What is more inspiring than a train?
And what machine is more beautiful in operation than a steam engine?
A powerful locomotive is symbolic of travel, freedom, and adventure.
One of the most famous passenger trains to run through our area was
added to the Norfolk & Western lines on November 21, 1926. It was
named the “Pocahontas” (or “Pokey” for short). It was
railroad's primary nighttime run between Norfolk, Virginia, and
Cincinnati, Ohio, replacing an earlier named train called the
Norfolk-Chicago Express. Untrue to its lethargic nickname, the fleet
train earned a coveted place in locomotive lore.
The N&W promoted the Pokey as "…
a new fast train connecting the Midwest with the Carolinas and the
Atlantic Coast." Railroad enthusiasts still speak of “the
bullet nose, modern lines, colorful red color, graceful curves and
baritone whistle” that combined with “unbridled power” made the
Class J engine the iconic symbol of modern steam locomotives. The
Pocahontas ran from November 1926 until May 1971.
Westbound Train 3 left Norfolk at 2:40
p.m. and arrived at Cincinnati at 7:35 a.m., while the eastbound
Train 4 left Cincinnati at 11:25 p.m. and arrived back at Norfolk at
5:10 p.m. A connection was made in Portsmouth, Ohio, with the
Columbus District passenger trains 33 and 34..
The Pocahontas carried two 10-roomette-6-double-bedroom sleeping cars
from Norfolk to Cincinnati, one of which went through to Chicago on
train 71 of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It also handled a
Winston-Salem to Columbus 10-6 sleeping car that was carried in train
12 from Winston-Salem to Roanoke, train 3 from Roanoke to Portsmouth,
and train 33 from Portsmouth to Columbus. All those trains had
counterparts operating in the opposite directions.
The early version of the Pocahontas
offered relatively familiar amenities of the day such as the
aforementioned sleepers, diners (which offered classic Southern fried
cooking), parlors, and standard coach service. As an added touch the
rear heavyweight observation featured a brass railing with its rear
porch overhang. Finally, through Pullman service, passengers had the
option of reaching such far away destinations as Chicago, Cleveland,
and Detroit (before the N&W came to serve these cities directly
in later years by acquiring such roads as the Wabash and the Nickel
Plate).
While the Norfolk & Western's
Pocahontas was not initially a streamlined operation, it nonetheless
operated alongside the railroad's flagship run, the Powhatan Arrow.
The N&W maintained the Native American theme. The N&W called
its trains the Twin Team serving the Virginia coast and the duo
proved surprisingly successful for a railroad which did not spend
lavishly on passenger services.
The Pocahontas featured standard
heavyweight equipment of the era with power provided by K Class 4-8-2
Mountains. It took the train more than 15 years to finally earn
streamlined status (thanks to hand-me-downs from its big sister) and
the Pocahontas actually became the N&W's flagship train for the
last few years. It remained on N&W's timetable all of the way
until the start of Amtrak in 1971.
The streamlined Pocahontas was adorned
in a classic passenger livery of Tuscon red and black with Gold Leaf
trim. However, this changed somewhat in the early 1950s when the N&W
attempted to reduce costs by switching to an imitation gold paint.
N&W "officially" adopted blue at the end of 1965. The
repaints were not all done right away.
The streamlined version was powered by
the famous J Class 4-8-4 steamers. They were the pride of the N&W,
pulling other crack passenger trains such as The Cavalier, The
Powhatan Arrow, as well as ferrying the Southern Railway's Tennessean
between Lynchburg, Virginia and Bristol, Virginia. One test proved
that a "J" could pull fifteen cars at 100 mph along one
section of flat, straight track in eastern Virginia. On tests on the
Pennsylvania, No. 610 regularly cruised at 110!
Despite their power and speed, the
class J's were among the most reliable engines, running as many as
15,000 miles (24,000 km) per month, even on the mountainous and
relatively short route of the N&W. Despite having only 14 of the
class, the J’s held down 80% of the N&W’s passenger schedule.
They were so well balanced and lubricated that two men could push the
494,000 pound locomotives with ease on level track.
One notable accident in the J class's
service history occurred on January 23, 1956, when No. 611, while
traveling westward with the Pocahontas, derailed on a wide curve
along the Tug River near Cedar, West Virginia and almost fell into
the Tug River. It was determined that the engineer ran the engine at
an excessive speed around a curve and its high center of gravity
caused it to flip on its side.
After extensive repairs, the 611 was
put back into service. It remained in good condition until January
1959 when the J's were retired. A request by the Roanoke Chapter of
the National Railway Historical Society to operate a passenger
excursion later that year led the N&W to pull the 611 out of a
group of “J's”destined for the scrap yards at Portsmouth, Ohio.
After completing the excursion between Bluefield, West Virginia and
Roanoke in October, 1959, the 611 was donated to the City of
Roanoke’s Transportation Museum, the present owner.
