Farewell to Steam on the N&W

[NW Mailing List]

The best insight into Saunders might be found in Rush Loving, The Men Who Loved Trains. His record on PRR was not one of running the railroad economically. 

Bill Wendt    Chicago


--- On Sun, 7/6/08, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


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

> Subject: RE: Farewell to Steam on the N&W

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

> Date: Sunday, July 6, 2008, 5:02 PM

> I've often wondered how Stuart Saunders really felt

> about steam locomotives.

> Obviously he wanted to "modernize" the N&W,

> but did he actually despise

> steam power, or was he just impatient to get the N&W

> dieselized ASAP to

> catch up with the rest of the country?

> 

> Mike Weeks

> Charlotte NC

> 

> 

> 

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

> From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org

> [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW

> Mailing List

> Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:22 PM

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

> Subject: Farewell to Steam on the N&W

> 

> Roanoke Times - June 27, 1958

> 

> Editorial

> 

> Farewell to Steam on the N&W

> 

>     Steam locomotives are nearing the end of the line on

> the Norfolk 

> and Western Railway. It was generally recognized that their

> days were 

> numbered after the railroad placed six diesel units in

> operation on 

> its Durham line in 1955. Since then the N&W jas

> acquired 192 

> additional diesels.

>     Now comes an announcement by N&W President Stuart

> T. Saunders 

> that the railroad will buy 268 new diesel locomotives at an

> estimated 

> cost of $50 million which will enable the road to dieselize

> 

> completely its operations to present traffic levels.

>    What will happen to the steam locomotives now in use

> along the N&W 

> lines? Mr. Saunders says 202 of the 262 steam units now

> owned by the 

> road will be "retired" by the end of 1960. The

> remaining 60, which 

> will still have what the N&W calls "serviceable

> mileage," will be 

> used to meet demands during peak levels of traffic and in

> emergencies.

>     The N&W is the last major railroad in the nation to

> succumb to 

> the diesels. Some of the finest steam locomotives in the

> world have 

> been produced in the N&W's shops in Roanoke. Wedded

> to coal and steam 

> for scores of years, the road found it difficult - for

> sentimental as 

> well as other reasons - to part company.

>     It's going to be difficult for the thousands who

> live and work 

> along the N&W's some 4,600 miles of line to become

> accustomed to 

> railroading without steam. But progress must be served.

> 

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

> 

> - Ron Davis, Roger Link

> 

> 

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