Hi All
The engines in the scrap yard in Roanoke have been donated to the
Virginia Museum of Transportation by the executors of the Golden
estate. The full article came out on RyPN this morning. Here is the
link: http://www.rypn.org/briefs/november2004/041106.htm

The Western Virginia Railroad Preservation Society
would like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to the
Virginia Museum of Transportation on the acquisition of the Lost
Engines of Roanoke. It is good to see those historic pieces being
saved after sitting in the scrap yard for over 50 years.


The Museum hasn't made any Official statement yet but it is our
belief that they will Plan on keeping the M2c which was built in
the Roanoke shops, the W2 which is the last of its kind and at least
one of the Chesapeake Western diesels. They will probably contact
several other museums that are close to see if they are interested
in acquiring any of what is left. The NCTM will probably be one of
them. I have been told that the NCTM might be interested in one or
more if the engines.

We will be contacting the VMT in a few days to offer assistance
where we can.

Andrew Martin
President
WVRPS

Having seen the Roanoke scrap yard first hand, I am delighted to hear that the locomotives, tenders, hoppers, and Baldwins are to be preserved. Somewhere in the RyPN archives is a brief Bob Yarger put together with photos I sent him (2001). As this yard devoured many N&W locos, including articulateds, I'm wondering what might be buried under the mountains of more mundane scrap. The yard was big and I'm certain it didn't get a regular cleaning out.
Incidently, I have seen park locomotives taht looked far worse than these locos. Miracles happen!

glad to hear this. I figured the owners would ask for big$$ and the engines would end up getting scrapped. Good news indeed.

I guess that these events will finally put to rest the urban legends/rumors of big N&W articulateds "hidden" on the property.

N&W Y6b's 2143, 2174, and 2189 resided in that very scrapyard until cut up around 1976-77.

Agreed, but I can remember reading many "conspiracy theorys" that some or all of them were never cut up at all, just shoved into a locked shed or something equally as unlikely.

Actually, it was a nearby scrapyard, Roanoke Iron & Metal, that had the Y6's. I remember 2143 and 2174, but 2189 wasn't there in the early 70's. There was an effort underway to save one of the engines, but the yard changed owners and the engines were scrapped before the purchase price was raised. I'm pretty certain that the scrapping took place in late 75 or early 76.