Publications about Nelson & Albemarle

TYPE PUBLICATION

DATE

TITLE OF PUBLICATION

DESCRIPTION OF PUBLICATION

Book

1882

The C&O Railway Directory

2 copies available at UVA Libraries Special Collections Dept.

LIBRARY ENTRIES

1903-1963

How to find entries in the NEARHS Library: 

 * = Copy, not original, in Library 

** = Owned by NEARHS Library

Important Publications shown in RED

Book, Booklet, Bulletin, Catalog, Compilation, Drawing(s), DVD, eBook, eZine, List, Magazine, Manuscript, Movie, Newsletter, Newspaper, Thesis

Book

1904, December 31 (Special Issue) * (e-book library)

The Railway & Engineering Review:  Railroad Transportation at the Universal Exposition Special Issue, December 31, 1904 from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis Missouri

Includes section on Track Tools (pg. xxxi) that features Fairbanks Morse Company with photo of 4-wheel velocipede that could be model of what the Nelson & Albemarle bought in 1903, a 4-wheel velocipeded named "Maude" which may have been the model name used by the Sheffield Manuafacturing Company with Fairbanks-Morse as it's sole distributer.  Photo in e-book shows models on exhibition floor on page 31, "View 82 - Exhibit of Fairbanks, Morse & Company" (page in book listed as 28).

Book

1910

Mineral Resources of the United States, Part II Non-Metals, Calendar Year 1910, published 1911 by Washinton Government Printing Office

Page 986; "The Virginia Soapstone Co., with quarries at Schuyler, and mills at Schuyler in Nelson County and at Alberene in Albemarle County, is the largest producer and has a branch railroad connecting it with the main line of the Southern Railway at Rockfish, as well as with the C&O Railway at Warren on James River. The deeper portion of the quarry has been practically abandoned at Schuyler and the openings have been extended to the northeast."

Postcard

1910; postmark on original is 25 June 1910.

Slate Yard and Mill, Esmont, Virginia of the Standard Slate Corporation of Norfolk, Virginia (color postcard) by W. E. Burgess (photographer).

Correspondence on the back, stamped, and postmarked.  8.89cm x 13.97cm. Found in the Virginia Historical Society collection, accession #1999.17.2128

Catalog

1913, M-series * (listed also as 'reprint' for 1980) **

Vulcan Locomotives - Locomotive Catalogue; copyright 1913, Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, PA; reprinted 1980 by Broadmoor Publishing, Hazleton, Pennsylvania

A reprint of the 1913, M-series locomotive catalogue published in 1980 and limited to 500 copies; The catalogue includes basic specifications and diagrams for locomotives, plus examples of Vulcan locomotives built for various industries.  Vulcan built locomotives for Old Dominion Soapstone, Culver & Port Clinton, Rhodes Construction that ended up on N&A roster as well, N&A purchased locomotives in 1920, 1922, 1924, and 1926. Locomotives include Old Dominion #1, #2; N&A #9, #10, #12, #14; Culver & Port Clinton (N&A #11); Rhodes Construction (N&A #15). 

Book

1914

Annual Report by Virginia State Corporation Commission.  Appendix to Eleventh Annual Report of the SCC of VA for the year ending 1914.

Reports & Statistics of Canals, Railroads, Electric Railways, and other corporate companies for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1913.  Nelson & Albemarle Railway, pp364-375.  Annual report detail from 1913 published by Davis Bottom, Superintendent Public Printing, 1914.  Found in www.google.com/books searching with Nelson & Albemarle Railway.

Map

1916; 5 June (stored in archival tube) **

Right of Way & Track Map - Nelson & Albemarle Railroad Station 0 to Station 202+29.6; 4 map pages, each 24" x 56";

Available from the National Archives & Records Administration, Cartographic Section, Room 3320 (NWSC-C), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001.  Use to support article on N&A terrain, the 4 maps show the layout of track in 1916 when Alberene and Schuyler were both very active locations for soapstone operations.  These maps include detail on track at both Alberene and Schuyler.

Book

1916 (issued formally on 13 May 1915); as reprinted by the COHS.org in 2013. **

A Corporate History of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company as of the Date of Valuation, June 30, 1916; prepared in accordance with the requirements of VALUATION ORDER NO. 20, by the Interstate Commerce Commission May 13, 1915. submitted to provide valuation for ALL properties owned by the C&O Ry. Co. and includes those leased for consideration.

Page 72:  Alberene Railroad Company - Incorporated under a Special Act of the General Assembly (Acts Va. 1894-5, Ch. 25, p30.) of the State of Virginia, approved December 20, 1895.  Organization - February 11, 1896 - Directors elected and by-laws adopted.  Construction - Warren, Va. to Alberene, Va. 11.10 miles, commenced May, 1897 - completed 1898.  Operation, prior to demise, From 1898 to February 15, 1902 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company under agreement between the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company, C. D. Langhorne, D. J. Carroll, H. L. Lane, R. E. Shaw and F. L. Felter, owners of entire capital stock of the Alberene Railroad Company, dated July 13, 1897.  Demise:  By deed dated February 15, 1902, the Alberene Railroad conveyed all of its rights, property, franchise, etc. Deed recorded in County Court of Albemarle County, Va., February 17, 1902.  Records located at general offices of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company, Richmond, Va.; AND Page 28, The Nelson and Albemarle Railway Company (FIle: SF Cont. 2543 - 5688); Road owned by C&O Ry. Co. and operated by other common carriers: Esmont, Va. to Alberene, Va. 5.00 miles of first track; authority for operation agreement of November 2, 1904-October 5, 1915; Effective from November 2, 1904 to Still Effective.

Book

1919

A Handbook of Virginia,4th Edition, by George W. Koiner, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture & Immigration, published by Everett Waddey 1911; available online from Google at http://books.google.com/books?id=9_cRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=alberene+branch+c%26o+railway&source=bl&ots=lFf_TJVINF&sig=9meaDwPjJjbfUX9Qo_6TzCncDnM&hl=en&ei=50C8Sc-uHYzaMciSwaMI&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result (downloadable 7.1M file) 

Pg. 85 references Alberene Soapstone: "Large soapstone works have been erected at Alberene, reached by a short branch of the Southern railroad, and the output in bath tubs, house and kitchen utensils, etc., has developed an extensive industry very useful to the county." 

Book

1919, BiblioLife Reproduction Series, Charleston, South Carolina **

A Handbook of Virginia, Seventh Edition 1919; Published by the Department of Agriculture and Immigration of the State of Virginia, Geo. W. Koiner, Commissioner, Richmond.  Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing (Westmoreland Davis, Governor of Virginia).

References: p56, Mileage owned by Railroads in Virginia; #18 - Nelson and Albemarle Railway Company, Single Track 10.39 miles.  p85, "Virginia ranks as one of the largest soapstone producing States, and the soapstone belt, beginning in Albemarle and extending soutwestward into Nelson and beyond, practically composes the soapstone industry in Virginia.  It is developed by many quarries and the output has developed an extensive industry very useful to the [Albemarle] county". p167m "The manufacture of soapstone into washtubs is a large industry [Nelson County]".  There are no photographs of the soapstone industry or the N&A.

Drawings

1923-1934; as published by the C&O Historical Society in 2002 **

Depot Painting Standards of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company DS-02-223


DS-02-223 ($4.95) with detail on painting standard depot colors from 3 basic era's with commentary on the occasional painting of some depot in while in the 1940's.  Model paint for the Gray schema also available from the C&O Historical Society's Chessieshop.com


Journal

1926; Volume 16, Number 19, November 18, 1926 

Journal of the Washington Academy of SciencesAncient Soapstone Quarry in Albemarle County, 525-528p illus. in Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences; by David Ives Bushnell (1875-1941)

An article in the Journal on soapstone quarry from ancient times found in the Virginia Historical Society collection, Record #18813, Call Number E98.I4 B8

List

1927, 20 October: from various publication date by railway from when Wooden Water Tank Standard Drawings were prepared **

Record of Water Tanks; a list prepared by C&O's Maintenance-of-Way Department showing each location of a water tank, with capacity, kind (wood or steel), size (dimensions in feet), and type, height, and number of posts in the underframe of the tank (Division by Division)

Sheet 2 of 2 of the Richmond Division shows the Alberene Subdivision; Location: Warren, Virginia; Use by Locos; Type: Elevated; Capacity: 50,000 gallons; Tank Kind: Wood; Tank Size: 16'x24'; Underframe: Steel with 12 posts and height of 30'.  List available from the C&O Historical Society (COHS.org) as item DS-04-288 for $5.95 (8 1/2" x 11" lateral set of 18 pages).

Drawing

1927, 20 October: from various publication date of the included drawings **

Wooden Water Tank Standard Drawings of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Chief Engineer's Office in Richmond, Virginia

Includes Standard 50,000 Gallon Wooden Water Tank (S-259A,R2); Standard 16 ft. Steel Towers for 50,000 and 100,000 gallon Wooden Tanks (S-259B); Standard 30 ft. Steel Towers for 50,000 and 100,000 gallon Wooden Tanks (S-259C); Standard 45 ft. Steel Towers for 50,000 and 100,000 gallon Wooden Tanks (S-259D); Standard 100,000 gallon Wooden Water Tank (S-259, R2); drawings are aligned to Record of Water Tanks list.

Book

1930 **

Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice - SEE REPRINT:  Train Shed Cyclopedia #37 from 1975 where the noted sections in description are reprinted.

