Norfolk & Western Articulated Steam Locomotives in the 1940's-1950's
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ย. 2019
- Norfolk & Western articulated steam locomotives from the 1940's and 1950's.
See Class "A" locomotives with 2-6-6-4 wheel arrangements, and Class "Y" 2-8-8-2 working hard in and around Virginia. Norfolk & Western 1218 is one surviving Class A locomotives. The Norfolk & Western Railway built these locomotives around 1943 at their Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia. The locomotives were part of the Norfolk & Western's class A of fast freight locomotives. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Those N&W hooters have a certain amount of soul that not many whistles can claim to have.
The big boys had all the horsepower, but these Norfolk and western articulating steam monsters beat them with all there mighty traction effort, plus love these steam whistles, one very deep, the other a high pitch screech, -- love it!!!
I also love these engines because they were truly workhorses that you could push to their limits and get the job done and their whistle are amazing such a mournful sound
at 8:57, when the guy climbs up into the cab while its moving, you get a good picture of just how huge these things were.
A real memory for me, I grew up beside the N&W in the small community of Sprigg, (Mingo county) West Virginia, near the tunnels leading thru the mountain toward Matewan.... There were no diesel electric engines in those days, only the mighty steam engines. Back then coal was king and the marshaling yard in Williamson was always full... with loaded coal-cars to be transported east and west. The coal trains seemed to never end as they passed thru and there was always a Caboose at the very end. Yes indeed, that steam whistle had a special, and at times, a lonely sound, especially in the wee hours. Also witnessed more than one unfortunate person that died on the tracks, it is a sight you never want to see, and can never forget. These magnificent machines and the contribution of the men who dug the coal, worked and ran these railroads, is really what kept the lights on... and the country going then, and now. Appreciate the video, many thanks.
How I wish I could go back in time and see these scenes for myself!
You really missed out.
TH-cam is your time machine
This was real railroading, I was fortunate enough to be part of it.
The smells and tastes of great food back then people were more friendly life was good
@@OKFrax-ys2op TH-cam sux!!
The whistle is hauntingly beautiful!
It is haunting!!!
I once lived near the N&W line where it passes through the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. At the time I didn't appreciate how unique those huge engines were. They made an unmistakable roar that could be heard all over town when running past.
If it’s Shepherdstown I know that town very well because I live there
@@CameronRenaud I lived there from 1951 - 1958 on Washington Street. When trains were approaching from Sharpsburg you could hear the roar for miles if in the right place and when they hit that bridge over the Potomac it sounded like an explosion. I remember from fishing that area at night. Great memories.
Imagine seeing the country from you own personal caboose. The conductor probably had one of the best jobs in the world.
He did, unless he had problems with the train.
Been there, done that. Several years ago I was a telecommunications technician with Canadian National. Back in the mid 70s, when I was working in northern Ontario, I often rode freights, both in the engine and caboose. I recall one time when in the caboose at night, with the train in the middle of nowhere, watching the northern lights, from the cupola. It was totally dark, other than the light from the aurora and the stars.
BTW. seeing the guys in the video hopping on & off moving trains reminded me of when I did that. I'd arrange for a stop, which was usually very slow, as the engineer didn't want to stop the train if he didn't have to. However, if I had a lot of equipment with me, I'd ask for a full stop.
The 9 thumbs down are from diesel salesmen...
But some of the Locomotives works Like Lima or Alco and Baldwin made diesels and steam well aside from GE
what a class act railroad,,the last holdout for steam ! Can you imagine the skill it took to be an engineer on these giants? And how about the engine facilities keeping these baby's running like a railroad watch. REAL RAILROADING!! Past times,,good times,,love this,,thanks!
Roger, These were real Locomotive Engineers, when the engines were in the "Roundhouse" (live), someone had to watch them all the time.
@Иван Ангелов Sounds about right to me,,thanks for the reply!
These are the engineers who taught the engineers who are have retired over the past decade. My dad has told me many stories about the old men who taught him how to run.
