N&W/C&O merger was Re: Crane

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Tue Aug 29 20:30:33 EDT 2006


Agreed that the Sciotoville connection would have been less than ideal.

However, I do recall seeing that the C&O was the preferred route and the Columbus District would have been only kept for local service. If the C&O was the preferred route for through traffic, a WB off the N&W out of Portsmouth would still have had to made a runaround move at Teays Jct on the C&O as it is an eastward facing connection. Wasn't N&W connection at Piketon a wye?

I could have misunderstood my grandfather or his memory could have been off, so he may have said the power switches were for a new connection at Teays Jct - a westward facing connection that would have eliminated any runaround moves for N&W trains. That would have allowed the most operating efficiency.

Speaking of the Atomic Plant trackage, on at least three occasions that I can document the C&O did detour over to the N&W from Piketon to Valley Crossing when the "Northern" was blocked west of Teays Jct. I believe N&W also used the detour rights a few times - the June 1953 grade crossing accident at Piketon mentioned in the Sept/Oct 1997 Arrow for one.

Whit

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org wrote: v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } Connecting the N&W to the CO Northern would have been awkward by using the B&O tracks and its connection up to the C&O Northern at Sciotoville. An N&W w/b move would have required pulling into Star Yard and making a reverse move through Sciotoville and climbing up to the C&O Northern on the connecting track.

The tracks through the Piketon Nuclear Processing plant at Teays did exist at that time and did not require the reverse move. Somebody needed the permission of he NRB to increase the traffic through a classified facility however.

The C&O did use this connection for a short while when they had their mainline blocked south of Teays for a bit.

Gary Rolih
Cincinnati


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From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2006 8:16 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: N&W/C&O merger was Re: Crane


Your comments bring up some questions - namely how far along did the N&W/C&O route rationalization planning proceed before the merger was nixed?

I believe the C&O Northern Subdivision was preferred over the N&W Columbus District between Portsmouth and Columbus. My grandfather was a signal maintainer for the C&O on the Northern and said that the railroad had power switches on order to put on the B&O Portmouth Sub to improve the flow of N&W traffic to the C&O at Sciotoville. With this in mind it appears that Star Yard would have been retained and all trains to and from the N&W would require the power switching ends at Portsmouth due the connection with the C&O.

Any other merger related items to share?

Whit

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org wrote:
This decorated NS crane reminds me of a story told to me by a C&O manager
while we were inspecting facilities at points where each railroad had a
facility, but where one facility would become redundant in the proposed
1965 merger of the N & W and C & O.

He said that there was a C & O car general foreman in Ohio who took great
pride in the appearance of his wreck derrick, even to the point of taking it
on him self to add the C & O's then-current logo. He was called on the
carpet later for his poor judgment.

It seems as though there was a major derailment pile up in his territory and
the local newspapers and TV station had a field day showing the piled-up
cars surrounding the general foreman's customized derrick sporting the logo,
"C & O for Progress!"

Gordon Hamilton


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