A reprint from the 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia, Industrial Locomotives and Service Section 18 (includes Foreign Steam Locomotives, Section 19), Ninth Edition; Roy V. Wright, Editor; Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company, 72 pages. In Section 18 Industrial and Saddle Tank Locomotives on reprint of page 1354, Figure 3193 "Six-coupled (2-6-2) Saddle Tank Locomotive for Industrial Railroad Service.  Built for Nelson & Albemarle Ry. Co. by the Vulcan Iron Works.  Gage-4 ft. 8 1/2 in.; Cylinders-17" x 24"; Steam Pressure-180 lb.; Diam. of Drivers-46 in.; Tractive Force-23,065 lb.; Rigid Wheel Base-9 ft. 0 in.; Total Wheel Base-24 ft. 7 in.; Heating Surface, Tubes-1,608 sq. ft.; Heating Surface, Firebox-102 sq. ft.; Heating Surface, Total-1,710 sq. ft.; Grate Area-21.8 sq. ft.; Weight on Drivers-119,700 lb.; Weight, Total-155,300 lb."  Photo is the Vulcan Builder's Photo.

Document

1937, November 29

Survey Report, Brick Mill at Warren, Virginia under research made by R. E. Hannum. - http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/VHI/html/02/0397.html with map location in Library of Virginia in Richmond at ALB202.  Mill was burned by Sheridan's troops during the Civil War.

Building date, 1789; Builder, Jesse Jopling; Number of stories, 3; includes photograph VHIP/02/0138 at System #000695958. 

Document

1937, October 15

 Survey Report, Distillery at Warren, Virginia under research made by R. E. Hannum. http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/VHI/html/02/0232.html with map location in Library of Virginia in Richmond at ALB73.  Location: 2 miles north of Warren, Virginia on Route 627.

Building date: 1786; Primary owners: Scott family, Rives family, & Wilson C. Nicholas.  3 image files included.

Book

1937 Reprint w/updates; Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society **

Side Track Record/Charts.  C&O Railway Co. Side Track Records/Charts; Rivanna, Buckingham, V.A.L. & Alberene Subdivisions

Chart 215 Rivanna Sub-Div, Warren, Virginia;  Chart 289 Alberene Sub-Div, Warren, Virginia; Chart 290 Alberene Sub-Div, Boiling Spring, Virginia (240' siding and waiting shed); Chart 291 Alberene Sub-Div, Dawson Mill, Virginia (short siding); Chart 292 Alberene Sub-Div, Esmont, Virginia (to depot only); Chart 293 Alberene Sub-Div, Esmont, Virginia (below depot to Guthrie); available from the C&O Historical Society publication DS-03-250, $9.95US. 

Movie

1941 **

"Virginia" a full-length feature film

See details on this entry in sidebar item "Find N&A on Film"

Newspaper

1941, February 17 (Monday) Vol. CLXX, No. 41

The Montreal Gazette:  "Railroad President Has Hand in Picture", article in the "News of the Theatre and Music World" section of this 24 page Canadian rag.  Found at Google News:  http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19410217&id=mI8uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3870,2811123   .  The Gazette, founded June 3, 1778 was printed and published by the Gazette Printing Company, Limited, John Stuart Miller, Secretary, with office at 1000 St. Antoine Street, Montreal.  Interesting storyline where the Esmont station was used as Fairville station, the fictitious destination for Madeliene Carroll's character in the movie, except, everyone knows that the station location was changed from Esmont to Howardsville due to lighting issues and that this affront to the people of Esmont was never quite forgotten.  (Again, my grandparents on my Father's side, are in the opening scenes before the train arrives, standing on the platform dressed to the nines.)

Paramount wrote a chapter in railroad history during the filming of the new Technicolor production of Virginia, starring Madeleine Carroll and Fred MacMurray, which will open at the Capitol on Friday.  This event occurred when Producer-director Edward H. Griffith induced the president of a Virginia line to consent to direct a sequence of this comedy-drama.  The director-pro-tem was John Graves, prominent Virginia business man and head of the Nelson and Albemarle Railroad, which runs two trains a day through eighteen miles of sleepy Albemarle County.  The Nelson and Albemarle, one of the shortest in the nation, serves the Alberene slate quarry and admirably met Griffith's demand for the kind of railroad that would pass through the somnolent Virginia town in his picture.  The part of the Nelson and Albemarle road that is shown on the screen in Virginia is the Esmont station.  In the picture it is called Fairville and is the scene of such important action as the first meeting of Madeleine Carroll and Fred MacMurray, Miss Carroll's farewell to the Old Dominion she so loves and the partly-tragic, partly-fortunate catastrophe that resolves their romance.  When the train made its film debut by pulling into the Esmont (or rather Fairville) station and faced Paramount's cameras, Griffith played a distinctly second fiddle.  Convinced that no one knew more about running the Nelson and Albemarle train than the president of the road himself, he decided to turn the direction of all train movements over to Graves.

Book

1945 **

Slow Train to Yesterday: A Last Glance at the Local by Archie Robertson

189 pps. with drawings by F. Strobel; published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin.  Chapter 2:  Pages 5-11: Root, Hog, or Die, drawing pg7, pg189 notes Esmont to Rockfish 18 mi; motor car daily in appendix.

Magazine

1945, December (Vol 39, No 1) **

Railroad Magazine: Department, "Information Booth" on pages 59-63, "Each month the Lantern Department prints answers to rail questions of general interest, submitted by our readers." Question 6 (page 61), 'Give a short history of the Nelson & Albermarle (sic) Railway';  '(Schuyler Railway; Alberene Stone Co.; Schuyler, Va; Guthrie, Va.)'

Answer:  "Nelson & Albermarle (sic) was incorporated under the laws of Virginia on September 14th, 1903, and on June 19th, 1905, absorbed the Schuyler Railway. The road owned and operated extends from Guthrie to a point near Schuyler, Va., 6.8 miles; thence to another near Rockfish, 4.6 miles, giving a total owned of 11.5 miles. It is operated under lease or contract into Rockfish, and from a point near Guthrie to Esmount (sic). Rail is 56, 80, and 85 pound, and equipment consists of two locomotives and two service cars. The N&A is controlled by the Alberene Stone Corporation, through stock ownership."  Note:  While equipment consist mentions two locomotives, they must be the two 'road' engines, #9 and #10. However #11, #12, #14, #15 were also on the property in 1945. (Question 6 on page 61 - no photos).

Book

1947 **

Mixed Train Daily; A book of Short-Line Railroads by Lucius Beebe with 300 photographs by C. M. (Charles) Clegg, Jr., and the author and 6 color plates.

Published by E.P. Dutton & Co, NY. bound in heavy decorated buckram cloth and with colorful dust jacket; pg. 2 mention of N&A; pgs. 59-62, 1 photo (engine #9).

Magazine

1949, November (Vol 50, No 2) **

Railroad Magazine:  Department, "On the Spot" - Photo with caption on page 128 taking about 60% of space on page.  Photo by "H. Reid 2808 Vimy Ridge, Norfolk, Va".

 ‘Apparently driver deep in clover, Nelson & Albermarle tanker No.10 chuffs through open fields toward Schuyler with an extra freight.  Nine-mile shortline operates two passenger trains daily form each terminal; at Esmont it connects with C&O branch’ – p 128 (3/5 page) 

Newspaper

1950, February 12; Section D, Page 1 and 3

Times-Dispatch article: "It was gay as the Atcheson and Santa Fe, On that last happy outing of the N&A" by Louis Rubin, Jr. (d.7/2009)

Article by Louis D. Rubin, Jr. on the last passenger run of the N&A.  Includes photograph. Found in the Virginia State Library as a clipping from the Times-Dispatch under the heading "Virginia Railroads" stamped TD FEB 12 1950.; Page 3 heading, "Railfans make outing".  Louis Rubin joined the Old Dominion Railway chapter of the NRHS on the last passenger run of the N&A and chronicled this trip for T-D readers.  Photo included but NOT in the clipping.  (Note:  My recent trip to Nelson county - July 2009 - introduced me to Mr. Bill Gianninni who was also present on that last day of passenger running and he will be sending me photos soon that I will be posting on this site.)

Magazine

1950, February (Vol 51, No 1) - copy stored in 1950 set **

Railroad Magazine: Illustrated Features, "Index for 1949" pp111-123.  NOTE:  N&A is referenced in INDEX only, no other reference or mention in this issue.

Within "Index for 1949" on p118, Nelson & Albemarle Railway listed as NELSON & ALBEMARLE: Nov. 128* where the asterick references a photo in the November 1949 issue on page 128

Magazine

1950, July (Vol 52, No 2) **

Railroad Magazine: Car Barn p 115-122 with short notice re: Schuyler Railway and the N&A on page 120.  There are no photographs, but one of very few mentions of either rail line in a periodical.

"Did Steve Maguire miss a really old trolley road of Virginia in his story in the March issue?" asks Bill Young, 23 Parker Ave., Crawford, N.J. "About the turn of the century the Schuyler Railway operated a four-mile line between the towns of Schuyler and Rockfish, the latter a station on the Southern Railway.  Very little of its history is known to me and I have no actual proof that it was a trolley line.  However it was listed among abandoned trolley lines in Poor's Manual of Railroads for 1906.  Later editions of Poor's explain that the N&A, a short steam road organized in 1903, absorbed the Schuyler Ry. on June 19, 1905. P> "The Nelson & Albemarle converted the trolley route to steam operation and ran it until August 28, 1947; other N&A lines still operate.  Archie Robertson's Slow Train to Yesterday mentions the N&A as a former trolley line."