Diesel has no life or soul. I've never liked them and yet I missed steam completely except for the occasional sighting or an excursion. A steam engine lives and breathes and speaks. Each one is unique.
Hey Lawrence, go to you tube and do (611 on wye at poe), think you will like this and anyone else.
I would preserve steam and diesel and I heard steam is making a comeback in the US and UK
@@anthonynigri4058 I love steam too but it wont make a comeback, they're just too inefficient and maintenance thirsty for widespread use again.
@@francoismurrell4604 One of the later articulating locomotives can generally do the work of two diesels and have much more torque. The Big Boy engine was rated for a little over 6000 horsepower. They can also burn wood in addition to oil like a diesel. Coal was almost outmoded even in the 40's. The efficiency is around 10% compared to around 45% for a diesel. But back in the day you needed 3-4 diesels to match Big Boy. At the end of the day, the maintenance cost for a single locomotive won out in the diesel's favor.
If you switched to a steam turbine engine like what you would find in a power plant, you would gain much more efficiency. Bonus points if you could use the heat from a nuclear device inside the boiler.
@@straightmaneatingpizza1665 even two diesels have less maintenance requirements than a big boy. From what I recall the maintenance costs and start up time were the two big factors which saw diesels preferred by railroad companies.
Sure a big boy has more torque, I won't debate that, but a diesel can be started in 10 minutes as opposed to 45, doesn't wear out as quickly, and can be chained up to other diesels with far fewer extra crew required. It's just how business works, I guess.
I'd love to see big boys hauling freight services regularly but once again the laws of economics have their say against it.
I watch this stuff for stress relief. Railway men were kind to me in Australia in the 60s.
When I went to University at a mature age, some of my fellow students asked what I did to relax. I said I watched videos of trains shunting. Most were N&W. It takes me back to childhhod when I spent after-school hours at the local railway yard in Toowoomba (Australia).
right about 9:15 to 9:25 where the whistles sound like they’re talking to each other, so cool 😎
Its a shame these beautiful steel beasts are no longer the rulers of the rails
Steam locomotives were romantic and fascinating to watch and to hear. That's why a growing number have been revived, for public entertainment.
But the Invisible Hand of the Marketplace will not be stayed. When the Diesel-Electric type became available in numbers, management quickly grasped that they would be less costly to operate, as Diesel technology permitted many long-term, good paying jobs to be abolished, no need for large quantities of fresh water, and treatment chemicals, water tanks, track pans, ash pits, coaling towers, on and on, and track depletion is reduced. Then there's the liability issues, such as the occasional BLEVE...
So, if you ask railroad management today if they'd like to have a fleet of steam locos, the answer won't be no, it'll be Hell, No!
@Arch Stanton Not every difference of opinion is a difference of principle, nor indicative of the person's merit.
It’s because of that darn diesel in its efficiency and way less maintenance than the steamers brought the death about
Another major factor in the demise of the steam loco was the apathy of the railroad industry due to lack of competition for decades, so steam power grew larger with the passing of time but only small design advances, such as superheaters, were implemented. No effort was made to develop a rotary or orbital positive-displacement expander nor a practical condenser, consequently when strong competitors appeared in the post-war era, the steam locomotive was not ready for them.
If only we had a running y6a or b
I can remember that each of those engineers had their own special ways of blowing those Hooters they called em back then and you could always tell who's train was coming thru...
All those (Hoggies) had their own style.
Ain't it a beauty, those Norfolk & Western Articulated Mallet's
indeed! N&W is a personal favorite railroad, very noble for using steam until the late 60s
@@Sano_Kiyoshiro Actually N&W retired their steam engines by 1961.
@@SteamKing2160 oops my bad, thanks for the correction
@@Sano_Kiyoshiro No prob
@@Sano_Kiyoshiro Not the late 60's, few were running in 1960.
