Norfolk and Western 433 is a preserved class M 4-8-0 "Mastodon" type

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

built by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

Richmond Locomotive Works Richmond Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing firm located in Richmond, Virginia. It began operation in 1887, and produced upward of 4,500 engines during its 40 years of operation. The Richmond Locomotive Works was the largest and ...

in January 1907 for the

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

. It was one of 125 M Class engines in operation on the N&W for around 50 years. After surviving an accident in 1951, the 433 was rebuilt and worked in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

for a time where she was also assigned as a back up locomotive for the Abingdon Branch. This "Mollie" also worked as a switcher in Roanoke,

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, and Radford. The 433 was eventually retired in 1958 and it became one of only two M Class locomotives to survive aside from the "Lost Engines of Roanoke". It was cosmetically restored in 2002 and now resides as a static display along the old

Virginia Creeper Trail The Virginia Creeper Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail. Located in southwestern Virginia, the trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia, near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the North Carolina state line. The trail accommodate ...

in Abingdon.

History

Original service life

The

Norfolk & Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

(N&W), a company that mainly operated in

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, preferred

4-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, usually in a leading truck or bogie, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no traili ...

"Mastodon" types over

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

"Mikados" as their non-

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...

locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...

. The Mastodons were highly versatile locomotives and were often nicknamed "Mollies" by old time railroaders. They had a total of seventy-five M class Mastodons built by the

(ALCO) in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

and fifty built by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

between 1906 and 1907, being numbered 375–499. In 1907, another fifty were built by Alco and fifty by Baldwin all designated as M1s and numbered 1000–1099. In 1910, fifty more came from Baldwin, designated as M2s and numbered 1100–1160. The 433 was among the last locomotives of the M class built in January 1907. During the early years of the N&W, the 433 was assigned to mainline freight and passenger service, as well as local yard work. In the 1920s, when larger and heavier locomotives were being introduced, like the Y class

mallets A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...

, the "Mollies" were all reassigned to branch lines. One such branch line the 433 was assigned to was the Abington branch, known as the Virginia Creeper that laid between Abingdon and West Jefferson,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, where steep grades, sharp curves, and wooden

trestles ATLAS-I (Air Force Weapons Lab Transmission-Line Aircraft Simulator), better known as Trestle, was a unique electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generation and testing apparatus built between 1972 and 1980 during the Cold War at Sandia National Labora ...

prohibited using locomotives any heavier than a Mastodon. In 1951, No. 433 was figured in a wreck, and was afterwards rebuilt, and since she wasn't superheated like most of her sisters were, she was reassigned as a yard switcher in

. On at least one occasion, No. 433 teamed up with two fellow Mastodons for a tripleheader on the Virginia Creeper to pull carloads of

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

South-bound to North Carolina. Upon arrival at White Top station, the No. 433 ended her "helper duty" and returned to Bristol tender first, since there was no

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

, nor a wye to turn the locomotive around at White Top, or Abingdon. The year 1957, was the last year when steam operations occurred at the Virginia Creeper, ending with Mollies 382 and 429, before the branch made a complete transition to diesel power. The following year, after more than fifty years of revenue service, the 433 completed her last freight assignment before its fire was dropped one last time.

Preservation

The Town of Abingdon wanted a steam locomotive for static display as a monument to the Virginia Creeper, so the N&W donated the No. 433, which arrived at Radford before being moved to her present display site in November 1958. The locomotive would spend the next sixty-three years under a wooden roof for protection from the weather. However, the No. 433 was still exposed to the elements and vandals, which resulted in significant deterioration and damage. By 1974, the N&W petitioned the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

to abandon the branch, and by 1984, the line was ripped up and converted into a trail, as it was secured by the

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

to create the

. In 2002, volunteers from the Virginia Creeper Trail Club, in partnership with the Washington County Preservation Foundation, began a project to cosmetically restore the No. 433 back to the way it was donated forty-six years prior. Local businesses contributed material and labor to this effort, and volunteers constructed and painted windows and doors, and they cleaned and painted the tender and interior of the cab. The old building that covered the locomotive was also torn down and replaced by a steel one. Two marker lights were bought for the smokebox of the locomotive, replacing those that were stolen more than twenty years prior.

Surviving sister engines

* Norfolk and Western Railway 475 is the only other M class Mollie that was left to survive, and it is an older locomotive than the 433, despite the higher road number. It has been sold and moved several times between 1960 and 1985. It has been operating on the

Strasburg Rail Road The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rai ...

{{Cite web, title=No. 475, url=https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/dig-deeper/equipment-roster/475-2/, access-date=2021-01-20, website=Strasburg Rail Road, language=en-US in Strasburg,

since 1993. * There are three younger surviving N&W Mastodons known as the "Lost Engines of Roanoke", them being two M2 locomotives, numbers 1118, 1134, and one M2c, 1151, which have resided in the Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal yard from 1950 to 2009. M2c No. 1151 was moved on August 21, 2009, M2 No. 1134 moved on August 24, and M2 No. 1118 on August 26. The 1134 has received cosmetic restoration and is now located at the Railroad Museum of Virginia, in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. 1118 was traded for

0-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangemen ...

T No. 34 and will remain at NRHS chapter's 9th Street facility. 1151 was moved to the

Virginia Museum of Transportation The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, US. children under two years do not to buy tickets and students can get a discounted $10.5 ticket. History The Virg ...

in Roanoke.

References

External links

Virginia Creeper Trail Official Website
4-8-0 locomotives

433 Year 433 ( CDXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Maximus (or, less frequently, year 1186 ''Ab urbe ...