When did N&W began using diesel motive power for passenger service? More importantly, when did N&W STOP using Class J’s for passenger service?
Hello Craig,
Southern Ry. diesels began running through on passenger trains using Norfolk & Western rails between Lynchburg, Va., and Bristol, Tenn., on January 1, 1958. That released some N&W J-class 4-8-4s from that service, allowing them to be used on freight assignments.
Then on July 20 the same year, leased Atlantic Coast Line and Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac E units took over the rest of N&W’s mainline passenger service. The N&W’s “redbird” passenger GP9s began arriving in October 1958, allowing the N&W to begin operating its passenger trains with its own diesels.
So July 1958 marked the end of regular passenger service with the J class.
So long,
Andy
Thanks, Andy[tup]
Seems I remember reading something about N&W receiving their first passenger GP9s early in 1957 replace steam on some branch line passenger seervices. They had rather small fuel and boiler water tanks so not really suited for main line service. Numbers were 500-50?, renumbered from 762-76? IIRC. Of course the trains these units used on weren’t likely ever pulled by the J’s.
The last steam passenger train ran in early 1958 . The engine was a j class .
“Rrboomer” made a good point. According to Norfolk & Western First Generation Diesels by Withers and Bowers, the N&W’s first passenger diesels were the GP9s 762-767. They were delivered in February 1957, and used to dieselize “New York Trains” 1 & 2 on the Shenandoah Valley line and trains 11 & 12 on the line to Winston-Salem, N.C. In both cases those Geeps were replacing class K-2 streamlined 4-8-2s, not 4-8-4s. The 762-series engines arrived painted black with serifed steam-locomotive-style lettering.
And yes, the small combined fuel and water tanks under those locomotives proved inadequate. For the 506-521 series of passenger GP9s that arrived in October 1958, the N&W specified a larger fuel/water tank that required the air reservoirs to be installed longitudinally under the walkway decks on each side. These locomotives also introduced the metallic Tuscan Red “redbird” passenger paint scheme. They replaced the leased ACL and RF&P E units that had already replaced the Js.
The earlier passenger GP9s were soon rebuilt with the same tank and reservoir arrangement as the later series, and also repainted red and renumbered 500-505.
So long,
Andy
I am loosely modeling the Pocahantos Division of N&W. Any idea when that division last ran Class J’s for passenger service motive power?