N&W Y-6s on Raitt Hill
I obtained these black-and-white prints from Bob Harvey many years ago. Bob and Mary, his wife, lived in Kingsport TN, where Bob worked for Tennessee Eastman, the huge chemical plant then owned by Eastman Kodak. Bob hailed from Logan County WV, and he and Mary made frequent trips "back home" to visit his family. N&W's Weller Yard and Buchanan County were on the way. The Buchanan Branch was one of the last holdouts for steam on the N&W, and the pufferbillies were practically extinct in the rest of our country. Having followed steam excursions and diesels up "Raitt Hill", let us try to imagine the show that Bob witnessed on June 6, 1959. Thanks, Bob, for recording this for us to enjoy those many years later!
1. Mallets 2200-2147 move down the main line of the Buchanan Branch to serve as pushers for the coal train on the left. The bunk house is in the background. The symmetry of the hoppers and the coal would make this a company photographer's dream!
2. No. 2200 was the last Y-6b when it was built in 1952 by the Roanoke shop. No. 2147 was a Y-6 built in 1942.
3. The head end is in Raitt Tunnel. The engineer is in his T-shirt, as it is very hot in the cab. They will cut off on the downhill slope and let the caboose couple to the train.
4. The sidings serve a coal tipple. The pusher will return to Weller. The "big pusher" now consists of three 6-axel AC units.
5. USGS Grundy quad for 1963, 1:24,000 scale, depicting the area around Raitt Tunnel.
6. Pocahontas Div., Buchanan Branch track chart P-81 for 1976.
7. Sheet P-82.
8. Sheet P-83.
9. Sheet P-84.
10. Pocahontas Div. employee timetable #6, effective 04-25-1954. The mixed train had been discontinued by this date, I think.
11. Tonnage ratings for steam. No diesels yet!
12. N&W List of Stations and Sidings effective 12-1-64 for a portion of the Buchanan Branch.
All for now.
Train images used by permission of Everett N Young