Ironton OH and 611 crossing grade accident pics

[NW Mailing List]

 Just a swap of engines, then the regular crew forwarded it on to Williamson.  Only about an hour delay; besides crews could work 16 hours under the federal law back then.  PTA engine crew was engineer Pat Duncan and Firemen John Moreford. Kenova/Ironton seniority yard crew was Engineer Doug Booth and Brakeman Walker Johnson (the latter quite the character, I have six hours of tapes on him).  The whole swap was within the interlocking limits of KX Tower, based at the east end of the upper level platform of Kenova Union Station and only about two/three miles from the point of accident.  First westward crossover was at North Kenova, over in Ohio; KX CTC machine controlled from Union, Ohio, west of Ironton, to Prichard, WV (where the big coaling station was). Just a routine move really, as there were four Ironton shifters a day out of Kenova back then and five Kenova Yard crews (two each on day and afternoon, one on midnight) around the clock.  
The Kenova yardmaster (N&W's were officials, not contract employees like those on the C&O) responded quickly, orchestrating the whole move.  There was always an assistant trainmaster stationed at Kenova, but he must have been elsewhere that day.
Don't have any specific info about the second engine swap at Williamson, but a K2a was usually kept there, even more when they had the coalfield locals. The Portsmouth-based Scioto Division engine crew would have come off there anyway (the passenger trainmen, inbound from Cincinnati), and a Pocahontas Division engine crew would have taken the train on to Bluefield and the relieving conductor and two brakemen on to Roanoke.

    On Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 02:30:36 PM EDT, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:   

 
On 8/3/2024 7:46 AM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List wrote:
> Tim
> How/where/what would would be the procedure for the crews used to 
> forward the 457 with the Powhatan Arrow to Williamson? Was there a 
> local crew qualified for this or did N&W have to shuttle a qualified 
> crew in from Williamson or Bluefield? Was there a larger locomotive in 
> Williamson that took the train to Bluefield or Roanoke? Also were 
> passengers left on board or bus shuttled to Roanoke? Time lapse?
> Thank you
> Herb Edwards
Herb,

     If you read the story, the engines were swapped out and the regular 
crew hand fired the 457 to Williamson while the yard crew took the 611 
(which could still handle herself) to Kenova for some repairs needed in 
order to move to a terminal that could handle the heavier repairs. Had 
things been different and the crews run out of time according to the 
hours of service law, new crews would have been needed to move the train.

Jimmy Lisle

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