What I like is that people took the trouble (and had the foresight) to film what must have seemed at the time like everyday mundane tasks of moving coal (which accounted for 30% of all the freight moved in the U.S.). And colour movie film wasn't cheap, to buy or to develop so there must have been some real motivation to document it. Company public affairs departments perhaps? Nick Morant made many wonderful photographs for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a staff photographer from the late steam to early diesel era and took great pains to go to difficult-to-access locations in the wilderness, sometimes living with his wife in a caboose on a siding to deliver on a particular assignment. But this film is charming for its everyday vibe, as if the photographer knew that someday we would all like to see what was: technology putting on its overalls and going to work.
(Speaking of overalls, one of Morant's photos he took in a steam cab over the shoulder of the engineer, rejected by CPR's editors because his overalls sported a large contrasting patch right in the middle of the photo!)
An uncle of mine used to watch the early ones coming and going out the mine areas in Virginia. He told me stories about them, and I can't believe how lucky I was to get to ride behind N&W 1218 as a teenager. So sad that she'll unlikely run again
What an excellent and enjoyable display of articulated type steam locomotives, the N&W rr had a very impressive roster of steam power and their "articulated" steam engines were high quality performers. It is enjoyable to view these N&W locomotives hauling coal trains through the rugged mountain territory of the states of Virginia and West Virginia during the final stage of the steam era.
The N&W trains ran behind our house in Kenova , West Virginia when I was a kid. I'm 74 now. Thanks for posting this !
2-6-6-4 1218 was brought back to life with such fanfare, costing multiple thousands, sometimes using parts that had to be machined from scratch - because they just don't exist any more, no engines to borrow them from ; then put in excursion service all over NS, sadly to be returned to a static exhibit after NS pulled the plug on it and the J- class 611.
None better for steam! Love those distinctive baritone whistles, especially when they echo off the mountainsides. The consists with pushers are a double layer cake treat. Glad you made this available.
Those were certainly not baritones (low pitch)--more like sopranos (high pitch).
@@Greatdome99 Those high-pitch "squeals" were occasional extras. The main whistles on the Y class were distinctly broad and deep-toned.
@@Greatdome99 are the Class J northers here.
@@Greatdome99 Nah nah, sopranos would be a PRR freight whistle. N&W's standard hooters were deep enough, by single-chime standards, to be baritone. Tenor at highest
Love the high- pitch ear piercing secondary steam whistle!!!-- in that mountain valley you probably could hear that whistle for miles, THANKS for this great and powerful video of the sheer brute strength of steam locomotives!!!
I remember back in the late 50s in Canton Ohio we lived on a dead end street and at the end the street there was a scrap yard and when the steam LOCOMOTIVES were bring replaced by Diesel this is where they brought them to be scrapped it was so sad to see this as they were parked on a side rail and waited their turn. They were beautiful beast of engineering so sad. A thank you to the preservation of some of these LOCOMOTIVES.
This wonderful video should be digitally remastered. Thanks for presentation , from Germany
Can you imagine seeing this in 4k ^^
Fuck that, can you imagine actually BEING THERE???
Such wonderful film clips of classic N&W articulated steam in it's daily habitat and use. I love seeing those big locomotives on local mine runs, shoving the caboose ahead of the train! Great historical stuff thanks for sharing!
Look how clean the cars are. No hideous taggings all over them.
back when Americans were educated, clean and moral, isn’t it sad what’s happened to our civilization?
@@clinthowe7629 It is indeed.
@@clinthowe7629you mean when gay people and African Americans were oppressed and segregated, and women were still treated like 2nd class citizen? Yeah, that shit was cool 🙄🙄. You fucking boomers I swear…
You caught that empty barrel sound perfectly in the start. I lived in an area where those "helpers" would sit in the cornfield before the grade waiting for a big drag to come through around Blue Ridge, VA. Love them and the old cars too.
Just showed this to my papaw that grew up in the Appalachian Region , He remembers all these sorts of trains passing his childhood home...