Magazine 

1950, July; Volume 10, Number 9 (copy on DVD) **

Trains - Table of Contents shows "Photo Section: An album of choice prints" (that start on page 27) starting with Nelson & Albemarle.  Caption text to page 27 photo is at bottom right corner of page 26.  Full page view of 2-6-2T #9 leading mixed freight through cut.

Caption reads:  "When the 9-mile Nelson & Albemarle discontinued passenger service early this year, this combine-behind-a-2-6-2T stopped running between Schuyler, Esmont and Warren, Va.  The N&A ran two daily round trips between Schuyler and Esmont, and one round trip over the Chesapeake & Ohio branch from Esmont to Warren to connect with C&O's No. 10 (Clifton Forge to Richmond via Lynchburg).  This passenger train appeared in the prewar Technicolor movie "Virginia".  Photo by H. Reid."

Magazine 

1951, February; Volume 54, No. 1 **

Railroad Magazine - Short Hauls: Nelson & Albemarle - pg. 16

Short Hauls - Nelson & Albemarle one page talking about the last passenger run on the N&A.  "Nelson & Albemarle with caption Taken at Schuyler, Va. the pictures show two N&A sallet tank engines, 10 and 11, and long unused open-vestibule combine. - Phots: W. R. Hicks" "Ferroequinologists of Richmond, Virginia's Old Dominion Railway Club were among those who took a sentimental ride on the last passenger run of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway last February.  Other riders were people who all their lives had lived in the vicinity of the 9-mile line which runs between Schuyler and Warren, where it connects with the Chesapeake & Ohio.  With a standard caboose replacing the old stove-heated coach borrowed from the C&O, the Nelson & Albemarle will go on running its freight train twice daily with mail pulpwood, merchandise and soapstone from the quarries around Schuyler."

Magazine

1951, August - Volume 73, Number 8  (copy of cover, specific pages from VHS) **

Virginia & The Virginia County.  The Story of Alberene Stone:  Here in Virginia it is the only commercial operation for structural soapstone anywhere in the world.  by Hugh M. Mathews - published in Richmond, Virginia; Official Publication, League of Virgina Counties "Founded 1946 To Tell The Virginia Story" 

pp14-15, 37-38.  Found in the Virginia Historical Society collection, Record #144457; Call Number F221.V918 v.73 no.8

Book

1955 Henry Holt & Company, New York **

Virginia at Mid-Century by Jean Gottmann

Photo page 378 of Soapstone Quarry near Schuyler (note rail for steam donkey engine) in chapter 6: The Resources of the Underground.

Magazine

1955, July; Volume 15, Number 9 (copy on Trains DVD) **

Trains. Train's comin'! by H. Reid on page 13 with photo by August Thieme of #9 at Gold Mine Hill crossing.  Caption reads: "Nelson & Albemarle 2-6-2T on No. 1 at Gold Mine Crossing, Va. By A. Thieme."

Prose by the well known journalist-railfan-photographer along with photo by famed-rail photographer, August A. Thieme (back when A. Thieme lived on Floyd Avenue in Richmond, Virginia). Photo on top half of page, H. Reid's prose on the bottom half. "Well now, friend, you come at a right good time.  We all sort of take it easy about this part of a morning.  Must be nigh on to 11, I reckon.  Hear the steam train tootin' down yonder in the hollow?  Them bullfrogs'll hush directly so's you can hear better.  Our train generally comes humpin' by 'bout now.  It just totes freight, but a right smart train it be.  Don't see many like ours no more - not with that waily whistle.  Hear it, then?  And that clang-clangy bell.  You know, our train don't move so fast as the stream-liners but that's just as well.  It gives us a heap better chance to wave to them fellers on the engine.  Them's awful friendly folks.  Say, old No. 9's smokin' a spell.  Why, that chimbley is nearly 'bout high as you are.  There - he's whistlin' for Tarheel Lane.  Oh, Virginia!  Put down that wash and step out here.  Train's comin'! - H. Reid."

Book

1957, 1958, 1972, 1994 (1994 copy)  **

The Age of Steam: A Classic Album of American Railroading; by Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg with 500 illustrations.  The N&A is featured on page 103 in a photograph by Charles Clegg from the series photographed for the 1947 release, Mixed Train Daily. This is negative "BC Neg 2831" in the collection of Charles Clegg photographs and negatives at the California State Railroad Museum.  See the "This Month's Article" for October 2009 (in sidebar) for details on how to order a print from this and other Charles Clegg photographs now in the stored collection in California.

Published by Rinehart & Company (printed by rotagravure in Holland) for 1st Edition, 1957.  A 2nd Edition was published/printed in 1958 by Howell-North Books.  A possible reprint of the 2nd Edition was released in 1972 by Howell-North Books with an American-type 4-4-0 locomotive on the point of a freight train.  In 1994, Promontory Press of Edison, NJ published a new printing of the book (printed in China) with new cover artwork of NYC 5832 heading up a passenger train stopped at a station.

Magazine

1958, 1st QTR, #34 (On DVD from TapLines) **

Shortline Railroader - Across the Dispatcher's Table (news notes), pg. 2 available in compiled format for 1954 to 1960 issues from TapLines.biz for $12.99 + shipping on CD

"John C. Mayo, according to a widely circulated newspaper item, is retiring after 51 years on Virginia's Nelson & Albemarle Ry.  Immortalized as a short-line locomotive engineer in Archie Robertson's book 'Slow Train to Yesterday', Mr. Mayo is a courtly and soft-spoken man whose acquaintance we made several years ago when he invited us on his engine.  An unusual twist put his story on news wires.  Lamenting the fact that rabbit hunting isn't as good as it used to be, engineer Mayo recalled to newsmen that he used to stop the train frequently to shoot rabbits - as many as 14 in one season."

Magazine

1958, April Issue - Vol 127

ScienceAdvertisement - Alberene Stone

Special Size Alberene Stone Sinks are Available at No Extra Cost (see photo collection)

Magazine

1963, March; Volume 23, Number 5 (copy in Trains DVD) **

TrainsShort Lines (column) by WIlliam S. Young on page 13 reporting the demise of the N&A with the ICC allowing the discontinuance of service.

Noting the history of the line with mention of fame gained from the likes of Archie Robertson and Lucius Beebe. "Fondly Remembered.  Nelson & Albemarle Railway, the Virginia short line immortalized by Archie Robertson and Lucius Beebe, has received I.C.C. permission to abandon its rural 9 miles of track from Schuyler to Esmont, including a mile of trackage rights over the C&O.  Opened in 1905 as successor to the short-lived Schuyler Railway, an electric line built the previous year, the Nelson & Albemarle once operated more than 18 miles of line serving quarries at Schuyler and Alberene from which came soapstone for the laundry tubs of America.  Before dieselizing in the early '50's the road had six Vulcan saddletankers for road and quarry service, and carried passengers aboard a motorcar or mixed train.  After that it lost much of its charm, although engineer John Mayo still carried a gun in the cab of his 44-ton diesel to shoot rabbits along the right of way.  Georgia Marble Company acquired the Nelson & Albemarle in 1959 along with the Schuyler plant of the railroad's previous owner, Alberene Stone Corporation of Virginia.  Now the plant at Schuyler has been closed:  Soapstone laundry tubs are no longer in style."

Magazine/Bulletin

1963, May Issue - Number 13-14 **

Steam Locomotive & Railroad TraditionAn Upcountry Romance: A reminiscence of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway by H. Reid (pg 27)

8 photos, 1 comical diagram by H. Reid, copy of Agent's ticket stub, 1 map, and a listing of the locomotives of the N&A. Photo 1 on page 26 is a view looking down onto #9 in 1948; Photo 2 is on page 29 showing loco running backward with combine; Photo 3 is on page 30 showing #12 spotting a flat car in Schuyler; photo 4 on page 31 shows #11 in front of the enginehouse; photos 5, 6, 7, 8 are on page 32 showing builders photos of #11 as built #2 for Culver & Port Clinton RR of Ohio; #11 as refurbished by Vulcan; #9 as built at Vulcan; and #12 with Albemarle spelled Albermarle builders photo.

Newspaper

1963, November 9th

Richmond NewspapersPhotograph: End of the Line (Photo by Rip Payne & Caption)

Caption Reads:  "A hand car lies forlornly in front of the former headquarters of the Nelson & Albemarle Railroad at Esmont.  The approximately 16 miles of track of the line are being taken up from Schuyler in Nelson County to Warren in Albemarle.  They were used to haul soapstone from the mountain quarries to the James River division of the C&O Railway.  Trucks now do the work.  The status of the railroad station is uncertain.  It may wind up as a polling place or other community use."  Photo available from the Valentine Richmond History Center at the Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA.

Book

1972 **

The Search for Steam:  a cavalcade of smoky action in steam by the greatest railroad photographers by Joe G. Collias; 1972 - ISBN 0-8310-7092-7; Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California.

