Norfolk & Western 1954 Boat Roster

Thu Apr 18 16:13:50 EDT 2019

Larry:

Just in case somebody ascertains that VGN's W.R.Coe worked Lambert's point after N&W bought VGN, I've attached the spreadsheet to provide some dimensions for the Coe.  See the Row 31 entry.

I made up this spreadsheet because I was trying to find out what tugboat models might represent what RR tugs used in the NY Harbor area.  Depressingly, most of the available models are of boats in the 84' - 90' OAL category, whereas most of the NY Harbor tugs were in the 105' - 110' category.  Erie favored smaller tugs, which is why OMI chose to model the Erie's Marion class.  The Coe was an odd duck (by NY Harbor standards), despite that it was designed by Jakobson, a Long Island firm that had also designed tugs for many of the NY Harbor RR's.  At 100' OAL, you might be able to get by with one of the Lindberg plastic models (with a lot of superstructure mods), but the Coe was pretty beamy at 27'.  The Walthers and OMI models are way too short (and also have older-looking superstructures.)  Be advised that an HO tug model of this size is a big model-for sheer volume and apparent bulk, much bigger than an N&W mallet.  Get that old Revell 1:96 model of a small tug class out of your head, and don't bother to look to Frenchman's Model Works for a "real" RR tug.  And if you ever decide to build a carfloat (I believe one operated around Hampton Roads, but at one time 4000 rail cars per day were ferried around NY Harbor on carfloats), they were monsters:  plan to get two of the Walthers models and splice them together to get to a typical "modern" (post 1940) OAL of 360' or more.

Some additional resources you might enjoy:
1)  John Teichmoeller's "The Transfer" magazine back issues, available on CD (at least as of 5 years ago)
2) The Rail-Marine Interest Group (RMIG) of NMRA, co-led by John and Thomas Flag, author of "NY Harbor Railroads V1" and "...V2", Morning Sun Books
3)  Flag's books
4)  "On the Hawser" by Lang and Spectre
5)  http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/IndustrialLocos.html; you could spend days looking around all the cool pages in and links from this web site!

-Eric Bott

From: NW-Modeling-List [mailto:nw-modeling-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Modeling List via NW-Modeling-List
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2019 12:31
To: NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>
Cc: NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: EXTERNAL: RE: Norfolk & Western 1954 Boat Roster

If somebody knows how to get in touch with John Teichmoeller, he'd probably know off the top of his head.

And if anybody develops a decent HO model of VGN's W.R. Coe (see Arrow Nov/Dec 2005), or C&O's Geo W. Stevens (see attached) (both of which sailed near Lambert's Point, even if they didn't service N&W properties), I would very much like to hear about it!

-Eric Bott

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Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2019 10:51
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Cc: NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org<mailto:nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>>
Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: Norfolk & Western 1954 Boat Roster

Seeing that no one else has replied to your question, I will tell you what I know.  I don't know the answer but I can reply with my experience.  I grew up in the 50's and early 60's, not very far from the Lambert's Point yard.  My father worked for a time in the car shop at Lambert's Point and an uncle was hostler there.  I never heard my father or uncle mention that N&W had any of their own boats.  I know there were many commercial tug boat companies in the Norfolk area and these commercial tugs would dock and undock the colliers that came in to be loaded.  I, personally, do not remember seeing any tugs with N&W markings.  I could be wrong, but this is my personal experience as I remember it.  I hope somebody can give a definitive answer to your question as I would also like to know for sure.  I am modeling the Lambert's Point yard into South Norfolk.

Jack Fletcher

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From: NW-Modeling-List <nw-modeling-list-bounces at nwhs.org<mailto:nw-modeling-list-bounces at nwhs.org>> on behalf of NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org<mailto:nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>>
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 9:01 AM
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Subject: Norfolk & Western 1954 Boat Roster

I am doing research on Lambert's Point and eventually want to model the coal pier 1954-1955 cira. I want to know what boats the Norfolk & Western owned during that time and if there were photos and specifications.

Thanks for your help and any leads.

Dr. Larry Shawn Bassham, EdD
larryshawn.bassham at gmail.com<mailto:larryshawn.bassham at gmail.com>
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