Norfolk & Western Lamberts Point Coal Yard Pier

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I have become fascinated with N&W Coal yard at Lamberts Point. I have been looking at old photos and run across this one.

What is the name of this car? Does anyone know the roster of these cars, diagram specifications, the number of cars, when they were built and years of service?

Thanks,

Shawn

American in China

2

The trucks look like those on the N&W so-called “Battleship” gondolas. Perhaps a rider car for one of those “roller coaster” switchback unloading facilities?

Edited Post: Ah, after reading Bill’s response (below), NOW I see the small trolley poles. Very interesting.

Dave Nelson

3

This is not a battleship gondola, this is an electric conveyor car.

According to Richard Prince’s Norfolk & Western Railway (1980, page 293): “Lambert Coal Pier No. 4 was equipped with rotary dumper which loaded electric conveyer cars that were raised on elevators to deck of pier where they redumped into proper loading chutes. After the first World War, conveyor cars also ran from dumpers on shore to Piers 2 and 3, thus eliminating the passage of standard railroad hopper cars out on the piers to the loading chutes.”

I don’t see a roster of these conveyor cars in that book, but there is a photo of conveyor car #10 taken in 1936. It appears that some further information on these can be obtained from the N&W Historical Society:

http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/listdocs.php?index=sc&id=10&cid=15

Bill