Book of steam locomotive photographs with Nelson & Albemarle Railway mentioned on page 268 with a photograph of locomotive 9 with consist at Esmont taken by famed photo-journalist, H. Reid.  Caption reads: "Once more commonly found in quarries and private industrial yards, where compactness and economy of clearance are at a premium, saddle-tank locomotives were almost never seen on a daily mixed run.  Almost, except on the Nelson & Albemarle Railway.  These 2-6-2T's had no tenders and carried their fuel in a coal bunker, which was part of the cab itself, while their water was in tanks folded over the boiler housing for added traction.  A pilot and headlight were mounted on the bunker, since the engines were never turned and half the time proceeded backwards.  Asked for a show of smoke while puttering around the sidings of at Esmont, Va., where the little line connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio, the craggy-featured hogger of saddle tank No. 9 obliged photographer Reid with a pall of soot that blackened the landscape and for a time threatened to hide the engine and train from all attempts at photography. (- H. Reid)"

Book

1973; Wheelwright Lithographing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah.  

The Richmond-Washington Line & Related Railroads by Richard E. Prince of Millard, Nebraska.

pg 223 chapter on N&A Ry.: 17 photos, list of locomotives.  Do not underestimate this book as these are great photographs and the list of locomotives (though differing from other listings of the era) is good historical record. Of the 17 photos there are no views of any of the N&A diesel.  Photo's:  pg 223, #12 left side builder's photo; pg 224 top #9 right side builder's photo; pg 224 bottom #10 right side builder's photo; pg 225 top #11 right side view at Vulcan Iron Works; pg 225 bottom #14 right side builder's photo; pg 226 top #9 3/4 view at Esmont; pg 226 middle #7 at SI&E in 1924; pg 226 bottom #1 0-4-0T in 1936; pg 227 top #9 right side view at Warren; pg 227 middle #10 left side view at Rockfish; pg 227 bottom #11 at enginehouse schuyler; pg 228 top #11 at Schuyler; pg 228 middle #14 by enginehouse Schuyler; pg 228 bottom #14 at Schuyler in 1952; pg 229 top #10 at Damon; pg 229 middle 4 passenger cars on siding at Schuyler 1936; pg 229 bottom #14 at Schuyler in 1936.

Magazine

1974, November **

Train Shed Cyclopedia #25Electric Motor Cars 1888-1928; 80 full-size pages reprinted from the Original Cyclopedia Editions and Car Builders Dictionaries; Newton K. Gregg, Publisher

Basic detail on Electric Motor Cars (such as Lewis & Fowler built trolley for Lynchburg, Virginia that were sold to Virginia Soapstone for use on the Schuyler Railway between the plant location and the Southern Railway terminal at Rockfish, Virginia.  While no specific N&A references, the explanations for general information assist in understanding how the early operations existed and were maintained.

Magazine

1974, October **

Train Shed Cyclopedia #24Buildings and Structures of American Railroads, 1893 (Part 4); 92 Full-Size Pages Reprinted from the Original Edition; Newton K. Gregg, Publisher

Page 251 (bottom of page) contains detail on "Combination Depot, Class 'B', Richmond & Alleghany Railroad" "...is an island-depot, similar to class 'A', and consists of a single-story frame structure, 25 ft. x 50 ft., divided into a freight and baggage room, 24 ft. x 16 ft.; a ticket-office, 8 ft. x 16 ft., with a square bay-window projection; and a general waiting room.  This class of depot is for use at an island-station, where there is a side track on the rear of the building, in addition to the main track along the face of the building.  The platform at the face of the building next to the main track is a low platform, 8 foot wide.  The platform at the back of the building along the side track and at each end of the building is a high platform, 8 ft. wide."  This is the configuration for the C&O depot at Warren, Virginia built by the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad and serviced by the Nelson & Albemarle Railway once they were handling trains 209 and 210 between Esmont and Warren.

Book

1975 **

Steam Days on the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway by John J. Hilton and Randolph Kean; published National Capital Historical Museum of Transportation, Inc. P. O. Box 7082, North Station, Arlington, Virginia 22207

An accurate though incomplete history of the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway which omits the use of an earlier locomotive for rebuilding and re-ballasting of the rail line with the use of what was N&A #2 (2nd #2), the previous Old Dominion Soapstone Company #2.  See other Virginia Blue Ridge publication for detail on the use of the former N&A locomotive.

Magazine

1975; Issue 51 Mar/Apr **

Extra 2200 SouthArticleGE 44-Tonner Study, Part 1

A review of the GE 44-ton Diesel Locomotive (Part 1)

Magazine

1975; Issue 52 May/Jun **

Extra 2200 SouthArticle: GE 44-Tonners, Part 2; Limited information however, there is a builder's photo of the N&A #1 44-ton diesel and a disposition up through 1975.

Continued review of the GE 44-ton Diesel Locomotive (Part 2).   Article includes an Owner Index as referenced on cover.   Nelson & Albemarle Railway #1 (Diesel) was GE 44-ton unit, c/n30856. From N&A to Georgia Marble, Tate, GA; to Industrial Maintenance, Hammond, IN; thence to Hamburg Industries, Hamburg, SC; to TTX-Hamburg, Hamburg, SC; current status TBD.

Magazine

1975, November **

Train Shed Cyclopedia #37Industrial and Foreign Locomotives from the 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia; 72 Full-Size Pages Reprinted from the Original Edition; Newton K. Gregg, Publisher

Pg. 1354 (from original book's page numbering) has builder's photo (right side) and caption wording: "Figure 3193 - Six-Coupled (2-6-2) Saddle Tank Locomotive for Industrial Railroad Service.  Built for Nelson & Albemarle Ry. Co. by the Vulcan Iron Works."  "Gage...4 ft. 8 1/2 in.  Cylinders...17 in. x 24 in.  Steam Pressure...180 lb.  Diam. of Drivers...46 in.  Tractive Force...23,065 lb.  Rigid Wheel Base...9 ft. 0 in.  Total Wheel Base...24 ft. 7 in.  Heating Surface, Tubes...1608 sq. ft.  Heating Surface, Firebox...102 sq. ft. Heating Surface, Total...1710 sq. ft.  Grate Area...21.8 sq. ft.  Weight on Drivers...119,700 lb.  Weight, Total...155,300 lb.

Book

1977 **

Hill City Trolleys: Street Railways of Lynchburg, Va. by Harold E. Cox (self-published). Photo of Lewis & Fowler unit(s) sold to Schuyler Railway on page 11 with caption, "The Lynchburg Street Railway barn on Park Avenue.  The car to the right (left in photo) may be the mysterious open car mentioned in early accounts of the LSR operation.  The other cards are Lewis and Fowlers.  LYNCHBURG NEWS."

Page 96 contains the story of Virginia Soapstone Company.  "One of the more obscure electric railroads was the line constructed by the Virginia Soapstone Company in 1899 and 1900 in the vicinity of Schuyler, Virginia.  The company operated a large quarry, hauling stone to the Southern Railway station at Rockfish along a wagon road built for that purpose between the two points.  In mid-1899, the company decided to electrify its operations.  It built a dam on the Rockfish River near the quarry and used the electricity to replace steam power previously used in operating and lighting the quarry.  It also built a railroad from Rockfish to Schuyler parallel to the old wagon road and eliminated the need for stone wagons.  The new railroad was powered by electricity.  The line was graded and the ties placed in the fall of 1899 and the rail and electrical work done during the winter and spring of 1900.  As has been noted, three of the surviving four Lewis and Fowler cars of the Belt Line were sold to the Soapstone Co. in 1899.  They were reportedly to be used as freight cars.  However, they remained in service as passenger cars and may have been used as locomotives to tow the stone cars to Rockfish.  The fate of the fourth car is uncertain but it is liekly that it also went to Schuyler either for parts or for exclusive use as a locomotive.  In 1903, the electric railway was given it's own separate corporate structure as the Schuyler Railway Company.  While passenger traffic was only an incidental to its main purpose, it carried over 20,000 riders in the fiscal year ending 30 June 1904.  In the summer of 1903 a charter was granted to the Nelson & Albemarle Railway Company to build an electric railroad connecting the soapstone quarry with the Alberene Branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Guthrie.  The line was built in 1904 but was not electrified.  The Schuyler Railway continued to operate as a subsidiary of the N&A.  The Schuyler Railway was rebuilt in 1905, shortened slightly and converted from electric to steam operation, probably because the ancient motive power acquired second-hand from Lynchburg was no longer capable of handling the loads and the cost of electrifying the entire line to Guthrie was expensive."

Magazine

1977, September Issue -Volume IX - No. 9; Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society **

Chesapeake & Ohio Historical NewsletterThe Story of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway Company.  This issue is available in a compiled format from the C&O Historical Society as "C&O Historical Society Magazine:  The Digital Collection" Jan 1969 to Dec 2008 as #AV-08-102 on DVD for $49.95  312 E. Ridgeway St. Clifton Forge, VA 24422 (shipping & handling for this would be $8.75) or see this at www.chessieshop.com

pgs. 8-14; 1 map, no photos, good detail on operations from pre-published newspaper articles.  On page 13, the next to the last paragraph of the Louis Rubin reported story from February 6, 1950 Richmond Times-Dispatch led to the understanding of the combination ticket office-station-general store.

