PCM Y6b question

[nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org]

Dear All,

As this is my first mailing to this list, I feel I should introduce
myself.

I am 60 years old, and am a minister in the Church of England (your US
equivalent is "Episcopalian"). I am British, but was born in China of
Chinese parents, who came to the UK in 1948, and couldn't return
because of the communist takeover of China.

I have long been interested in railways (as we call them over here). I
have developed a special interest in American railroads in the last
few years, and especially the Northern Pacific and the Norfolk and
Western (but only mainly for the period up to 1959). My knowledge
about the N&W is derived from a few books and DVDs. Among the latter
are the "Pocahontas Glory" series and "Hooters on Blue Ridge", which
is one of the best DVDs I have seen on any rail subject. The sequences
of N&W steam locos and trains include some of the most memorable
sights and sounds I have seen and heard on DVD - how thrilling it must
have been to have witnessed this first-hand, as some of you did!

Ed King's comments on Y6s prompts a question. Here in the UK, in the
steam days, each loco had a "shed" allocation, which could be seen as
that loco's "home". For instance, among the famous A4 Pacifics of the
old LNER, during most of the 1950s, 60022 'Mallard' was allocated to
King's Cross (London), while 60027 'Merlin' was allocated to Haymarket
(Edinburgh), if I remember correctly. They would tend to be only seen
on duties associated with those sheds. (As one of these duties was on
the non-stop London-Edinburgh and vv. "Elizabethan", which duty was
shared between the two sheds, they both could regularly be seen at
either city).

Does the same sort of thing apply to the N&W, and indeed to American
railroads in general? Could it be said that 2120-2161/2163-2180 were
allocated to Roanoke, and 2162/2181-2200 were allocated to Bluefield,
and would this mean that the Roanoke group had different duties from
the Bluefield locos?

Up until now, my interest in railroads had been largely concentrated
on passenger trains and locos. "Hooters on Blue Ridge", among others,
has made me into a particular "fan" of the Y 2-8-8-2 classes of the
N&W. There are other questions about them (and other N&W steam locos,
and about N&W trains) which I have, which I hope to mail in the
future. I apologize if they seem elementary to American railfans, but
over here on the other side of the Atlantic it isn't always as easy to
get information.

Best wishes to you all,

Frank Hung