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N&W Y6a #2156 (2-8-8-2) headed to Roanoke, Virginia!


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Hot off the press... the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, MO has just announced that the N&W 2156 will be leaving and headed to Roanoke for 4months to 5 years.  Where that engine currently is located will take some effort to get out and that is no short haul.  This has to be for evaluation for eventual restoration.  Perhaps there are other possible reasons but it's hard to see why else they would go through this much effort to relocate it.  This could be outstanding news!  I guess Norfolk Southern won't be outdone with a 4000 running the rails in the west.  Pray that we see the 2156 restored to operation.

 

Here is some Y6 action at it's finest:

 

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Ray, the video reminded me from my childhood.  we lived near the Erie RR.  when my mother would hear or feel the train coming she should shut the windows to keep the soot from coming in the house and making everything dirty.   Sometimes the clothes on the line needed to be washed again depending on the wind.    

   Fond memories for me, but not so great for her I'm sure.    

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  • 4 months later...
 
  • 4 months later...

Wow if this happens, when I visit the US, I will have to go to Pennsylvania and to Roanoke. I really like the Norfolk and Western. I remember on a few greyhound bus trips to the south way back in the early seventies (When as a student I couldn' afford Amtrack or the Crescent) going through Roanoke in the night and seeing that huge red sign in the roof tops: Roanoke Shops of the N & W railroad. While the bus would cross over the passenger station and junction. When I decided to go US modeling again in gauge one it was a 50% tie between modeling Pennsy or N & W. But I had known the pennsy better especially the GG1 and at the time in 2009, there was no gauge one N &W equipment around except for Fine arts models - Too expensive for me...

I wish they would put one of those Y6b back in service, just for Chapelon and Anatole Mallets sake, It was one of the last classes of compound locos in the US. Here in France we had thousands of them. I have fond memories of those Greyhound trips though, in particular of going through Southern towns and cities in the midle of the night and hearing the five chime Leslies of trains howling in the night as they went trough the many crossings. For a French railfan what an exotic railroad lore. Then when we would reach one of those crossings, I remember seeing those Mars lights, once we had crossed over to the other side of the Mississippi. I wouldn't be surprised that if they did a tug of war between a Y6b and a big boy that it could be the Mallet that would carry away the big boy. The big boy is a great engine, don't get me wrong, but I think they get to much publicity. As if the other  articulateds didn't exist. what about the DM&IR ones, the Northern Pacific ones, the B&O ones, the Virginian ones and so on...

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Not yet as those in the know are coordinating it's move with some photographers that want to re-capture the O. Winston Link style of night photography with 2156 :)  

 

You know this style....

 

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My first job was with Norfolk Southern based in Roanoke.  I had a lot of time in the Roanoke Car Shops during my brief time there, but I gained an appreciation for the N&W that stays with me to this day.  We often ride the Strasburg Rail Road and now that ex N&W 475 is carrying the LIRR G-5's 3 chime Pennsy whistle, it is becoming one of our favorite locomotives.  Sorry, that hooter whistle is not a pretty sound from 10 feet away in an open car!

 

Even if all they do is cosmetic restoration, having the three classes together in one spot will make for an excellent display: the J, the A and a Y.

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  • 1 month later...
 

Supposed to be under way about now leaving St. Louis. I wonder why Trains.com isn't covering this? I guess moving the only remaining Y6a isn't as worthy as moving 4014 :o  

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I'm sure glad folks are covering this historic move as Trains sure ain't doing squat about it!

 

Here's 2156 is being setup for a photo shoot by the NS photographer somewhere in Ohio.

 

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:D

 

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