Magazine

1978, Vol. 6, #1; TSL #31 *

The Short Line (TSL): The Journal of Shortline & Industrial Railroads.  ArticleNelson & Albemarle Railway - Alberene Stone Co. by Ed Fielding with a photograph of diesel #1 by Warren Calloway (Warren L. Calloway, Jr.) and photograph of #2, photographer unknown. (PDF copy only - provided by Meghan Peterson of The Short Line)

Includes two photographs and a combination route map and locator within the outline of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  As in every article found on the N&A, this one provides detail not found elsewhere.  "The 'Waltons' television show has become somewhat of an institution of the American TV viewer over the past several years.  When viewing this program from the 1930's era, one hears mention of such towns in middle Virginia as Rockfish, Schuyler, and Alberene.  These small communities were also distinguished by being served by the Nelson & Albemarle Railway......"  Thus Ed's article began.  He included notes on construction, merger with the Schuyler Railway, ownership by Georgia Marble and most importantly a roster at time of abandonment which inlcuded the 3 diesels (#'s 1, 2, & 3), a small  Plymouth (unlettered), several ex-ATSF flat cars used in quarry work, an ex-C&O caboose, an old self-propelled crane with engine removed.  The Plymouth was still on the property in 1965, making it the last of the powered units with all diesels transferred out in 1963. Again, Thanks must go out to THE SHORT LINE and especially Meghan Peterson who graciously researched for a copy of the article, scanned it into PDF format and forwarded it to me via email while also inviting me to write an article for an upcoming issue of The Short Line!

Magazine

1978, Vol. 6, #2 **

The Short Line (TSL): The Journal of Shortline & Industrial Railroads.  Very Short News Items (page 11); Hamburg Industries

"Hamburg Industries, North Augusta, SC, 4/78: New Locomotive is #2, 44T GE (30956, 12/50) with only one builder's plate left.  HI #1 is minus her No. 2 engine and hood, sitting in the paint shop area of the plant."  Obviously, typo on the construction number as 30856 was correct sequence for 12/50 and is the N&A #1 first diesel from sale by Georgia Marble to Industrial Maintenance as noted in this site's articles and research.  Follows the premise learned in visiting the TTX facility (former Hamburg Industries) in 2010 and learning that the purchase of 30856 was mostly for spare parts to service other GE 44T units in house as was a common practice among shortlines to buy a unit for parts cannibalization and then scrap remaining shell/frame, etc.  However, c/n 30856 was painted in Hamburg Industries colors and lettered for HI as there are photographs of the locomotive in that livery.  So while it may have eventually been used to provide spare parts, at some point it was a viable and working unit supporting the facility.

Catalog

1980 Reprint from 1913, M-series catalogue (stored in the NEARHS library as 1913 publication) **

Vulcan Locomotives - Locomotive Catalogue; copyright 1913, Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, PA; reprinted 1980 by Broadmoor Publishing, Hazleton, Pennsylvania

A reprint of the 1913, M-series locomotive catalogue published in 1980 and limited to 500 copies; The catalogue includes basic specifications and diagrams for locomotives, plus examples of Vulcan locomotives built for various industries.  Vulcan built locomotives for Old Dominion Soapstone, Culver & Port Clinton, Rhodes Construction that ended up on N&A roster as well, N&A purchased locomotives in 1920, 1922, 1924, and 1926. Locomotives include Old Dominion #1, #2; N&A #9, #10, #12, #14; Culver & Port Clinton (N&A #11); Rhodes Construction (N&A #15). 

Book

1982; 1984 (2nd printing) **

Crossties to the Depot, Volume 1: Virginia Railroad Stations; compiled and edited by John F. Gilbert, published by Gilbert Design, Inc., Crossties Press Books, Raleigh, North Carolina

Stations and Depots on various mainline (and some smaller) railroads operating in Virginia include the C&O with pg. 40 having a photograph of "ESMONT".  On Alberene Branch. September 1961 view. (C.K. Marsh, Jr. - photographer / * Tom King - from the collection of...).

Thesis

1983, Fall; Architecture II 557 (pdf of title page and contents pages only) *

Architecture of the railroad stations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century:  A study of the C&O Railway and the Southern Railway in six counties in Virginia by Amy Stanton Jordan. #22 in the series, Architecture in Virginia (K. Edward Lay). Thesis at University of Virginia Architecture II Course #557 taught by K. Edward Lay in Fall 1983; Thesis by Amy Jordan and Alison Stone.

Contents include Part 1: Individual Train Station Reports with plans for C&O stations in Amherst County, Albemarle County, Fluvanna County, and Louisa County; plans for stations of the Southern Railway in Amherst County, Nelson County, Albemarle County, and Orange County with part II containing interpretations.  1 copy available at UVA Library Special Collections (SC-STKS); call number AIV no. 022 1983.  "There are NO stations/depots that relate to the Nelson & Albemarle Railway however."

Magazine

1983, July; Volume 50, Number 7 (photocopy) **

The Magazine of Virginia - The COMMONWEALTH. "Soapstone from Alberene - Quarry towns scarred by a dying industry" in The COMMONWEALTH magazine (of Virginia) by Susan Tyler Hitchcock (1950- ); published in Richmond, Virginia; pp29-32; found in the Virginia Historical Society collection; Record # 119591, Call Number HF1.C85 v.50 no.7

Table of Contents lists Feature as "Alberene Soapstone" by Susan Tyler Hitchcock, page 29; subtitled: A dying industry leaves scars on the Piedmont's quarry towns. 6 photographs by Ken Klotz including an awesome quarry photo on page 29, photo of company houses (now private homes) on page 30, photo of soapstone slabs on rail car under overhead crane next to gang saw shop on page 31, photo of two workers grinding slab into non-slip surface for stair treads on page 31, photo of "The Company House" on page 31, and lastly, a photo of Quality Row houses as one of the first quarry-built communities on page 32.  The story primarily tells of the periodic (and most current at the time) demise of the soapstone industry.  Well written, and with interviews/quotes, the article well-represents the ups and downs of the soapstone industry in Nelson County plus provides some insight into why this type of mining in America is behind the mining capabilities of Europe.  Scarce to impossible to find magazine fortunately found in the VHS archives. 

Book

1986, 2nd Edition **

Extra South:  An Unscheduled, Unhurried Look At Dixie Steam Railroading, 2nd Edition, by H. Reid with Foreword by Manly Wade Wellman; published by Carstens Publications, Inc., Newton, NJ; ISBN 911868-53-4

2nd Edition added a new "Extra South-New Photo Section" that included a photo of N&A locomotive #10 with caption, "A state-of-the-art time freight accelerates in 1948 on Nelson & Albemarle's 18-mile main line through Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains below Charlottesville.  The N&A also operated a rural branch on which a 2-6-2 tank engine carried quarry country products to the world beyond, through Southern and Chesapeake & Ohio connections.  Earl Hamner, creator of "The Waltons" television series, lived near the N&A terminal at Schuyler. H. Reid"; also featured in the Railfan & Railroad's 'Railfan Photo Line' of June 2013 (though NOT in that month's Railfan & Railroad Magazine) but online at http://railfan.com/photoline/photoline_jun2013.php with different captions: "Nelson & Albemarle High-Speed Service - The Nelson & Albemarle connected towns in central Virginia with the Southern Railway at Rockfish and the Chesapeake & Ohio at Esmont.  A 2-6-2 tank engine was in charge of a local freight in 1948.  The road was dieselized in the 1950s, but had shut down completely by 1963.  Photo by H. Reid" (Note that the C&O connection was at Esmont, not Warren).

Book

1988 **

C&O, Old Dominion Steam (also known as C&O in the Old Dominion); by Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. 1988 publication in softcover, with 64 pages and black&white photos.  Not a complete compilation of all of the C&O Steam, but with a reference to the N&A (per Mark Chase); Out-of-Print, but available from the Barnes & Noble site for used/out-of-print books.

Contains a photo of the watertank near Warren, but on the branch line with a saddletank engine from N&A.  

Catalog

1989, 20 July **

The Baldwin Locomotive Works Negative Collection as conserved by Herbert L. & Rita Broadbelt and presented by The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in cooperation with The Friends of The Railroad Museum at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, P. O. Box 15, Strasburg, PA 17579; Benjamin F. G. Kline, Jr. Acting Curator

Page 160 lists Proctor Coal Company "Hutchcraft" 2-4-2 built in November 1887 c/n 8874 Negative #331; Used primarily as locomotive on Schuyler to Rockfish run, This was only Baldwin unit to be part of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway roster.

Magazine

1989, March / April Issue **

Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette.  The Story of Alberene Stone and It's Railroads by Garth G. Groff; photo of #1 GE 44-ton by Charles Arnold at Esmont Depot per NGSL Photo index found at http://www.wisemanmodelservices.com/gazette/PHOTO.HTML (see that list for remaining photo credits from the Mar/Apr 1989 issue).

pg 17: A 7-page article on the N&A with 10 photos and 2 maps; A chronology of Alberene Stone & Its Railroads (pg. 23).  Noted as Special Feature on Table of Contents page with thumbnail photo & as Soft-soap Story!

Bulletin

1990 **

Railroad History 162.  The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. Volume 162, Spring 1990; "Spunky Little Devils: Locomotives of the New York Elevated" by John H. White, Jr.; including history of Manhattan Railway with 2 of their K2 class locomotives sold to Alberene Stone Company for N&A use, with Manhattan Ry #56, #60 becoming N&A Ry #5 & #6.  Available from the official distributor for the society, Alden H. Dreyer (alden.javanet@rcn.com; ebay id - alden).  Price is $12.50 + $2.40 for priority mail.

Page 50 shows cutaway diagram; page 57 shows photo of #54 of K2 class; page 79 shows disposition.  Must read story of Manhattan Railway to gain insight to these 2 locomotives and why they were well suited for use on the quarry railroad.  

DVD

1990 **

"Steam Locos on Industrial & Short Lines" Volume 2 - Out of Print - No longer available.