In 1981, N&W towed the 611 from the
museum to the Southern Railway’s Norris Yard steam shop at
Birmingham, Alabama to be rebuilt. Restored to mint condition, the
611 steamed into Roanoke in August, 1982 with N&W Chairman Robert
Claytor at the throttle. The rebuilding of the “J” was a gift
from the N&W to the City of Roanoke in honor of the City’s
100th birthday.
The J's remained primary power for the
two flagship trains – the Pocahontas and the Powhatan Arrow –
until the N&W finally upgraded to Electro-Motive's GP9s for
passenger service in 1958. Interestingly, unlike most lines which
used streamlined diesels (such as Electro-Motive's E series) for
their passenger trains. the N&W never owned a single example
(this can be explained by the fact that it continued operating steam
locomotives until the late 1950s).
Ready to Depart for Portsmouth, 1958
The Pokey made its final run on April
30, 1971.
The June issue of the N&W
Magazine featured this cover photograph of the train pulling into
Lynchburg on its final trip to Norfolk. The former Nickel Plate steam
locomotive No. 759 powered the Pocahontas on her last run. The 1971
N&W annual report noted that “thousands lined the track along
the route to wave, cheer and even to cry as the last 'All Aboard!’
was sounded and an era came to an end.” In some cities, school had
been dismissed so students could see the train. Here is an account of
that last run:
“Forty years ago today the
final Pocahontas rolled east on the Norfolk and Western, having been
left out of Amtrak in favor of the James Whitcomb Riley route over
the Chesapeake and Ohio through Virginia and West Virginia. The N&W
gave the 'Pokey' a fitting send off though by leasing Ross Roland's
ex-Nickel Plate Berkshire No. 759 for the portion of the route east
of its Roanoke headquarters. The tender was re-lettered 'Norfolk and
Western' and former Wabash open-platform parlor car 'Lafayette'
brought up the markers. In between, the railroad had rounded up just
about every available coach - including the former Wabash domes built
for the 'Bluebird.'
“The Pocahontas, still running on 'Amtrak Day,' was completing a run that had begun in Cincinnati the night prior with an 11:25 p.m. departure. That train, with heavy head-end business, had a late arrival in Roanoke with freight GP9 883 leading a pair of passenger units. Those units would take the head-end cars on to Norfolk with their coaches added to the waiting equipment in Roanoke. Scheduled for a 5:10 arrival in Norfolk, it was well after dark - about 9:30 IIRC - when the train pulled to a stop in the station near Lamberts Point. No one seemed to care. The mood was somber, yet celebratory. It was the end of an era. Tidewater Virginia arrivals for Amtrak would be on the other side of Hampton Roads at the C&O's Newport News station. Nearly four years would pass before an Amtrak train pulled into Norfolk - the Mountaineer - combined with the Riley between Tri-State Station near Kenova and Chicago. That would last until 1979.”
“The Pocahontas, still running on 'Amtrak Day,' was completing a run that had begun in Cincinnati the night prior with an 11:25 p.m. departure. That train, with heavy head-end business, had a late arrival in Roanoke with freight GP9 883 leading a pair of passenger units. Those units would take the head-end cars on to Norfolk with their coaches added to the waiting equipment in Roanoke. Scheduled for a 5:10 arrival in Norfolk, it was well after dark - about 9:30 IIRC - when the train pulled to a stop in the station near Lamberts Point. No one seemed to care. The mood was somber, yet celebratory. It was the end of an era. Tidewater Virginia arrivals for Amtrak would be on the other side of Hampton Roads at the C&O's Newport News station. Nearly four years would pass before an Amtrak train pulled into Norfolk - the Mountaineer - combined with the Riley between Tri-State Station near Kenova and Chicago. That would last until 1979.”
Last Pocahontas Departing Roanoke
What is it about
a steam train that creates strong feelings of nostalgia like no other
design of the past? Surely the power and motion excite us all, young
and old, as we marvel at the beautiful creations. In our admiration,
we also feel a little sadness that these trains no longer occupy a
part of our daily existence. Who doesn't want to step back into time
and ride to some distant destination on one of these beautiful
machines? Despite giving way to more efficient means of transport,
trains like the Pocahontas remain as colorful images in our fondest
dreams.
Sources
Christopher Chant. (2012), The
History of North American Steam (3rd ed.), Chartwell Books, Inc.
“Last N&W Pocahontas.”
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,2456798 May 1,
2011
Norfolk and
Western Railway, October 27, 1957 timetable, p. 5
Norfolk &
Western Railroad Paint Schemes
"N&W 611 Class J Steam
Locomotive National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark May
1984". ASME. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017.
N&W 611. CLASS J. STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
https://www.asme.org/getmedia/1b51cf60-8722-4a24-9ec6-504ffed35f95/94-Norfolk-Western-611-Class-J-Steam-Locomoti.aspx
“The Pocahontas.”
https://www.american-rails.com/pocahontas.html.
“Pocahontas.” wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_(train)
This Month
in History; May(NRHS Rivanna Chapter)
http://www.portsmouthinfo.net/n---w.html
N&W
RR in Scioto County, Ohio
#history #norfolksouthern
#community#heritage
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