Norfolk Southern

As many of you prepare for a weekend of #Halloween festivities, please keep #safety in mind. Remember when you are near railroad tracks to always expect a train. Trains are quieter and faster than you think, can run on any track, at any time, from either direction and do not run on schedules.

Our photography winner for May is David Light, locomotive engineer. For as long as he can remember, David Light says he wanted to be a railroader – and for the past 15 years, he’s lived that dream both as an NS conductor and locomotive engineer. Railroading wasn’t a family tradition, but it is his passion. “I'm one of those people who has always wanted to work for the railroad,” says David. “My family and close friends will tell you that that's all I talked about since I was three years old.” Over the years, despite being warned of its challenges and demanding schedule, David says it was his appreciation for the railroad’s economic impact in communities across the country that ultimately sealed the deal. “As I got older and learned more about what the railroad is – why it exists, what it does, and the people that make it work – there was never any question what I wanted for a career.”

Railroading and photography – Matt’s passionate about both, he says, and wants to make the most of his opportunities in each field. With a photographer’s eye always on the lookout for new material, he’s also set on following in his grandfather’s footsteps to become an NS locomotive engineer. Personal goals and scenic views aside, the best part of his job at NS is the people, Matt says. “I really enjoy what I do,” he adds. “I work with great people. We’re like a big family out here.” It’s a mentality his co-workers share, he says, and it helps create an environment where achieving operational excellence in their daily work is not only the goal, but a standard and point of pride.

“We have a vital role in the economy,” Matt says. “At the end of the day, our job is to move our customers’ freight from A to B in a way that’s safe and reliable. To be successful, it takes commitment from everyone on the team every day.”

Wishing you a safe and Happy Easter.

Pictured: Staged for a special photo shoot, the Penn Central and Conrail heritage units are joined by NS SD70ACe #1011 at Amtrak's 16th Street yard in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

It’s Throwback Thursday! Norfolk & Western’s Class A No. 1206—a powerful steam locomotive with a 2-6-6-4-wheel arrangement— rumbled along the tracks just east of mile post 13 near Norfolk, Virginia, in 1949.

Ten years earlier, the innovative engine was on display at the New York World’s Fair. When the fair ended, No. 1206 returned to service as part of the N&W fleet. The articulated locomotive was built in 1937 for fast freight service and could reach speeds of more than 70 mph.

Our photography winner for March is Cory Rusch. Since joining NS nearly five years ago, Cory, a conductor based in Buffalo, New York, has spent time running road trains, operating in local train service, and working in yard operations, too. Now covering territory ranging from Toledo, Ohio, to Binghamton, New York, and even occasionally venturing into Canada, Cory says the varying scenery is a highlight of his job as a conductor. “I like that it lets me mix it up and keep things exciting,” he says. “Going east to Binghamton is a quiet, scenic run through mountains and rivers. Over towards Toledo things are much busier with a lot of trains and interaction.” While not a family tradition, his career path was shaped by his own lifelong interest in trains and travel, as well as friends who had joined the railroad. “I always had an interest in the railroad and seeing new places,” Cory adds. “A lot of my friends had gone to work there, so I decided to give it a try. I’m enjoying it.

All is still. A heavy Lake Erie snow blankets the mainline that runs across Buffalo’s wooded hills. It’s barely dawn, and even for those well-versed in raw, northern winters, the sharp chill of 10-degree morning air is bitter enough to bring any human back indoors.

NS trains, however, are on the move – and so is Cory Rusch.

Perched above the mainline, Rusch has been waiting. He readies his camera. In the distance, soft, crystalline snow erupts into the air and fades into a powdery, glittering haze as an oncoming freight train approaches. Suddenly, NS 36T bursts into view, cutting through the winter silence in a rush of vibrant color and thunderous momentum.

Rusch approaches his role as an NS trainman with that same patience and passion.

“Railroading isn’t about what’s easy,” he says. “That shot shows exactly how this company works. We run 24/7, 365 days a year. We move anything, in any weather. We don’t quit until the job is done – and when it’s over, we know we’ve done it right.”

At the time, Spencer, North Carolina—located halfway between Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.—was home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility.

Known for its efficiency and skill, the shop’s volunteer fire company had members on duty 24 hours a day “affording the shops continuous protection.” The company also had a mutual agreement with the municipal fire companies of Spencer and East Spencer.

Top row, left to right: Maurice D. Stewart, shop superintendent; Bryant McBride, master mechanic; Willis P. Neister, machinist and chief; William D. Morgan, machinist and assistant chief; and Stanford B. Morgan, boilermaker.

Second row: Russell H. Bingham, machinist; William T. Porter, machinist; James R. Bickett, machinist; Isaac W. Lomax, car repairer; Samuel T. Trexler, machinist; James F. Tippet, mechanic; Gilmer L. Miller, machinist; James R. Kluttz, machinist; and Marvin Rone, boilermaker.

Third row: William A. Boone, air brake repairer; Thomas C. Neil, machinist; Frederick C. Hickman, pipefitter; Ernest L. Kluttz, carpenter—the brother of James in the second row; Walter Wyatt; Edwin C. Thomas, carpenter; Thomas H. Grubb; Russell D. Johnson, machinist; W. F. Thompson; James A. Summers, mechanic; and Earl Swicegood, electrician.

Front row: Richard Mack Morgan, electrician; Smithdeal Miller—Morgan’s brother-in-law—machinist; W. C. Norris; Vonnie E. Brown, carpenter; Floyd M. Barber, carman; and Lee C. Lentz, machinist. Eight-year-old Virginia Neister, the sponsor of the fire company, was the daughter of chief Willis Neister and his wife Estelle. Milton C. Whitman, carpenter, and Henry C. Caddell, millwright, stood by the hose reel.

Then and now, railroaders work together to renew the rails, deliver the goods, and keep the steel wheels rolling. #spencershops #safety #tbt

40 years ago today, Congress passed the #StaggersAct? See how balanced regulations helped freight rail become one of the safest, most efficient #transportation networks in the world. #Staggers40 #DYK https://www.aar.org/article/20-20-vision-how-the-staggers-act-prepared-american-railroads-for-today/

This 1944 Pennsylvania Railroad passenger schedule features a sailor in his iconic Dixie Cup hat—a cover “made of white cotton twill with a rounded crown and full stitch brim” worn squarely on the head with the “lower front edge approximately one and a half-inch above the eyebrow.”

From January 1, 1941 through December 1, 1945, more than 17.5 million soldiers, sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen were moved over the Pennsylvania Railroad system. To handle strictly military passenger traffic, the PRR added 29,670 extra trains composed of 400,000 cars.

Left to right: Sam M. Emery, caller; James A. Stewart, switchman; James T. Spencer, switchman; James A. Todd, fireman; Edwin C. Bradley, engineer; and Samuel Augustus Dover, conductor.

Then and now, railroaders work hard every day to keep the steel wheels rolling.