See detail in listing: "Find N&A on Film".  The DVD contains live-action footage shot by August A. Thieme and sold to the production company that created the DVD and is only the 2nd known movie images of the N&A (with the 1st being the 1941 feature film "Virginia" where #9 a boxcar and combination baggage/coach car arrive at fictional "Fairville" in actuality Howardsville, Virginia on the actual C&O James River Line).

Bulletin

1990, Volume 55, Number 4 **

National Railway Bulletin of the National Railway Historical Society.  Ghost Rails of the Old Dominion by Edgar T. Mead

13 photographs (2 by H. Reid) and 1 map; Bulletin available from NRHS for $2.00 each. Call 215-557-6606 to check on availability and shipping cost or send email using their online email form at: http://www.nrhs.com/email.htm  Also available from: http://www.pastpaper.com/List-Trains.htm for $6.00 each plus shipping.

Magazine

1991, August; Volume XXIII, No. 8 **

Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine.  Book Review (pg. 2):  Soapstone Shortlines as reviewed by TWD (Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.) with short description of the booklet and it's availability direct from the C&O Historical Society in Clifton Forge, Virginia (for only $4.95 plus $1.75 shipping!) however the review contains some errors including misstating how the Alberene Railroad was started as the factual account is that a group led by slate interests in Esmont initiated the Alberene Railroad and enlisted the interest of C&O by including traffic from the Alberene mill which previously used the Southern Railway for transport.  Add to that an incomplete statement of the Schuyler Railway having been connected to the Southern at Rockfish BEFORE the N&A was formed.  

pg. 2: no photos - "Soapstone Shortlines by Garth G. Groff, published by the author.  Available from C&OHS Archives, P. O. Box 79, Clifton Forge, VA 24422.  $4.95 plus $1.75 shipping. (pp)  This 52-page booklet is a detailed and interesting account of the soapstone quarries and mills located near the C&O in central Virginia, and the railway operations surrounding these businesses.  Mr. Groff has done excellent historical research and has developed a cogent, well-written story about the soapstone industry and the people who exploited this resource in Virginia.  Most importantly, for our benefit, this includes the railway operations associated with it, which were principally the Nelson & Albemarle Railway and the C&O's Alberene Subdivision, a branch from the James River line, joining the Rivanna Subdivision at Warren, Virginia.  (pp)  The Soapstone Company built the Alberene Railroad in 1897 and leased it to the C&O on completion in 1898; it was then sold to the C&O in 1902 and became the Alberene branch to Esmont and Alberene. (pp) In 1903 the Nelson & Albemarle Railway was incorporated to link the Alberene branch with the new mill at Schuyler, Virginia.  Its other end eventually connected with the Southern Railway's main line at Rockfish.  N&A trains began using the C&O's Alberene branch as early as 1906 with their diminutive saddle-tank locomotives, and the N&A contracted with the C&O to operate their trains 209 and 210 from Warren to Esmont.  Passenger service, always conducted with leased surplus (read 'old') C&O cars was terminated in 1950, and soon thereafter the N&A dieselized.  It was abandoned in August 1962.  The book contains a complete N&A locomotive roster and some interesting photos of this little-known shortline and branchline operation that once supplied the C&O with quite a number of revenue cars.  It is well written, easy to follow, and obviously well researched.  TWD."

Booklet

1991 Drop Leaf Press **

Soapstone Shortlines: Alberene Stone and its Railroads by Garth G. Groff; Note:  Out-Of-Print but available on occasion at auction sites (recently seen for $110, but also purchased recently for $23.50).

52 pages; most complete story of history on N&A Ry. and this is abridged!  This is a condensed version of a larger work not published by author, locomotive roster on inside rear cover. 32 photos; 1 map (see page 45 for caboose!); 2 copies available at UVA Library; 1 at Brown Science & Engineering and the other in Special Collections.  Out-of-Print and available occasionally via auction sites: Garth Groff (recently retired from the University of Virginia) has unabridged version of the book held in Special Collections at the Albert & Shirley Small - Special Collections Library at UVA.  We'd like to see large excerpts be permitted for this site so that others can share in this great historical account...

Magazine

1992, April Issue; Volume XXIV, No. 4 **

Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine.  Cover StoryNelson & Albemarle: Early Days on a Soapstone Shortline by Garth G. Groff.  This issue is available in a compiled format from the C&O Historical Society as "C&O Historical Society Magazine:  The Digital Collection" Jan 1969 to Dec 2008 as #AV-08-102 on DVD for $49.95  312 E. Ridgeway St. Clifton Forge, VA 24422 (shipping & handling for this would be $8.75) or see this at www.chessieshop.com (July 2009 

pgs. 5-9; cover photo + 6 other photos and 3 track diagrams (great for modeling Esmont and Warren); "THIS MONTH: The Nelson & Albemarle Railroad must have been among the most quaint and picturesque railroad operations of the twentieth century.  Even Lucius Beebe featured it in one of his books, if memory serves correctly.  But hardly a trace remains of the once-bustling backwoods operations.  How many other such shortlines were there around the U.S.?  And more importantly, how many of these are left?  Today's shortline spinoffs may again approach the local color of the past.  We are pleased to present this vignette of bygone days by Charlottesville author Garth G. Groff."

Editor's Note:  This is another great effort from Garth Groff on just one of his many railroad interests.  He has retired in recent years from his position with the University of Virginia and now focuses much of his time and interest on other passions - Archery, and the Sacramento Northern Railroad. 

Magazine

1993, August **

Railroad Model CraftsmanInspiration for a Kitbash:  A Tank Engine Gallery

pg. 56; 1 photo; caption: "SI&E No. 1599 (below left) was an 1887 Porter (ex-Nelson & Albemarle #1) that was sold to Pierce-Williams Co.  It is shown rebuilt in 1920.

Book

1994: Promontory Press (catalogued in library under 1957 publication date) **

The Age of Steam; Library of Congress 72-86410; ISBN 0-88394-079-5; Chapter IV: "Look Away, Dixie Land", starting page 76 - Photo and caption on page 103.

Photograph by Charles Clegg from photo shoot for 1947 book, Mixed Train Daily (photo is now part of collection found in the California Railroad Museum); "Below is the Nelson & Albemarle's saddle tank No. 9 at Schuyler in the heart of the Blue Ridge country, where it functions as the only common carrier in the land to use this type of motive power in mixed frieght and passenger service."

Magazine

1995, November / December Issue **

Narrow Gauge & Shortline GazettePlans: Nelson & Albemarle #9 - A Standard Gauge Vulcan 2-6-2ST by Ed Gebhardt

pgs. 54-55; based on plan from Vulcan Locomotive Works Catalog #33, Industrial & Contractors' Locomotives (heaviest of 4 2-6-2 shown in catalog).

Book (softcover)

1995, Summer (Volume 18, Number 4) **

Locomotive Quarterly, Volume XVIII, Number 4, Summer 1995"Down South with H. Reid" with B&W photo of freight consist behind #9 on page 64.  

Segment starting on page 63.  Caption reads: "Nelson & Albemarle 2-6-2T 9 (above) battles the stiff grade in Schuyler Virginia in 1949."  Locomotive Quarterly published by Metaphor of Mount Vernon, New York; Jack W. Farrell, Editor-In-Chief

Newsletter

1998, August, Volume 30, Number 8 (web copy) **

"Turntable Times", the publication of the National Railway Historical Society, Roanoke Chapter.  The Nelson & Albemarle Railway (and it's tributaries) by Butch Tweedy.  pg. 7-10 (no photos); Noted as from the "Blue Ridge Dispatcher" newsletter of the Blue Ridge Chapter, NRHS, Lynchburg, VA


Book

1998 (second printing - 2000) **

Virginia Railway Depots by Donald R. Traser published by the Old Dominion Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1998 with second printing in 2000.  ISBN 0-9669906-0-9.  Printed by Walswork Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri.

Page 49 of Chapter Four: Chesapeake & Ohio:  Photo at top of page of Alberene in 1917 from Holsinger Collection in University of Virginia Special Collections Library (showing N&A Combine #10, a former C&O early passenger/freight car); and a photograph of Esmont depot after the demise of the N&A Ry. in the early 1960's at the bottom of the page.  "A complicated little web of lines provided some interesting backwoods railroading in Nelson and Albemarle counties.  The Alberene Railroad was built at the turn of the century to connect the quarries at Alberene with the C&O James River line at Warren (MP 170.2), and the electric-powered Schuyler Railway was built between its namesake point and Rockfish on the Southern Railway.  The Nelson & Albemarle Railway was incorporated in 1903 to connect Schuyler with Guthrie, about midway on the Alberene Railroad.  The Alberene was promoted by the C&O to begin with and was sold to the C&O in 1902.  All lines were eventually operated by the N&A, the Alberene under lease agreement, and the Schuyler Railroad by merger.  The Guthrie to Alberene segment was abandoned in 1936 after the quarries played out; the washout of a bridge in 1948 between Schuyler and Rockfish was that segment's death knell.  The N&A and C&O tracks were removed in 1963.  These photos of ALBERENE (approximate MP 181, where the depot was part of the mill complex) (above) and ESMONT (MP 176.3) (below) offer sharp contrasts over the period from the 1930s to the 1960s depicting the busy industry and the end of the line.  The combine spotted at the Alberene depot is lettered for the N&A and was likely purchased used from dealer in Philadelphia though some passenger cars were leased from the C&O; much of N&A passenger operations were operated with leased C&O equipment."