Nice. I would've liked to see more of the three engine lash-up. In some ways, I was fortunate enough to be born and grow up when steam was still in use. I grew up in a small burg that had an SP bustling yard and the MoP crossed through the interlock at the north end of town where the long gone but saved and moved depot once stood. I saw two engine lash-ups, but three is something. In those days, there was no such thing as graffiti and you could see the rolling stock from all the existing railroads of the day. That was another world.
Did you get to see any of the cab forwards? My favorite steam engine
Love that whistle.
Really interesting to see tender-first operations on these big locomotives, especially at speed.
One of the best railroad videos I have had the privilege of seeing. Thank you and God bless.
Caught myself waving to the computer screen....whew!!
When steam was still king and a caboose meant something.
Thank you for preserving our historical heritage.
My Dad began as a mechanic (apprentice at first) for the Nickle Plate Railroad in the 50's. He worked on Steam Locomotives and was assigned to a certain Engine. In the 60's diesel engines began their appearance and he became a diesel mechanic, by this time a mechanic was no longer assigned to a certain engine. I used to know the # steam engine that he repaired, but that was so many years ago. (What comes to mind is 168) Later the Nickle Plate Railroad became The Nortfolk and Western, today it is called the Northfolk and Southern. ( I think there was also another Rail Company in this mix. ) The last system I think NF & S bought out was Amtrack when it was going under in the 80's.
I hate to be a correctionist, but the NKP didn’t become Norfolk and Western. Instead, N&W bought the Nickel Plate Road. it’s not Northfolk and southern, it’s Norfolk Southern, reporting mark NS. Finally, NS never bought Amtrak, as Amtrak is government owned and operated. The last railroad NS bought out was a portion of Conrail.
I did not know the Z class had a higher pitched hooter! Shame they get overshadowed by the A class
Now THAT's how you roll coal.
There is something soothing when watching these massive locos at work
Part of me wishes I grew up in this era even though I was born in the 2000s. I know there were problems back then too but it seemed like a simpler time. My family is from the mountains in VA
You can tell which ones are the Y6s by looking at the front set of cylinders, as the Y6 was a compound mallet meaning the smaller(high pressure) rear cylinders exhausted steam into the larger(low pressure) front cylinders.
Edit: In addition to the Y6s and the As this footage also depicts a couple of Z class 2-6-6-2s, those can be identified by the different style of tender, skinnier boiler, and taller smokestack.
Depth of the firebox is the fast way to distinguish an A as well.
And from the front. The Y' s had a rugged front, while A' s had a relatively smooth front .
That hooter whistle kinda gives the chills, yet it's so calling, calling of a different time, a time where steam was the dominant motive power for railroads and people we're so sure they couldn't be replaced. However, progress has it's pros and it's cons. Out with the old, in with the new. But we'll never forget these times, as they were not only times of steam showing off they're true power, but working hard to push their country to victory during some of the harshest times in history, war.
Good Show, Zxel
I'm a model railroader I have 'O' gauge trains, 99% of the engines on my layout are steam engines.I'm 70 years old steam went out around the time I was born 1953 this is one way I could capture it.
I love those whistles and how they echo through those valleys. I just bought a Lionel Legacy Y3 #376 in Pennsylvania livery if you can call it that. It just has the red Pennsy Keystone on the front with the gold numbers on it and on the cab sides and Pennsylvania written across the tender. It looks really nice and I'm a big fan of the big articulated steam locomotives.
It's no wonder O Winston Link spent so much time photographing the N&W Locomotoves and the men who made them go. The cold clinical diesel locomotive and it's air horn have no charm or character at all. Steam locomotives and their whistles, each with it's engineers own personal style of operation are magnificent living breathing machines worthy of admiration.
Great video. Shows when this country was at the top of the world, America's great industrial might. I loved listening to my dear grandparents telling me stories about these magnificent machines, when they were growing up in West Virginia. Both the N&W and C&O.,as well as the B&O. My great aunt stepped out of a store in Logan county West Virginia, where the tracks ran right between the buildings and had her right ear,and part of her hand tore off by one of these monsters. Luckily she lived to tell the story.
Amen Ryan. Make America great again. means so much more than the simpletons think it does.
