Photo

[NW Mailing List]

Noah Blevins was the engineer from Bluefield to Roanoke on the last run of the 611 in October, 1959.  Paul Cabiness was the ARFE and did the running and Blevins fired.  I don’t know who the fireman was; he rode back in the train.  TRAINS photographer Bill Akin, O. Winston Link, and I rode the engine.

The train consisted of 12 cars, as I recall, two of which were the G1 sightseeing gons; Cabiness never got the engine 2/3 wide open, anywhere.  And she rode like a baby buggy, with about 1/4 inch hollow wear on the driver tires.  The 611 was as near a diesel as a steam engine could be.  Neither Cabiness or Blevins performed any demanding physical work; I’ve had rougher rides on Alco RS-11s.  

Talk about your unforgettable experiences . . .  Link blew the whistle in all the tunnels up the river for the guys recording in the first car (“I’ll blow their gain needles off the pegs”.)  Cabiness let her get  up to 74 MPH on Salem Level; she just glided (glid?) along.  She had to be the perfect passenger engine.  Bill Purdie said when he had her years later that “she had all the power in the world”.  He was right.  

Having her run around again would be great, but I loved nothing better than than seeing her or other Js in a roundhouse full of hot steam locomotives.  I count myself lucky indeed to have experienced that . . .

EdKing



From: NW Mailing List 
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 12:33 PM
To: NW Mailing List 
Subject: Re: Photo

Fireman was Noah Blevins, later engineer. I can get the other names when I am home. 
Ken Miller

On Nov 24, 2014, at 11:58 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


  Herman

  All were on the Radford Division.  

  Jim Blackstock


  On 11/24/2014 11:00 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:

    Any former N&W employees happen to know or remember these men? L to R: Brakeman Alitzer, Engineer Smith, Conductor Richardson, Fireman Blevins.

    Herman Wilkins

    Moderator:
     http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/2014/20141124.100_3369-001.JPG


     

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