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.

An N&W Y6b runs through the deep cut at the old Post Tunnel. Although this nighttime photograph looks like the work of O. Winstorn Link, this photo was actually taken by railfan Charley Butterworth, perched high above the track, likely on one of the piers of  Post trestle on the new line.  The fact that there is a Y6b running on the old line suggests this is leased N&W power running on the Bluefield before the 1950 buyout.

A visitor on the Bluefield.

In 1946, The Bluefield was considering its options for adding to its fleet of modern steam power for freight service and decided to borrow locomotives off of other roads to test their performance on the Bluefield. One of the locomotives tried was a Reading T1 4-8-4, 2103. The T1 design was the result of a collaboration between the Reading Company and Baldwin locomotive works, and they were built by elongating the boilers of several of the Reading's large 2-8-0s and building a new engine around that key component. They proved so successful that the Reading built 30 total.

In this nighttime photo, 2103 sits alongside a Bluefield P4 Pacific and a class M Mikado, the night before her trial runs were to begin. Eventually, The Big 4-8-4 was deemed to long the drivers too big for the Bluefield. After her trials, she was stored temporarily at Mount Frigid before being returned to the Reading.

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 Brand New 777 has arrived fresh from the factory

In this striking color slide, a brand new 777 has just been delivered to the Mount Frigid Engine Terminal from her birth place in Lima Locomotive Works in Lima Ohio.  The Bluefield ordered a total of 4 Lima-built Berkshires, numbered 775-778. They were essential copies of the famous Nickel Plate locomotives of the same wheel arrangement. When she arrived, the 777 had white running boards and white trimmed drivers (a look typically reserved for passenger power). She also sported a handsomely sheathed smokebox. The engine would not keep her fancy appearance for long, as tough mountain railroading and the many tunnels located on steep grades created less than clean conditions for any steam power.

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.

A double headed southbound coal train passes Mound Frigid Engine terminal behind 2 M4 Mikados. The year is 1948. The Train originated in Mount Frigid yard on the other side of the mountain. The coal came from mines north of Mount Frigid and most of it will continue south to Bluefield, where the N&W will take it to the port at Lambert's Point. These through coal trains were seen regularly on the Bluefield and were the railroad's bread and butter. Once N&W took over the line, articulated N&W power could be seen more and more on these through coal trains.

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.

N&W Class A pulls a heavy freight on The Bluefield in January of 1951. She is seen running through the rock cut just past Post tunnel. This line only saw occasional service after 1944, when a grade reducing cutoff was built. The new line reconnected to the old line near Big Run.

Repairs, circa 1920

Two Bluefield Steam locomotives are undergoing repairs at an unknown location sometimes in the early 1920s before the arrival of the larger Mikados that would first appear on the property in 1923. The earliest class M, Mikados were rebuilt from consolidations and kept their original road numbers in the 400 series. Behind the two Bluefield engines, you can see either an N&W class J or K2a.