Outstanding collection of vintage footage 👍
5:21 imagine you’re in the woods late at night and hear that scream in the distance
Yeah that would scary or funny
This is a fantastic video! Love hearing those steam engine whistles!
Many of those videos were in and around the Williamson, West Virginia yard. We lived right beside the tracks and my dad retired from there.
a friend of mine from Parkersburg called it West (by God) Virginia. 😁
This is great! Thanks so much for this compilation. I love the articulated engines.😊
Thanks!!-- what a great show seeing all those powerhouse steam engines working so hard!!!
Those engines were living breathing machines and the men that ran them knew everything about them
Love the deep manly steam whistle and the feminine high - pitch screech steam whistle working alongside each other, these locomotive's were all business and very rugged and industrial at work, thank you very much!!!
I can feel the ground shakes! Love N&W. Thx 4 posting.
Thanks for the video so many great memories of these beautiful beasts.
@ 21:51-22:21 was the best for me, running in reverse at speed. Now that is some very rare footage! I don't think any model railroader has ever engaged this practice.
Question for all of you N&W experts out there, @24:18-24:31 there is a large amount of steam being exhausted from the rear of the tender, but the pop-valve is clearly open on the steam engine, so what is the cause of this? I have never seen attributes like this on any other steam locomotive tenders.
Another unique rare view is at 29:17-29:25 with the locomotive pushing the caboose ahead of the train. I assume it is going up a branch line to drop off some cars at a mine and use a single run around siding in order to put the caboose behind the locomotive for the return trip to the main line.
Another bonus was seeing multiple examples of the extra water tenders being used.
I think the 2 most important takeaways from this video is #1 it had sound!, #2 it was in color which was very expensive in those days.
I am a big fan of Eastern coal hauling railroads as that is what I grew up seeing all the time.
Great video! Thank You for posting it and thank God we have the video evidence.
My last statement is for all the N&W fans out there, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe I read at some point in my life that the N&W was the last major Class-1 road to retire it's entire fleet of steam locomotives.
I wish I knew more about my great grandfathers rail road career. Brakeman out of Portland oregon and he retired about 1952. No idea what equipment he worked on or his route. He passed away some years before my birth. By the time I became aware of all I didnt know those who knew we also gone.🥺
Awesome train video. Thanks for sharing. Their power and beauty are phenomenal! ❤️
This is magical.Colored film and ASMR.Thank you!
Love that they have cabooses in all their freight trains. I know it was the norm back then but it's just neat to see
Magnificant machines! It's probably better, certainly cleaner, that they're gone.
There was neither background audio nor narration needed. Thank you for leaving both out.
I knew a fellow, Dick Hammond, who was a fireman on these engines at the end of steam. I think he worked from 1955-1965 including some time in diesels in West Virginia. I took over his job as an architect's inspector in 1981 here in Kentucky when he retired.
To be able to witness this in person.
Interesting/informative /entertaining. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better appreciate the steam locomotives 🚂🚂 traveling thru the towns/country sides. Remember Jimmie Rogers the " Singing Break Men "-???. Whom was a genuine break men till changing careers for a singing entertainer 🎸🎶 (1926 thru 1933 ). Most memorable song " Break Man's Blues 😭 ". Viewing this presentation from the comfort zone of my computer room. Along the " Space Coast " 🚀of Florida 🐊🐊. Had the good fortune to travel on 2 steam locomotives 🚂. Smoky Mountains R.R. Bryson City N.C./Durango Silverton Colorado scenic train rides. Wishing viewers/R.R. employees a safe/healthy/and ( 2024 ). 🌈🎉😉.
That sounds amazing I wish I lived in the 18-19 would of love it
This showed the real life applications for the Y and the J...and the need for helpers at times...
Hey Dennis, Needed helpers when they came over the Blue Ridge, when The Virginian was taken over, they used this track and did not have to go over the Ridge. (around roanoke)
In the dictionary if you look up any of the words "tremendous, immense, intimidating, or unyielding" there should be a picture of one of these beautiful ladies
boy i like this, two tone whistles, excellent! thank you.
