<div dir="auto">What did the registers look like, and where were they kept (generally)?<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Are there any pictures or scans if it was an official company form? </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Oddly enough my young kids absolutely love filling in replica N&W forms. One even keeps a little box for his check of the register lol. I'm going to reproduce a conductor's logbook for Christmas, lol he will probably keep it under his pillow. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">David</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 6:51 AM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hope everyone is full of turkey and pie and got at least one nap this afternoon,<div>Had I been and engineer in Bluefield assigned to the Elkhorn pool (were crew assigned to the pools?), and drew the North Fork run, what class loco would I have had under me (a 2000?). Would I be running forward or reverse? Would the empties be in front of me or behind me? Would there be a cab, and if so, where?</div><div>When I get to North Fork, do I need to sign the book showing I am occupying the branch, and if so, where was the book kept (in the station?)? After being cleared for the branch, and depending upon the loco's facing, I would start to either push or pull those empties around the hill where the Elk Ridge coke ovens used to be and head up the holler to make my first drop off at Algoma?</div><div>Can I pack any more questions into one short message, time will tell,</div><div>Jim Cochran</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Nov 27, 2025 at 6:22 AM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
James,<br>
<br>
To tie up some dangling ends in my reply, empties for your North
Fork Branch were delivered by a dedicated Elkhorn run – a bit
unusual, but an indication of the tonnage coming down that short
hollow. The east loads went to Eckman, but the west loads were left
on the North Fork storage tracks for a River crew to pick up
trailing-point that night, soon followed by the Elkhorn crew with
empties to set off.<br>
<br>
Great questions! Thanks for asking and for patience with my replies.
Great topic worthy of your modeling skills, we love this stuff, so
now get to work.<br>
<br>
Happy Thanksgiving to you and All,<br>
<br>
Grant Carpenter<br>
<div>On 11/25/2025 7:11 PM, NW Mailing List
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
Jim,<br>
<br>
Yes, movements with more than a two-man engine crew (ie, a pusher)
rated a caboose.<br>
<br>
Careful, setoffs and pickups could be made at any storage point, <u>some</u>
of which were terminals. Storage tracks were just that – track.
Terminals included storage tracks, but also were where runs
originated and terminated, thus they included facilities for
engine service, a yard office, a call office, crew lounge, etc. <br>
<br>
So Byrd Yard was not a terminal, that would be Eckman Yard until
it closed. The North Fork Hollow Mine Run was moved to Bluefield,
became First Vivian or V1, and would depart Bluefield with a 2000
running in reverse, most times light with the caboose on the
pilot.<br>
<br>
An Elkhorn crew would bring about 110 empties to North Fork and
back them into the two storage tracks, Elk Ridge and North Fork.
The engine was turned at Eckman, met a pusher, and took east loads
from there back to Bluefield. Byrd Yard was used mostly to store
empties for Keystone, being on the same side of the main and just
up from the delivery switch.<br>
<br>
By setting off empties in one direction and picking up loads in
the other, these mainline crews avoided mixed trains that would
slow operations in a tight time frame. This is why it was so
important that mine runs block their loads by direction when
setting them out for pickup by the Elkhorn and River crews.<br>
<br>
Okay, I'll stop, and limit the drifting. Something approaching an
overview on this topic was published in <i>The Arrow</i> with
Glenn Fisher's "High Noon" series, but doesn't include some
details here, given the context. As always, feel free to ask more
questions.<br>
<br>
Grant Carpenter<br>
<br>
<div>On 11/25/2025 8:47 AM, NW Mailing
List wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">OK, so an Elkhorn job takes off from Bluefield
with a 21 hunnert and a big string of empty hoppers (caboose
yes?) headed West. This movement drops off empties where
needed (did it pick up any loads while setting off at the
terminals?) and finally has no more empties and returns to
Bluefield? So this is how empties would have gotten to Byrd
yard (a terminal?) ready for distribution up North Fork
holler. Bet a buck you can anticipate my next series of
questions. Well since you left the North Fork branch for me
to model, I need to do it properly :^)
<div>Thanks,</div>
<div>Jim </div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at
3:21 PM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div> Jim,<br>
<br>
The Bluefield pool job was referred to as just "Elkhorn"
or "Elkhorn man/job/run/crew." Motive power was one 2100
with empties or running light, with a cab and road crew of
five. If there were two engines, one was a Pocahontas Pool
pusher with a two-man crew, and both were dispatched
facing in the same direction and running light to go pick
up east loads.<br>
<br>
In similar fashion, the Tug River Pool job out of
Williamson was referred to as "River," as well as the
pusher pool. They were dispatched with empties or east
loads, and sported auxiliary tenders.<br>
<br>
A clarification, terminals on the District where crews
were based and runs originated in the 1950s included
Weller Yard, Auville Yard, Eckman Yard and Wilcoe Yard.
