I have looked at pictures of N&W depots in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. There seems to be a basic theme, but no two are alike! I am interested in building at least 3 of these depots for my layout. I would like to have a detailed interior in at least one of them. I am debating about using specific depots, but am not certain that that is where I want to go. I do like the depot at Elkhorn, WV and Davy, WV. But, I have no pictures that show all 4 sides. Any suggestions? Where did N&W come up with its basic design and where can I find it?[sigh]
The N&W did have several standard station designs used throughout the system. It also had a large number of non-standard stations. The stations at Elkhorn and Davy are non-standard, but are similar to the larger standard combination station design.
There are two books that could help you. The Norfolk and Western Handbook (Wallace and Wiley) (out of print) has basic drawings of the smaller combination station at Blue Ridge and the very small station at Winfall. The book Norfolk & Western Railway Standards Drawings published by the Norfolk & Western Historical Society has a very good set of drawings for the larger combination station (which is the one similar to Elkhorn and Davy). Unfortunately it is also out of print. If you contact the society at www.nwhs.org, you might be able to get some assistance with copies of those particular pages.
You might also look into local historical societies that cover the area(s) at Elkhorn and Davy. They might have pictures showing the missing side(s).
Dan, North Carolina
Dan,
Thanks for the tips. I will try the N&W Historical Society.
A while back I read a corporate history of the Norfolk & Western. One comment that stuck in my head was, roughly, Operated the most powerful locomotives on perfectly manicured trackwork, past numerous stations that obviously had been inherited from predecessor companies. The N&W, like most Eastern roads, had been cobbled together from a hodgepodge of earlier railroads. Unlike a lot of railroads, the management never tore down a perfectly good building just because it didn’t conform to some ‘standard’ design.
Maybe that was one reason they were so darn profitable…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)