RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

VIRGINIAN RAILWAY
SIGNAL ASPECTS 1943
from VGN Rulebook Dated June 1, 1943

 

 

 


I would like to thank Charles "Skip" Sledge for sending me the rulebook scans you are viewing below.

For the motherlode of Virginian resources, please check out: http://www.virginianrailway.com/

For an article on VGN electrification: http://www.american-rails.com/virginian-railway-electrification.html

If you like the Virginian Rwy, consider joining the Yahoo group, they are a wealth of information.


At the top of the page is a picture of the Virginian EL-C in HO by Spectrum.  As far as I know, this engine is the ONLY one to have been running around with the colors of FIVE Class 1 railroads: The Virginian, the Norfolk and Western, the New Haven, Penn Central, and finally Conrail.  I have all five in HO (Spectrum's), one in NH brass, and I stumbled across a brand new O gauge version in New Haven colors by Mike's for $120!

My only experience with Virginian electrics came from the New Haven, with what the New Haven referred to as the E-33.  The Virginian designation for this locomotive was the EL-C.  I was a kid back in the 60's when these things ran, and soon after "it" became the Penn Central, PC replaced them with my second fav diesel engine in 1969, the DL-701, aka RS-11.  I only caught a few shots of the E-33's on the NH before they started working the corridor.  Thanks to Art AA3RT and Otto for the posting and info I came across....

I checked my trusty copy of When The Steam Railroads Electrified by William D. Middleton last evening.  The dates you are looking for: N&W ended electrification in the summer of 1950 (no specific date given).  The Virginian portion of the N&W (N&W and Virginian merged at the end of 1959) ended electric operations on June 30, 1962.  A little more information: The N&W was electrified between Bluefield and Iaeger WV in 1912, mainly to work the Elkhorn grade. The N&W power plant was in Bluestone, 11 miles west of Bluefield. The N&W upgraded the line with the lessening of grades and double tracking, opening the reroute in 1950, negating any further use of electrification on the N&W.

More information here: http://www.nwhs.org/about_nw.html
(Scroll down to Electrification.)

The Virginian portion was 134 miles long, electrified in 1923, running from Mullens, WV to Roanoke, VA. The VGN power plant was in Narrows, VA on the New River. As mentioned earlier the N&W and the VGN merged at the end of 1959, with the parallel lines making better use of ruling grades for loads headed to the tidewater ports, ending the need for the VGN electrified portion. Some of the newer electric locomotives were sold to the New Haven, eventually serving PennCentral and Conrail.


   

 

 
Rule 281  - Clear

  
Rule 283 - Medium Clear
Rule 285 - Approach


Rule 287 - Slow Clear
Rule 290 - Restricting
Rule 291 - Stop and Proceed

  
Rule B-292 - Stop


              
Additional Rules

 


This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here.

New 05/31/08.... Last Updated: 08/22/2010