Storming through William's Ridge

 Division regular, number 777, storms through the town of Williams Ridge with a through train of reefers in the late 1940s.  A heavy Mikado switches the quarry on the other side of the depot.

This photo of another heavy pacific in Terminus, shows some the famous arches that were so well known as part of Underground Terminus.  The city of Terminus was built up a level from the original city, therefore allowing streets to cross over the rail line and eliminate grade crossings.  This made for some very interesting scenes, especially as photograph from the so-called Terminus railroad gulch.

P5 2916 and P5a 2922 sit with southbound passenger trains at Terminus Terminal Station, sometimes in the late '20s. Both engines were regular passenger power on the line from the mid '20s through the '50s. This scene would be repeated daily for years to come. 2922 has The Southbound Bluefield Flyer while 2916 is in from the Point Pleasant Branch with #7.  Both trains are bound for Bluefield.

Doubleheaded Mikados blast forth from Mount Frigid's North Tunnel with a southbound freight. Even on the relatively short trains seen on the Bluefield, doubleheading was often necessary. The Bluefield was primarily a coal hauler, and most of that coal was bound for the connection with the N&W. 

A Bluefield 2-8-4 makes her way slowly through Williams Ridge with a reefer train in tow.  Bluefield had several 'hotshot' freights, and although they were not extremely high speed, they were faster than one would assume on a steep and winding road like the Southern Allegheny Division. 777 was a division favorite as far as heavy home steam power. She was a bit slippery on the grades, however, as were the other 2 original Bluefield 2-8-4s. The railroad continued to make small adjustments to try to give the engines better starting power.

Heavy Mikado, 672 makes her way through the maze of switches at the north east end of William's Ridge. She has just finished switching out her freight cars and is headed to the engine terminal at Mount Frigid.

Bluefield Berkshire number 777 was the primary modern steam power used on the Southern Allegheny Division for fast freight service. Even after the N&W purchased the line, B&AC's 4 handsome Berks continued to hold down a lot of through freight assignments. The extremely steep grades in combination with short sidings, limited the length of most freights. Bluefield later leased 2 Berkshires from Nickel Plate to supplement their modern power and retire older Mikado and consolidation types.

This photo was taken at the Mount Frigid Engine Terminal in fall of 1950. You can see N&W 1238 on the right. She was a regular guest on the Bluefield in 1950 and was regularly serviced at Mount Frigid along with a couple of her articulated sisters.  In the center is an older Bluefield consolidation.