Book

2000 **

Critters, Dinkys, & Centercabs; The Identification Guide for Small American Gas and Diesel Locomotives by Jay Reed.

Critical work on identification of small motive power found in industrial settings, no photos or mention of the Nelson & Albemarle diesels.  Would have been nice to have a serial number on each of the units that had photographs in the book.  Precursor to the "Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Locomotives" from Jay Reed in 2002.

Book

2000 **

A Memory of Trains: The Boll Weevil and Others by Louis D. Rubin, Jr.; published by University of South Carolina Press

Pg. 40 & 41 describe the author's participation with the Old Dominion Railway Club on the last day of passenger service on the N&A.  Not much of a description, but noteworthy for operations.  Amazingly, no commentary on any other engine operations around the quarry or mill.

Book

2000; The University Press of Virginia - ISBN 0-8139-1885-5 **

The Architecture of Jefferson Country - Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia by K. Edward Lay with color photographs by Bill Sublette

Multiple references to buildings related to the Alberene Stone Company and the Nelson & Albemarle Railway; references include Esmont area buildings; Warren Mill, Warren Store, Warren Tavern, Warren Depot (no photo); reference to the Company House in Alberene with photo.  

Magazine

2001; August / September (Vol 3 No 4) **

 Light Iron Digest.  Southern Iron & Equipment's Manhattan Forneys for sale (Note:  N&A Forney's came from a Cape Charles, VA used equipment dealer - this article is limited to SI&E handled engines but has some unique perspectives on 7 specific engines)

Brief history of the Forney engines and their subsequent careers - 0-4-4T Forney, by Donald R. Hensley, Jr. (of Taplines.com fame); pages 14-16

Book

2001 - H. K. Porter Compilation **

Porter Steam Locomotives, Light & Heavy, A Reprint of the Thirteenth Edition Steam Catalogue, With Introduction & Roster from the A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library, National Model Railroad Association.  Copyright 2001.  ISBN 0-9647050-3-6.

N&A #4: Constructed like Class 2-C-2-S "Double-Ender" Locomotive (page 60) with 14x20 cylinders (Hockey) with nice photo of sample locomotive included and shown in roster (page 211)  as Construction Number 3107, type 2-6-2, 56 1/2" gauge 12/1904 for Alberene Stone Company.

Book

2002 **

Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Locomotives, 3rd and likely last published book edition (Edited by Jay Reed with Military Roster by Shane Deemer by Rio Hondo press ISBN 0-9647221-3-5) includes detail on 2 of the Nelson & Albemarle diesels. 

N&A #1:  Found on pg. 227 shown as TTX (Trailer-Train) - Hamburg Div. (South Carolina) as #2 GE 44 ton (30856, 12-50) Ex-Hamburg, Industries, #2, Ex-Georgia Marble #1, with detail on history but still active in 2002 in SC (unfortunately, though some exist, there is no photo shown).  N&A #2:  Found on pg. 10,  Alabama Carbonate #2 at Gantts Quarry (Sylacauga) Alabama, Ex-Georgia Marble #2 shown as active in 2002 (and again, though some exist, there is no photo included in this book).  N&A #3:  We've visited the 25-ton GE 31778 from N&A that ended up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and is still active at Great Lakes Calcium facility there after having been in Woodville, Ohio at GLC.  The good news is #3 is still operating daily in performance of switching duties.

 An invaluable reference guide to industrial use locomotives there is also an errata version kept on the internet at http://www.sonic.net/~jayreed/.  Purchase price is $25.95 with $5.00 standard shipping/$10.00 priority shipping.  Recommend calling to order (no secure web ordering) at:  707-539-1051 at these times only:  11:00AM EST to 7:00PM EST (shown in Eastern times, but Jay is on West Coast).

Book

2002, August 9 **

Appalachian Conquest: C&O, N&W, Virginian, and Clinchfield Cross The MountainsHistory of the lines, passenger trains, locomotives used, and switchers and shortlines (including Nelson & Albemarle).  128p, TLC Publishing ISBN-13 978-1883089795.

"A complete treatise on how topography affected the major Pocahontas region railroads crossing the Appalachian Mountain range.  The C&O, N&W, Virginian, and Clinchfield all had different approaches to crossing the rugged Appalachians."  Chapter 5: Satellite Roads describes much of the N&A with 3 photos; 1st from Charles Clegg held in the California State Railroad Museum Collection taken of #9 with a boxcar, hopper, and combine in January 1946; then next 2 photos taken by Wally Johnson (#9 at Warren on the mainline of C&O with 6 boxcars, hopper, combine taken February 4, 1950; and then #9 by itself taken in February 1950 (likely same day) right side view.  Chapter 5 starts on page 111.

eBook

2002; Essbooks *

Nelson County Viriginia Heritage 1807-2000; by S. E. Grose published by Essbooks in Florida in 2002; contains Family history section only; History recollection of Nelson County; available from Google eBookstore (as eBook) for $9.99; once purchased, available on your My Books section of Google.com

Page 121; Ruth McQuarry Ragland personal history including mention of her Father working for the Soapstone works in Schuyler.  Includes a PHOTOGRAPH of locomotive #10 with Combine directly behind and person on front step of engine.  Caption reads: "Nelson-Albemarle train, 1920.  Hauled workers, school children and soapstone."

Book

2004 **

General Electric Industrial Locomotives 1924-1979 with 300 Photographs by O. M. Kerr; ISBN: 0-919295-39-8; 

GE industrial guide to majority of the models provided by the company during the noted years, including the 25-ton, 35-ton, and 44-ton units like owned by Nelson & Albemarle Railway.  While no photos of the N&A units, good coverage of locomotives built in series to those made for N&A.

Drawing(s)

2004 *

Small Miscellaneous Structures and Standards Drawing Set as published on CD by the C&O Historical Society

AV-04-081 available from ChessieShop.com for $13.95 - drawings include way buildings, small structures, and coal bins.

Book

2005 Hundman Publishing Company (printed in Hong Kong) **

Slow Trains Down South ....Daily Cept Sunday - Volume 1

Chapter 4: Virginia Creepers (the Old Dominion) pg 110; pgs. 118-123 - 10 photos.  List Price: $59.95US.

Book

2007 (2008 2nd printing) **

Heartbeats of Nelson by Paul Saunders; ISBN 978-0-9791146-0-1; Saunders Publishing LLC, Piney River, Virginia

"History is a collection of family stories!" - Peter Jennings; Chapter 3 - The Soapstone Vein (page 65) with Nelson & Albemarle Railway featured on pages 82-83.

Book

2008 **

Historic Photos of Virginia - Text & Captions by Emily J. and John S. Salmon - Turner Publishing Company 200 4th Avenue North, Suite 950, Nashville, Tennessee 37219 - ISBN 978-1-59652-497-2 (Printed in China)

Page 46; well-known photograph of Esmont, Virginia from 1910 (frequently seen for sale on eBay for $8.99); Caption: "Esmont, a small town located south of Charolottesville and just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is shown here in 1910.  The train tracks are a spur of the Nelson and Albemarle Railroad, named for the two counties through which it passed.  To the left is the train station.  The line had shut down by the mid-twentieth century".  pg. 202 reference to source of photo on page 46: "Town of Esmont" - Library of Congress LC-USZ62-113129. 

Book

2008 **

Locomotives of Southern Iron & Equipment Company by Thomas Lawson, Jr., Cabbage Stack Publishing. 

Index at front of book provides accurate information by railway.  There is a collection of photos provided but only a select set of ones.  There is a photograph of N&A #7, the former "Hutchcraft" purchased from the Proctor Coal Company and sold to SI&E when #'s 9 and 10 were purchased by the N&A in 1920.  Best collection of accurate data and Tom Lawson is to be commended for the efforts that went into this compilation.

Book

2008 **

Alberene Soapstone; a history in photographs by Kierk Ashmore-Sorensen (krasbooks); available from on-demand book publisher, Blurb, with photo history of the Alberene Soapstone Company from the 1920's and 1930's which primarily appear to be all Schuyler. 

 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Photos are from the Holsinger Studios (same as Holsinger Collection in UVA Library) and include wonderful overview shot of SCHUYLER with locomotive that I think might be #7, former "Hutchcraft" or could be #4 on page 6.  Even better, page 9 has a photo looking southward from the Schuyler quarries with a view of a 'critter' that may be the Plymouth Model DLC, Type 6 gasoline powered unit that previously looked to have no photographs.   

Available from http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/340391 in Softcover for US$24.95; Hardcover, Dust Jacket for US$34.95; and Hardcover, ImageWrap for US$36.95 plus shipping (average ground ship is $6.99US).  A MUST SEE BOOK for those of you interested in quarry or operations.  Just a few photos in a thin book, but worth the softcover pricing.  

Compilation

2008 **

American Steam Locomotive Builders Lists (includes Vulcan)

Excellent resource with EXTREME detail for general knowledge of build data:  $33.00 USD w/free shipping avail Taplines.biz through eBay listing

Book

2009 **

Greetings from Charlottesville, Virginia and Albemarle County by Sam Menefee of the Albemarle Historical Society; ISBN 978-0-7643-3297-5; A postcard review of the areas in Charlottesville and Albemarle including a post card of Alberene shown on two pages. 