The terminal at Eckman closed in 1951 and Wilcoe closed
for the latter half of the 1950s.<br>
<br>
These pool jobs could set off and pick up by
trailing-point moves at designated storage points listed
earlier, but tipples were left to the six-man mine runs.
If needed, a pool run could, for example, deliver a
tipple, and then put in for extra pay.<br>
<br>
Grant Carpenter<br>
<br>
<div>On 11/24/2025 6:09 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Grant,
<div>Should I forget to say it explicitly in any of my
messages, know that I am always grateful to you for
sharing your knowledge. OK, it is the start of a
normal working day in the mid 1950s in Bluefield. A
"pool" run (was that how they were referred to?) is
assembled with a long string of empties bookended by
power. Was the power Ys? Were there 2? Was one
running in reverse? Since I assume most pool yards
had two switches off the main, what was the reason
for using locomotives with opposite facings?</div>
<div>Jim Cochran</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Nov 24, 2025
at 6:32 AM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div> Jim,<br>
<br>
That's right, there was a pool of road crews based
in each main terminal, Elkhorn Pool in Bluefield
and Tug River Pool in Williamson, that hauled
empties (when available) to storage points and
returned with loads from storage points. Mine runs
only had to move empties and loads between tipples
and the nearest storage point. Those points on the
main line from Bluefield west to Iaeger included:
Mullins Middle, Flat Top Yard, Bluestone (River
Track), Angle Branch, Morgan Storage, North Fork
Hollow/Elk Ridge Storage, Byrd Yard, Eckman Yard,
Vivian (Kimball Yard), Cirrus Storage, Huger
Middle, Superior #3 Outlet, Tug Storage, Farm
Storage, Caples Outlet, Davy Storage, Twin Branch
Storage, Claren Storage and Hull Middle (the limit
of Elkhorn crews). Branchline yards served by pool
runs included Clift, Wilcoe and Auville. <br>
<br>
As I mentioned earlier, operation limits,
variations and exceptions were typical; however,
to your last point, I agree it is a good idea to
limit my posts to the specific questions and limit
details, so feel free to follow up.<br>
<br>
Grant Carpenter<br>
<br>
<div>On 11/22/2025 2:44 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Grant et al.
<div>Thank you so much for your responses, I
will keep asking as long as you keep
answering :-)</div>
<div>From the Pokey's point of view, empties
magically appeared in huge strings at
Bluefield and Williamson, and needed to be
distributed to every mining operation. What
I think I just put together from Grant's
response (please correct me on
anything/everything) is there was a
distribution hierarchy of runs to keep
everyone supplied. Those big "mainline"
runs that I started with in my first post,
would start their runs "all empty" and set
off cuts at what I will call distribution
points (yards) while picking up loads from
these large holding facilities. The ones
that come to my mind are Flat Top, Cliff,
Byrd, Eckman, Vivian/Kimball, and I get
foggier as I go West of my primary area of
interest. Mike you probably know the ones
around Iaeger, so please chime in. Is there
a comprehensive list? The mainline run
would, at some point have set off all its
empties and picked up a full train of loads
and head back to its terminal of origin be
it Bluefield or Williamson. How am I doing
so far? I am going to keep my posts
somewhat short so as to try to concentrate
on a limited aspect at a time to help keep
things straight, at least for me.</div>
<div>Thanks,</div>
<div>Jim Cochran</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
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