Friday, July 10, 2015

Let's go back in time to when powerful steam engines pulled tons and tons of coal:

Norfolk and Western Class A Steam Locomotive #1218

CLASS A DESCRIPTION

Manufacturer: Norfolk & Western
Production era: 1930s - 1950s.
Designed for power and low maintenance
43 produced
Pulled freight and coal trains for the N&W between 1936 and 1959
During World War II, the Class A's were used to move troops and equipment for the military.
Speed: Up to 70 mph
Regularly pulled 190 loaded coal cars (17,000 tons) between Williamson, WV and Portsmouth, OH and 200 cars (18,000 tons) between Crewe and Norfolk

Built for the N&W and began service on June 2, 1943
Cost: $163,872
Constructed in just over 2 weeks, breaking all N&W Shop records
Pulled coal trains between Roanoke and Norfolk (252 miles).
Retired in July, 1959.
The 1218 was one of three (1202, 1230) sold in July, 1959 to Union Carbide at Charleston, W. Va. to serve as oil-fired stationary boilers.
In 1963, it was sold to Nelson Blount and moved to Bellows Falls, Vermont to be displayed at Blount's Steamtown exhibit.
In 1969, it was obtained for the Museum and moved to Roanoke, given a cosmetic overhaul and displayed at the old museum in Wasena Park.
In 1985, it was taken out of the park and moved to Birmingham for restoration and excursion service, an overhaul which took two years.
Retired from excursion service in 1994
Featured in Vanity Fair magazine and photographs in the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke
Moved to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 2003 ****
The 1218 is the last remaining Class A