Available from Schifferbooks.com in Atglen, Pennsylvania.  Alberene, Virginia is featured on two pages (same postcard); see Page 10 for a small view of the card, and page 116 - The Virginia Soapstone Company's Works, Alberene, Virginia.  The top view of the company shows the Line of the N. & A. Railway in the far right corner.  "Alberene" was the name given a settlement of Johnson's Mill Gap, coined by Daniel J. Carroll."  One of the Company's two partners, Carroll combined "Albemarle" and "Serene" (the name of the fellow partner).  The mine opened in 1883; the Virginia Soapstone Company ran it from 1904-16.  In 1906, it was reported that the about four hundred workers were employed here in the manufacture of cleaning tubs, sinks, etc.  W. E. Burgess. Circa 1904-16 $85.

Book

2010 **

H. K. Porter Company Light Locomotives: a reprint of the 1908 company catalog published by Periscope Film, LLC - ISBN 978-1-935700-18-0

Page 138 of the reprinted catalog shows the "Double Ender" Six-Driving Wheels Side-Tanks Locomotive, Class 2-C-2-SS.  Alberene Stone purchased c/n 3107 from Porter in 1920 (code name RELVAR) with 14x20 cylinders and standard gauge, enclosed cab.

DVD

2010; 840 issues 1940-2010 **

Trains Magazine - The complete collection 1940-2010 on DVD from Kalmbach Publishing ($149.95)

A searchable 2 DVD set that must be loaded onto your computer, but once there and accessbile by the desktop icon, let's you see the covers of all 70 years included on the discs.  More than 60,000 pages but search feature does NOT capture every instance of wording in text and ads as one was found in Volume 10, Number 9 from July 1950 where the railroad name is mentioned in a caption, but not found by search engine.

Book

2010, TLC Publishing, Forest, Virginia **

Virginia Railroads - Volume 1: Railroading in the Old Dominion by William E. Griffin, Jr. & Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. (www.therailroadbooks.com); ISBN 9780939487974; also available on Amazon.com

A primer on the railroads of Virginia; with the C&O segment starting on page 7 and Nelson & Albemarle mentioned on page 14 along with photo of #11 from the TLC Collection. "The Alberene Branch ran from Warren to Esmont thence to Guthrie and Alberene, mainly to tap soapstone resources.  It was abandoned from Guthrie to Alberene in 1936 and the balance to Warren in the 1960s.  It connected with the Nelson & Albemarle short line at Esmont.  An N&A saddle-tank 2-4-2 is seen here at Schuyler in 1950.  N&A trains operated over the Alberene branch as well, to Warren. (TLC Collection)."  If you are a fan of trains in Virginia, this is the primer to have that explains how railroading came to the state and evolved in major railroad lines.

Magazine

2011, August **

Railroad Model Craftsman.  Articles: Kitbashed Stone Mill "Waterville Mill: A rewarding kitbash" and 3 foot in the Sandhills, The Palmetto Brick Company's Industrial Railroad "Visit an operating Narrow Gauge Industrial Railroad" 

Two modeling articles that assist in building and understanding the industrial nature of the N&A Railway including the mill at Warren and the basic movement of industrial materials.

Newspaper

2011, August; Volume 6, Number 3; pages 13-14 **

Crozet Gazette (crozetgazette.com).  Ghost Tracks of the Blue Ridge by Phil James (in section titled, "Secrets of the Blue Ridge")) available to view at http://www.crozetgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/crozetgazette_august11-web.pdf

Article by Phil James (possible excerpt from his book, Secrets of the Blue Ridge) covering Nelson & Albemarle Railway and the Virginia Blue Ridge.  Crozet Gazette August 2011 issue.

Book

2011, TLC Publishing; Forest, Virginia **

Virginia Railroads - Volume 2: Chesapeake & Ohio (Railway) by Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. (www.therailroadbooks.com); ISBN 978-0939487516; also available on Amazon.com

Second in the series of Virginia Railroads, this volume devotes itself to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in great detail including small mention of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway on pages 66-68 though shared on the pages with Virginia Air Line RR subdivision.  A map prepared by Carl Shaver for the C&O Historical Society Newsletter some time ago shows the various segments of the N&A line from interconnection with the C&O at Warren to the interconnection with the Southern Railway at Rockfish.  An employee timetable for Warren to Esmont is shown for the Alberene Subdivision from 1948 as a station list.  Finally, two photos of N&A are on page 68 with a view of the Esmont depot taken in 1961 by T. King and the same photo of N&A #11 (albeit enlarged slightly) from Volume 1 of this series taken on 28 May 1950 by an unidentified photographer in front of the engine house in Schuyler with another locomotive in the background.  As mentioned for Volume 1, if you are a fan of trains in Virginia, this is another book that should become part of your collection which has great detail on the C&O as well as some coverage, though limited, of the N&A.

Book

2012 **

Yesterday's Trains Across the Commonwealth by Dial W. Diacont with N&A mentioned in Chapter 2 on page 22.

"Warren was also the junction where a six-mile branch to the nearby community of Esmont diverged from the Rivanna Subdivision, followed a grade alongside Ballinger Creek, and made connections with the "saddle-tank" emire of the long-since abandoned Nelson and Albemarle Railroad.  Serving the needs of quarry operations in nearby Schuyler (of Walton's Mountain fame), the Nelson and Albemarle meandered its way west to the community of Rockfish where it also interchanged traffic with the Southern Railway.  Part of the old grade of the Nelson and Albemarle remains readily visible in several places from Virginia Route 6.

Book

2012 **

The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway:  A Concise History and Fact Book by Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. of the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society (COHS.org).  A great book to understand the varied beginnings, mergers, successes, failures, wins and losses of the companies that evolved into the C&O Railway we all know and love.

Page 37 contains information on the Alberene Sub-Division include distance from Ft. Monroe, Station No. and Code No./Name of Station.  For example, Warren, Virginia at 170.2 miles from Ft. Monroe, with Station # A85, Code # 0428 has Telephone Call of RN; Boiling Spring, Virginia (siding and stop) at 172.3 miles from Ft. Monroe, Station # J2, Code # 0430; Dawson Mill (stop) at 174.2 miles from Ft. Monroe, Station # J4, Code # 0432; and Esmont, Virginia (Junction with connecting line - the N&A) at 176.3 miles from Ft. Monroe, Station # J6, Code # 0435.  All data in the book for this reference is from the 1948 edition of C&O Officers, Agents, Stations, Etc. No. 82, August 1948.

eBook

2012 **

Virginia Blue Ridge Railway by Steven P. Hepler (7 chapters) as published by the Whippany Railway Museum at http://www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net/.  Chapter 5 details connection to the Nelson & Albemarle Railway:  "(1st) No. 4 is a locomotive that strangely enough, has managed to slip through the cracks of VBR history.  Originally built by the Vulcan Locomotive Works in October 1909, the engine was known by the Vulcan number '1436'.  This diminutive 0-4-0 'Saddletank' (named for the water supply tank straddling the boiler) engine was constructed for the Old Dominion Soapstone Corporation at Damon, Virginia as their No. 2. 

 (Continued) When Old Dominion Soapstone was merged into the Virginia Alberene Corporation in February 1917, the little locomotive retained its number '2' and continued on in service until December 1, 1931.  In April 1935, Virginia Alberene Corp. was sold to the Alberene Stone Corporation in Schuyler, Virginia.  Although the ownership had changed, the engine continued to retain its number '2' and remained out-of-service on the quarry property.  According to Virginia Blue Ridge Railway documents, the engine was sold to the VBR in June of 1942, where it was given the road number '4'. "The VBR used No. 4 for less than a year-and-a-half to haul ballast trains as the railroad upgraded its roadbed to accommodate the increase in traffic from the aplite plants and the Southern Mineral Products facility.  The onset of World War II brought even further carloadings to the Virginia Blue Ridge and brought great prosperity to the railroad.  In the best 'I-Think-I-Can' imagery, tiny No. 4 was the locomotive that made the resurgence of the VBR possible during the first dark days of World War II, and for this reason, she should be recognized as an important part of the VBR's history.  1st No. 4's story does not end here, though. After her ballast train assignment was completed, the VBR sold the engine in December 1943 to Leas & McVitty, Inc., a tanning extract manufacturer in Buena Vista, Virginia.  She was used at the company extract plant until being taken out of service in the late-1950's.  In 1962, she was sold to Charles Watson, who displayed the engine for years in front of a motel in Marion, Virginia.  It was eventually purchased by private collector, Will Harris, who moved it to his property in Goshen, Virginia where it survives (minus its distinctive saddletank) today."

Newsletter

2014, June **

Nelson County Historical Society News, June-2014:  Article - Schuyler-A Nelson County Historic District with segment on "Alberene Stone Plant" at Schuyler and another on "Streetcars in Schuyler" which is a set of Recollections from Mr. Thomas Drumheller - Rockfish Depot - Society Files.

"Streetcars in Schuyler" - 'Around 1902 streetcars from Washington and Baltimore were brought into service between Rockfish and Schuyler.  Some of the seats were removed from the cars and that area was used for hauling supplies back and forth.  Cut stone was hauled to Rockfish where it was boxed for shipment by the railroad.  Electricity to run the cars was generated by a water-run power plant on the Rockfish River about halfway between the two points.  During the summer when the water level in the river was too low for power generation, a narrow gauge "dinky" steam engine was used to pull the cars.  A sidetrack was built so that the streetcars could pass each other near the power plant.  Workers could ride the streetcar to and from the soapstone plant to work for $.05 each way.  Later the company started paying for the ride if the employee worked four weeks without missing a day.  The work day was from 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM with 15 minutes for lunch.'

END