seen daylight in 30 years. Quite frankly, I think the locos bring more interest to the scrapyard than money can buy. The owner is a steam fan, and the office is littered with locomotive artifacts that are his personal pride. I think he is happy to leave things just as they are at present. Incidently, if I remember correctly, there is the very last N&W 2-8-0 in that lineup. That would be a choice museum piece for that reason alone. I'm sure at least one more operating 4-8-0 could be built from what is present in the line. I don't think even Strasburg could strike a deal at the time they accessed #475.

glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

> If I remember correctly, there is the very last
> N&W 2-8-0 in that lineup. That would be
> a choice museum piece for that reason alone.

I know of three N&W 2-8-0's preserved and displayed, besides the one in the scrap-yard.

There's one in the collection of the Virginia Transportation Museum, Roanoke. I'm sure they could find room for one of the 4-8-0's.

There's one displayed in a park at Bluefield, cosmetically maintained by the local fans.

There's one displayed(?) near Glade Spring, VA.
(can't think of the town name- Galax???) I never had the time to find this one, and still keep up with the persuit of 611. (Glade Spring has a wye-track where 611 was tip-toed around to turn during the trips on the Bristol line, and was the destination of the last NS trip I rode, out of Roanoke, on 6-11-94 !!)

Finally, don't forget the M-class 4-8-0 displayed under roof in Abingdon, VA. It has nice signs telling the history of the Abingdon Branch, now a bike trail, next to the display site. Only a few minutes from I-81.

Sorry, I can't remember the engine numbers offhand.

By the way, if I recall, isn't there also one or two authentic N&W a-tanks (aux. water tenders) sitting with those engines at Roanoke ? -Equally worth preserving!

I don't believe there is an A tank there. I know there is a Y6B tender there that was used for storing oil or something.

I think the web site is Lost engines.com or something. A quick Google search will find it.

Jeff Lisowski
West Chester, Pa

unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

Check out The Lost Engines of Roanoke site as suggested below. There are two articulated tenders in the line up, and they look like auxillary tanks to me, but I do recall them being called Y6 tanks. Both looked in okay shape to me, but in truth, I spent my time on the steam locos. It's interesting that this same yard cut up the last two Y's and A's and somehow spared these little guys, and that was back in the 70's! One of the locos in that lineup is the last of a particular species of N&W engine. There is at least one really prime piece for a museum.


glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

I visited this place around 1970 having ridden the Pocahontas to Roanoke from Cincy a week before the end of that train. We saw these engines mostly covered with vines and trees, and I think they were on a coal ramp as some were off the ground!
Anyway, we also visited another scrap place and there was a Y sitting there. I got some slides of it someplace. Whatever happened to that engine, which to me looked far better than the little ones that are still there now!
Greg Scholl

videos
sales@gregschollvideo.com

Who can blame the owner. These engines only exist due to his good graces; the choice to scrap them could have been made long ago. He holds these relics in his hands. Having something rare is a singular experience. Some focus on the value of the items; others wait for value to appear. Some can't imagine trusting the relics to anyone else no matter their condition. Given the history of even static display engines in this country I can't blame him. How many engines are in pieces, how many scrapped, gone cold; all in the last 20 years. In a sad and quiet way the Roanoke engines represent the slow decline and decay of all steam engines in America. There is a certain dignity to these engines as they are. Perhaps it would be easier to see them rust away than to send them piecemeal to organizations that can barely support their current exhibits. These engines are worth saving; today who can say they have the will, funding, and know how to do it right?

The 2-8-0 no. 917 is the last of the N&W W2 class, the other surviving N&W 2-8-0's are older G class engines. The M2 4-8-0's 1118 and 1134 are the last two members of that class, and 1151 is the last M2c. The M2 and M2c classes were similar to each other, but were much heavier than the earlier M class engines like 475 and 433. The tenders in the yard came from Y3 articulateds, I believe the numbers may still be visible on them but I don't recall off the top of my head what they were. They were in the process of being converted to water canteens when they were sold for scrap.

The Lost Engines of Roanoke
rjenkins@railfan.net