Plenty of N&W fans... no N&W topics though... and the majority you get are steam topics... Ask anybody about N&W in 1956 and they'll rattle your ears off... ask them about 1966 or 1976 though, and you'll get a blank stare. Luckily, there are a few of us who's main interest is the N&W post steam...
Count me in as a Norfolk and Western fan. Just musing on making a high hood GP35 in Z scale and painting it up in N&W.
I saw a string of 2 bay covered hoppers on a NS train today and about 1/3 of them were N&W heritage! (Not in good shape, paintwise)
Long Lasting Hoppers Sure seems like the NW paint scheme has been on these cars a long time. I am not sure when the merger took place? It appears that, eventually, these cars are repainted in NS logo.
Dinner in the Diner? Old MOW car auctioned off and in private hands. Was originally a Nickle Plate car then N&W.
Still a few N&W fans out here. Wish I could get to Roanoke more often, though. This was in 2002, when some of the Va Transportation Museum equipment was moved behind the N&W shops.
Yippe!!!!!!! Now that is how to get a Fallen Flags topic going!!!!!!! :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:
How about a GP-9 painted in "red bird?" I thought that the red scheme was reserved for passenger locomotives, but I don't see a steam generator on this one. Anyone have more information?
Mark, you cant hide that kind information over here. Also, what are you going to do for trucks. Those Bloumberg trucks are not going to do. Also post it in Z scale forum. I am sure Phil and Brian are going to go bananas over this one.
I am a big time N&W fan here. I model the diesel era, mainly the late 60's up until the merger with Southern in 1982. I grew up in the former Scioto Division town of Portsmouth, Ohio. I don't recall seeing another locomotive in a color other than black until I got my driver's license.
N&W Diesel Passenger Locomotives The red was for passenger scheme locomotives. After the end of passenger service the steam generators were removed from most if not all of the GP9's. I believe some of them were regeared for freight use. In the mid 70's right before the BRAC strike N&W ordered a SD40-2 to be painted in a tuscan scheme with gold block NW letters. During the strike this unit was used by Robert Claytor himself when he took over running freight trains during the strike. The unit was nicknamed the "red baron". One of the first orders of C30-7s N&W ordered one to be painted in the tuscan and gold scheme like the SD40-2, It was C30-7 8010. On the last batch of deliveries of the C30-7s there were more painted in the the tuscan and gold. I don't believe it was more than 10 units numbered in the 8070-8080 series. Some of these units were designated for business train operations and pulling the geometry cars. However a few ended up in freight service as well. I think N&W was experimenting with a more colorful paint scheme. I don't know if the merger killed the experimentation or they decided the tuscan just did not weather well. Some people may wonder why N&W did not go for E and F cab units. Well, N&W was always frugal and wanted to get the most out of locomotives. They found the cab units (they had leased some from RF&P and ACL during the transistion from steam to diesel), were not good for switching. The section of the passenger trains going Portsmouth, Ohio to Columbus Ohio was sometimes handled by one GP, because it was a relatively flat run. They found that and E or an F unit would arrive at Columbus in the morning and sit all day doing nothing until it was called for the evening train. The yard crews did not like to use it for switching. Because of this, N&W ordered the GP9s for passenger use. Once in Columbus, the GP9 could be used as an extra switcher until it was called to take the passenger train back. Therefore it had a high utilization rate which pleased higher management.
Just checking in with the N&W crew. I'm a proud owner of N&W locos. I lived a block from a N&W line as a kid and spent alot of time watching trains back then. I never saw anything colored other than grimy black on that line. I gotta say that Gp9 in red is really nice looking. It's got me thinking I may have to have one some day. The gold and red is just too pretty.
I remember the NC Transportation Museum having a "Redbird" N&W unit at some point in the past.... I don't know if it is still there, but I probably have a photo of it... Harold