WOW! How fortunate to have this much 'color' film of the steam era. This should drive the N&W fans wild. Rightfully so - it is a VERY good documentation of steam operations towards the end. Thanks for sharing an excellent video!
Lots of work in this video...Nicely done !
Top of the line camera equipment & great work.
21:55 that’s look dangerous going backwards at that speed with a load...
That's the first time I've ever seen that. The engineer must have had a Rubberneck !😂
The Y6's are either among my favorite or are my favorite steam locomotives. It's a shame only Y6A #2156 survives. I wonder if they could do what the T1 project is doing and build a 'new' Y6B from the old blue prints, even making improvements in the design?
What would it be called? Would it be a Y6C or a Y6B-2?
22:10. Wig Wag crossing signal. Used to be a set of those in Piketon Ohio at Zahns Corner Road. Can remember them from trips with my parents
What a great film.I love that deep whistle.
Wow!!!-- those old Hugh steamers huffed and puffed up those allegiances like fire breathing dragon's!!!-- love it!!!, Thank you very much!!!
Wouldn't it be awesome to go to work everyday on a steam powered locomotive?
Hell yeah it would!
I was given the opportunity to do fireman duty on a Shay locomotive many years ago. One of the coolest things I've done. After three hours of shoveling coal, monitoring the fire and water levels, I was totally exhausted and filthy. I'd do it again in a heartbeat but don't know that I'd want to do it every day.
@@paulhare662
A fireman expended a lot of energy.
Sure - if black lung disease is your kinda thing. Its cool to watch - but im sure the steam/coal workers of yester years were happy to see diesel loco's arrive.
@@miguelborromeo6010
Not necessarily. There were a lot of workers who lost there job when railroads switched to diesels. There jobs were to support and maintain the steam locomotives. So it was a win lose situation with dieselization.
The size of the front cylinders on those Y-class compound articulated locomotives are MASSIVE!
This is one of the very best train videos I've seen. 👍
In a single word..................Excellent!
Thanks fantastic, what a great show, Geoff,U.K
3:58 three articulated locos on the headend of 1 train? I can't imagine how careful you'd have to be to not rip the train into pieces...
Ask the B&O what happens when you get lazy and put three big EM=1's on the head end instead off putting the helpers on the rear on a steep, curvy branch line. They tried their luck with it around the Swine Creek curves in the 50's. Once.
@@Chango_Malo LOL The 3 EM-1s pulled a hopper car in half on that run. Not the coupler out, they tore a car in half.
Truly a great show
How wonderful it would have been to see these
Hey Ray, Worked with James and Richard Butcher from Elkins,W.Va. (any relation)_?
24:20, looks like a hot rodder doing a burnout. I'm guessing it's brake smoke? Simply beautiful film collection, thanks for putting it together.
I think it's steam coming from the breaks being applied
Thanks for sharing!
What a fantastic locomotive . Such power and strength.they make you dream.
Thank God we have the vidios to enjoy!
Thank you for posting this. First time seeing this one. Do you have any of the 2-6-6-6 articulated, normally referred to as the Allegheny Class? Thanks again. Enjoyed every minute!
13:20 and 14:35 I miss the enourmous sound of the boiler prevention ventiles, when too much steam pressure opened it. - I did set down the video speed to 0,75x, that seems me is more real. Thanks from Gmy!
Love these N&W locomotives! Plus the trains and cabooses!
Amazing video. Wish that railroads would return to stuff like this.
Thats because they would then be using fuel thats not supplied by big oil, they don't want that lol... 🤪
Any machine that isn't efficient with mainstream energy is cast out, due to such. Ugh... what a world we live in.
Man I wish all of n & w is still is with us today
Love that high- pitch whistle!!!
I never imagined these running backwards at speed!
NICE TO WATCH SOMETHING WORK HARDER THAN ME
Go sailing -- the wind does the work.
@@b43xoit sorry steams more fun
Great video