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Table of Contents The History of the Norfolk and Western J-Class #611 ................................................................. Page 1 The TII Railroad: A Shortline Never Forgotten ................................................................................. Page 5 The History of the Disneyland Railroad ....................................................................................... Page 7 Water Level Sprinters vs. Greenbriers in the Heart of the Appalachia .................................... Page 11 Railfanning on Location: Russell, Kentucky .............................................................................. Page 12 Weathering Train Cars and Engines .......................................................................................... Page 13 How my 8x16 Foot Layout Was Born (An EXCLUSIVE Bonus Article) .................................... Page 14 Photo Corner ................................................................................................................................. Page 15

Water Level Sprinters vs. Greenbriers in the Heart of the Appalachia For my second steam locomotive comparison, I will be comparing two fine examples of 4-8-4s: the Niagaras of the New York Central (NYC) and the Greenbriers of the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O). Both engines were built for passenger service and were used on crack passenger trains until replaced by diesels in the 1950s, and had similar performance comparisons. First up are the Niagaras. The New York Central purchased their handsome 4-8-4s from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1945, first ordering a single engine, designated an S1a by the Central. They were impressed with their performance and soon ordered more with 24 being produced in the same year as part of the S1b class. Since both classes of engines had similar specifications, I will focus on the S1b. The Niagaras were built for fast passenger trains on primarily lat lands. The locomotives weighed 808,000 pounds, had a maximum boiler pressure of 275 PSI, and 75” drivers; they produced about 61,000 to 63,000 pounds of tractive e fort. The tenders had a maximum load of 46 tons of coal and 18,000 gallons of water, and had special scoops that could pick up water as the train was traveling, eliminating the need for water stops. None of the Niagaras were saved for preservation. Moving on to the Greenbriers, the J3a class engines were built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1948 for the C&O. They were built to be one of the most modern engines Lima had at the time; in fact, they were some of the most modern steam engines ever built. Built for passenger trains but later demoted to freight service, the Greenbriers (named for the famous hotel in White Sulphur 11

Walker Wood

Springs, West Virginia) were not all that di ferent from the Niagaras. Weighing about 868,000 pounds, the Greenbriers rode on 74” drivers and had a maximum boiler pressure of 255 PSI. They had about 66,000 pounds of tractive e fort, somewhat more than the Niagaras. The Greenbriers’ tenders had a maximum of 25 tons of coal and 21,500 gallons of water, and they did require water stops, unlike the Niagaras. One Greenbrier survives today, engine #614. It is on display in Cli ton Forge, Virginia. Despite their di ferences, the two engines do have some similarities. Both were built for passenger service, had a similar amount of tractive e fort, and they had similar top speeds. The engines were similarly sized in terms of weight, although the Greenbriers were about 30 tons heavier. Overall, my winner is the C&O Greenbrier. Although it is heavier, the Greenbriers would be more capable for excursion service than the Niagaras because of the higher tractive e fort from the Greenbriers and because of the lack of need of a water scoop.

Railfanning on Location: Russell, Kentucky

Walker Wood

In the second edition of Railfanning on Location, we will be looking at one of my favorite places: Russell, Kentucky. Russell is home to a yard that was once one of the largest rail yards in the world. It’s located on the old C&O mainline, with the Cincinnati and Northern Subdivisions going west towards Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio respectively. On the other side, the Russell Terminal Subdivision connects with the Kanawha Subdivision that runs from the end of the Russell Terminal Sub to Montgomery, West Virginia. The Kanawha Sub also connects with the Big Sandy Subdivision that runs down to Elkhorn City, Kentucky. These lines are part of the C&O Business Unit, so they use the same Hxxx series symbol for locals. With that background information aside, Russell doesn’t see too many trains, but they do see a good amount granted that many of the lines were built primarily for hauling coal. There are eight mixed freights that run in and out of the yard most days, with the exception being train numbers Q302 and Q303. Those two trains run three days a week. A few unit trains, mostly coal and grain, will make appearances as they pass through the yard, usually going east with empties or west with loads. Grain trains are relatively sporadic, but they increase in frequency during winter and spring. Amtrak’s Cardinal runs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays both eastbound and westbound. The eastbound train runs early in the morning, while the westbound counterpart runs sometime around 10:30-11:00pm EST. There aren’t too many places to watch trains in the area, but one spot where the yard tra ﬁc can be seen well is RU Cabin and the Russell Train Station. I’ve been lucky to see yard jobs there before. There are overpasses and

crossings in the area. Overpasses o fer a visual warning as to when trains are coming. Grade crossings usually o fer both an audio warning and a visual warning as to when trains are approaching. NJ Cabin, west of Russell, is also a good spot as this is where the Northern Sub splits from the Cincinnati Sub. Another spot to watch trains is over the impressive Sciotoville Bridge, also called the Limeville Bridge. This bridge carries the CSX Northern Subdivision over the Ohio River and the Norfolk Southern Kenova District on the Ohio side. One may get lucky and witness a CSX and NS train meet here. More on the NS will be covered in a future article. Overall, Russell is a decent area to railfan. It has several lines running out of the yard located in town. It can be challenging to ﬁnd a good spot to photograph trains; however, with some searching on Google Maps and other websites similar, you shouldn’t have much trouble ﬁnding a spot you like. Although the lines running out of the yard may not see a whole lot of action, the ends of the yard can provide more action concentrated in one area. I hope you enjoyed my second Railfanning on Location article!