Prince Depot Platform

The platform of the railroad depot in Prince, West Virginia... still an active Amtrak stop today. Built in 1946 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the retro style of the day. It was built as a prototype for later train depots for the C&O Railroad. Standing on this long platform is a real step back to a time when passenger rail service was at its peak.

Prince Depot

The railroad depot in Prince, West Virginia... still an active Amtrak stop today. Built in 1946 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the retro style of the day. It was built as a prototype for later train depots for the C&O Railroad. Standing on the platform is a real step back to a time when passenger rail service was at its peak.

Durango and Silverton No 480

DescriptionNarrow gauge locomotive No. 480 under full steam and ready to roll on an exursion from Durango to Silverton.

Durango And Silverton No. 473

Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad locomotive No. 473. This 2-8-2 class K-28 steam engine was built in 1923 and still pulls excursion trains today for the Durango and Silverton railroad.

Clinchfield No 1

The Clinchfield No 1 was built in 1882 and has been owned by numerous railroads. In 1913, it received its nickname "No 1" when it was leased to the Black Mountain Railway. In 1955, No 1 was sold back to the orginial company, now known as the Clinchfield Railroad, who then sold it to the town of Erwin, TN. It was restored in the Erwin Shops and in 1968 began running railfan excursion trips through the Clinchfield area for ten years. A cracked frame ended her active life in June 1979. After a thorough cosmetic restoration she was generously donated to the B & O RR Museum in March 1981.

Polar Express

A CSX freight train barreling through Apex, North Carolina in a fresh snowfall. Apex, was so named because it was the highest point of the Chatham Railroad between Jacksonville, Florida and Richmond, Virginia.

Winter at the Depot

New fallen snow on the old train depot in Apex, North Carolina. Built in 1914, it has been restored and is now used as the office for the Apex Chamber of Commerce. Apex, was so named because it was the highest point on the old Chatham railroad line between Jacksonville, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. The tracks are now a heavily used main line for CSX railroad.

Irish Creek Railway

A remaining section of the Irish Creek Railway disappears into the deep woods at milepost 34 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.

Norfolk & Western No. 433

Norfolk & Western No. 433, class M steam locomotive (4 8 0). This engine ran on the Abingdon branch of the Virginia Creeper line between 1952 and 1957. This line ran 55 and one half miles between Abingdon, Virginia and West Jefferson, North Carolina. No. 433 was retired in 1958 and moved to its present location for display as a reminder of those venerable days of steam power.

Steam Power

The driving wheels of Norfolk & Western No. 433 that ran on the Abingdon branch of the Virginia Creeper line. This class M locomotive was built in 1906 and retired in 1958.

Virginia Creeper Power

Driving wheels of the restored Virginia Creeper No. 6 in the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, Virginia. This is one of only three steam engines that remain that previously ran on the Abingdon branch of the Norfolk and Western railroad.

Tracks of Roanoke

The "Tracks of Roanoke" that mark the history of the Norfolk & Western Railroad that was headquartered in Roanoke for most of its 150 years.

Norfolk and Western 2156

Norfolk and Western No. 2156, built in 1942 at its Roanoke, VA shops is only slightly smaller than the Union Pacific Big Boy. This massive 2-8-8-2 freight hauler was in the second in a series of 16 class Y6a "Mallet" locomotives. It was capable of 5600 drawbar horsepower at 25 mph and a top speed of 50 mph. Upon its retirement in 1959, it had logged over 1 million operating miles. It is on loan to the Virginia Museum of Transporation from the St. Louis Museum of Transportation

Virginia Creeper and Tender

Virginia Creeper steam locomotive No. 6 that has been cosmetically restored and is proudly on display at the Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. Built in 1897 by the Baldwin locomotive works, this steam engine (2-8-0) was used on the early days of the Abingdon Branch that ran from Abingdon, Virginia to Elkland (now Todd), North Carolina. Three steam locomotives that ran on the Virginia Creeper line still survive - No. 6 in Roanoke, No. 7 in Bluefield, West Virginia, and No. 433 in Abingdon, Virginia.

Wabash 1009

No. 1009, an E8A diesel locomotive was built in 1951 for passenger service on the Wabash railroad. The characteristic blue and silver nose on this engine earned it the nickname, "Bluebird". No. 1009 pulled such notable trains as the "Wabash Cannonball", "The City of St. Louis", and the "The City of Kansas City" during its time in service. Norfolk Southern donated No. 1009 to the Virginia Museum of Transporation in Roanoke, VA after it was retired in June 1967.

Big and Little

The era of steam, on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. In the foreground is No. 6, the Model G, 2-8-0 locomotive that ran the Virginia Creeper line from Abingdon, Virginia to Elkland, North Carolina. In the background is No. 2156, the Model Y6A, 2-8-8-2 locomotive, that ran primarily in the mountainous areas of the Norfolk & Western railroad network on the east coast. No. 2156 is the sole surviving example of that Model locomotive that was built.

Modern Steam 611

Norfolk & Western, No. 611 - The "Spirit of Roanoke", a J-class steam locomotive that was built in 1950 at the Roanoke shops and still used to run railroad excursions today. Photo taken in Spencer, North Carolina at the North Carolina transporation museum.

Norfolk and Western 620

Norfolk & Western GP-9 diesel locomotive No. 620 was built in 1958. It pulled both freight and passenger trains with No. 620 restored to its passenger engine color scheme. It was donated to the NC Transporation Museum by Norfolk Southern upon its retirement in 1985. Sitting behind it is a Southern railroad bay window styled caboose.

Green Cove Station

Built in 1914, the Green Cove Station served as a depot, general store, and telegraph office for the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk and Western railroad - otherwise know as the Virginia Creeper train. It was made famous by an image captured by the reknowned photographer O. Winston Link entitled "Maud bows to the Virginia Creeper" in October 1956. The last train ran by this station in 1977 and the tracks were removed by the end of the following year. Green Cove Station has been preserved and is now a visitor's center for the Virginia Creeper biking / hiking trail that runs from Abingdon, Virginia to the North Carolina State line.

Rural Retreat Depot

The fully restored train depot in Rural Retreat, Virginia. A famous O. Winston Link photograph was made next to this depot in the late 50s.

Virginia Creeper No 7

Virginia Creeper steam locomotive No. 7 pulled trains on the Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk & Western railroad in its early days. Built in 1897, these 2-8-0 locomotives were replaced with larger, more powerful engines as soon as they were available for the Abingdon branch. In its later years, No. 7 was used on a branchline from Bluefield, WV to Honaker, VA. It currently resides in a city park in Bluefield, WV.

Hinton West Virginia Depot

The old railroad depot in Hinton, West Virginia. Built in 1904, it still serves the Amtrak main line. You can board a train here three days a week and be in downtown Chicago or New York City in 12 hours. As an added benefit, as you wait for the train, you can hear the gentle flow of the New River as it meanders around the town just on the other side of the trees to the left of the tracks.

Full Steam No. 1702

The Great Smoky Mountain railroad locomotive No. 1702 under full steam and pulling an excursion train into the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina.

Locomotive 1702

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad steam engine No. 1702 under steam on an excursion through the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina. Built in 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the US Army, the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad crew has lovingly restored and maintained this piece of history for all to enjoy!