Southern Railway Steam Trains, Vol. 2, Freight

 

The late Curt Tillotson wrote a two-volume set of books about Southern Railway’s steam trains. Vol. 1, about the passenger trains, was sold out quickly, but we have found some of the Vol. 2 that deals with freight trains.

 

We are now offering these, as long as they last, at a very reasonable mark-down, so as to clear our warehouse.

 

The book has 113 photos. This means that they are almost all displayed at half page size. Curt insisted on the large size for the photos to give the full impact and effect of the scenes. Almost all are superb action photos of SR’s great immaculately maintained engines on freight trains in various parts of its far-flung system across the southeastern U. S. Curt selected exceptionally good photos and they are all displayed very well on 100-lb. glossy paper.

 

He accompanied the pictures with an interesting and well-written text that incorporates much information about SR operations, its territory, and history. Tillotson himself was a high-school teacher and an excellent writer. Anyone will enjoy the book and the histories and stories he has assembled to accompany the photos. If you want rosters, roster photos, and technical data, you will not find them in this book. What you will come away with is a “felling” or “understanding” of how the Southern used its steam engines in the last few decades before diesels conquered. 

 

Chapters include: Steam and Spencer Shops; 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 Switchers; 2-8-0 Consolidations; Light Mikado 2-8-2s; Ms-4 Class Heavy Mikados; The Massive 2-8-8-2s. The last two chapters deal with SR’s famous mountain districts:  the Saluda Grade, and the Swannanoa Route. 

 

Southern never had the money to buy “modern” steam, so it didn’t get much beyond the 2-8-2s and the 2-8-8-2 for its freight trains. Of course, many of its routes were in the fairly flat regions of the South.

 

We are sorry we don’t have any of the Vol. 1 to offer, but this Vol. 2 will certainly please anyone interested in steam and wanting to know more about C&O’s southern neighbor. Although C&O only connected with SR at Washington, Orange, and Richmond in the east and Cincinnati and Lexington (Ky.) in the west, the two managements were always close, since the two lines both considered themselves “Southern” in nature and outlook with headquarters in Virginia (SR actually in DC), at least until C&O acquired its more Midwestern favor after the Van Sweringen connection of the 1920s. C&O also operated over the Southern mainline between Orange and Alexandria, Va. and used SR’s Potomac yard for its passenger trains to Washington and east as well as its freight for the Northeast. Hardbound, 112 pages, fully illustrated, published in 2000

 

Originally published at $32.95, you may now buy the book from us at the special price of $19.95.