C&NW Metal Plaques Exclusively for the C&NWHS
Copied from dining car menus, travel brochures, or adver- tisements. Decorate your office, train room, or garage. Sizes slightly vary — most 8 x 10.
C&NWHS P.O. Box 1068
North Riverside, IL 60546
$12.99 Each (Plus $5.00 Shipping)
Order online at
www.cnwhs.org Illinois Residents Please Add 8.5% Sales Tax
NEWS AND OTHER STUFF WE THOUGHT OF The End of the True Norfolk & Western?
www.trainsshipsplanes.com
Realizing that Norfolk & Western No. 611 might be making its last runs past classic N&W signals.
ABOVE: Norfolk & Western color position light signals protect the crossovers at Webster, Va., as an eastbound train climbs towards the summit at Blue Ridge in the rain on July 3, 2015. BELOW: Norfolk Southern C40-9W heads up Christiansburg Hill west of Roanoke, splitting the CPL signals at Arthur on July 4. Replacement signals can be seen in the background. PHOTOS BY STEVE BARRY
PERHAPS NO RAILROAD IN THE EAST has as much historic personality as the former Norfolk & Western, especially on its lines through Virginia and West Virginia. To a great extent, it’s the railroad that time forgot. Black diesels still haul black diamonds over the mountains, and the distinctive N&W color position light (CPL) signals still guard the line. Alas, the nationwide implementation
of Positive Train Control means that many of the old signal systems used by various railroads across the U.S. need to be replaced; many railroads had their own unique systems, ranging from the famed
Pennsylvania Railroad amber position lights to the Santa Fe’s searchlights, and in the age of mega-mergers these signals remained one of the few reminders of the heritage of the lines. The N&W’s CPLs are no exception, and the last few years have seen them fall at an alarming rate, replaced by generic three-light hooded signals. Norfolk & Western J-Class No. 611’s
return to Roanoke (page 38) came just in time for the famed steam locomotive to make one final romp on its home turf past the familiar signals. Unless it runs this fall, there’s a good chance that no CPLs will be left
The Circus Moves by Rail
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