Railroad Forums 

  • The Ghost Engines of Roanoke

  • Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).
Discussion related to the Norfolk & Western, up to 1982. Also includes discussion of the Virginian Railway (1959); Wabash; Nickel Plate; Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway; Akron, Canton & Youngstown Raiload (all 1964); and the Illinois Terminal (1981).

 #522513  by Alloy
 
Thanks for these photos. That is really something--I would not expect to see rusting steam engines in a lot after all these years.

 #523185  by theyardmaster
 
Hey! its my pleasure ^^ I had to get pictures for the Museums records, and had to take photos


And yes, if anyone asks, all these engines had everything harmful removed (Asbestos, ect.)
 #554066  by afboone
 
Great news!!!!!!! 917 has been moved and on its way to Ohio for display in front of a restaurant. One down and 4 to go!!
 #554081  by 3rdrail
 
What an amazing find ! Where these relatively unknown for all these years ? How were they discovered ?
 #554302  by afboone
 
The locomotives have been know since the 1950s. The owner of the scrap yard wouldn't sell them. Now the place is closed down and the new owner is looking for homes for the engines. There is a website out there. See the link below.

http://lostengines.railfan.net/
 #556043  by dinwitty
 
a fundraiser is started to help get the engines moved. Visit the Western Virginia Railroad Preservation Society seen in links on the above site.

The group would have started fundraising for the effort years ago but were sidetracked since promised for the VMT, but VMT couldnt raise funds to do so.
 #593916  by BR&P
 
Yesterday I came up I-71 in Ohio and the one which has been saved is easily visible, along with a baggage car and a former B&O caboose. I about drove off the road seeing they have made a "tender" from a pushcart - it looks like an O gauge loco with a N gauge tender - with only 4 wheels no less. But that's still 100% better than getting cut up for scrap so overall it's got a better home than where it's been the last 45 years or so..
 #612429  by Drawhead
 
BR&P, Your not the only one who about drove off I-71 when seeing that mini 4 wheel tender coupled to N&W 917 there at the Bellville Ohio exit.Yes it's 100% better seeing the #917 there than getting cut up at the Va. scrapyard.But for some reason and maybe i'm not the only one? If you can afford the expense of moving a engine that far by highway wich from what i undersand was a pretty expensive move,and then plan on making a RR theme restaurant at that new location,why not spend a little more money and try and make things look a bit more realistic! The baggage car coupled to the new train set used to sit across the West side of I-71 there behind a business and never had trucks under it and sat up on concrete supports.I had once heard it was a ex NYC car.When it was moved to it's new display track regular freight car trucks were put under it.I'm not sure where the steel Northeastern design caboose came from or it's origin,it's deffinately not a LV cab,maybe a Reading or WM,i don't know? There used to be a old wood B&O caboose next door by the motel up on the hillside that sat there for ages but that disappeared several years ago and i heard it was moved up near the Cleveland area.

Anyhow i'm really curious as to what will transpire there with the RR theme restaurant? I'm not trying to knock or be to critical of the new owner as maybe he doesn't know much about RR equipment? Surely it wouldn't take much to make a somewhat more accurate size tender model for the #917 by using some old freight car trucks and sheet steel than instead of using pushcart wheels on the current mini 4 wheel version.Have you seen the close up pictures of the #917? Check out the bell,its one of those wide bottomed schoolhouse/farm type bells painted gold.Even a cast steel diesel bell painted gold would look better! I guess one can do what they like when they own something, but some changes could sure do wonders! I recently heard that NS may be cutting up two old cars at their Lorain Fairlane yard.Both i think are of PRR origin.I know one is a baggage car and the other may be a coach,or maybe both are baggage cars? It's been years since i've seen them and there not in the best shape.They both have friction bearing wheelsets and can't be moved by rail.They've been shoved back in the yard out of sight for years.There was also a old 40ft.NYC box car there that was cut up for scrap a few months back.To bad this guy at Bellville can't get these old cars and truck them there for his restaurant.With scrap prices way down they probably wouldn't cost much.He could scrap the worst one there,keep the trucks off it for his baggage car at Bellville that has those incorrect freight car trucks and use those for making a more scale tender for the #917,then move the other car from Lorain to Bellville for display wich isn't near as far as Va.to Ohio!
 #618072  by BR&P
 
I did not get off the Interstate to get a closer look. I assumed the caboose was the same B&O wooden one, and while I could see, even at a distance, that it no longer looked like a "proper" B&O I put that down to the owner making modifications. So it's an entirely different caboose? I'll have to take a closer look next time by there.

Drawhead's suggestions about the baggage car trucks are good ones - maybe somebody can contact the owner as he likely does not know of their availability. As for the "tender" - it's nothing that can't be replaced with a more accurate one in the future, and even if that does not happen, at least the loco itself did not become a Kia or Prius.