1958 - N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure

[NW Mailing List]

So it should be WALDROND instead of Waldron or Walrond . . .

EdK
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Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: 1958 - N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure



>I don't know. But I made a typo since his last name should be WALDROND. I 

>have a listing of Radford Division engineers, but does someone have a 

>Norfolk Division listing to review?

>

> Bud Jeffries

>

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 7:34 AM

> Subject: Re: 1958 - N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure

>

>

>> Were Harry J. Waldron and Harry J. Walrond the same guy?

>>

>> Ed King

>> ----- Original Message ----- 

>> From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>> To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 12:01 AM

>> Subject: Re: 1958 - N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure

>>

>>

>>> The engineer Harry J. Waldron, mentioned in this Roanoke Times article, 

>>> is pictured on the 2184 in my revised edition of N&W: Giant of Steam on 

>>> page 3.

>>>

>>> Bud Jeffries

>>>

>>> ----- Original Message ----- 

>>> From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>> To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 10:44 PM

>>> Subject: 1958 - N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure

>>>

>>>

>>>> Roanoke Times - July 19, 1958

>>>>

>>>> N&W Men Bemoan Steam's Departure

>>>>

>>>> "I was on this engine when it first came out back in 1940." Harry J.

>>>> Walrond, Norfolk and Western engineer remarked last night as he sat

>>>> in the cab of No. 602, a Class J steam locomotive.

>>>>

>>>>   Walrond felt blue, because it was the last night - perhaps forever

>>>> - for steam locomotives to pull passenger trains on the N&W.

>>>>   The N&W announced Thursday that it is leasing diesels from two

>>>> other railroads, and is taking out of passenger service 14

>>>> streamlined Class J steam locomotives. They are not being retired,

>>>> but they are out of passenger service for the present.

>>>>   Walrond was waiting in the hot, black cab of No. 602 - waiting for

>>>> the Powhatan Arrow to arrive from Bluefield. Then he would hook on to

>>>> the Arrow, No. 26, and pull it to Crewe, 130 miles away on the line to 

>>>> Norfolk.

>>>>

>>>>   "I don't believe there's a railroad in the country that ever had a

>>>> locomotive to compare with one of these in steam." Walrond remarked.

>>>> "I hate to see'em go. If they'd keep these up, there's not a diesel

>>>> that would stand a chance."

>>>>

>>>>   Walrond said he's been railroading 32 years. He was fireman on No.

>>>> 602 when it was young back in 1940.

>>>>   Walrond's fireman, Berkeley Breedlove of Blue Ridge, didn't have

>>>> much to say. He's a youngster in railroading, been firing only 32 

>>>> months.

>>>>

>>>>   But A. M. Via, conductor of the Powhatan Arrow on its run to Crewe

>>>> last night, felt sad, too.

>>>>   "Well, like everybody else," he observed just before he waved to

>>>> the engineer, "I'm sorry to see'em go. Railroading doesn't seem like

>>>> railroading without steam." Via added that he thinks railroaders

>>>> would get used to diesels and like them when they know them better.

>>>>   The Atlantic Coast Line's purple and silver locomotives look odd

>>>> on the N&W right-of-way. N&W railroaders have already coined a name

>>>> for the ACL color scheme: They call it "polkberry juice".

>>>>   A foreman said they had quite a job mixing paint to simulate the

>>>> ACL purple, but they finally did. They painted out "Atlantic Coast

>>>> Line" and painted over it in silver letters "Norfolk & Western".

>>>>   The Pocahontas that pulled out for Radford last night was the

>>>> first passenger train on the N&W main line to be pulled all the way

>>>> from Norfolk to Cincinnati by diesel.

>>>>   J. L. Bradley was the engineer. He's been operating diesels

>>>> before, but the ACL engine was unfamiliar one to him, and he looked a

>>>> bit skittish as he yanked on the control and big "polkberry" colored

>>>> machine began to rumble.

>>>>   Steam will continue to pull many of the freight trains on the N&W

>>>> for perhaps two and a half years. Then it will be the end of the line

>>>> for them. The N&W announced in June it would buy 268 diesel units in

>>>> the next 30 months. They are to begin arriving in the fall at the

>>>> rate of 12 to 15 a month.

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> -----------------------------------

>>>>

>>>> - Ron Davis, Roger Link

>>>

>>>

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