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Steam · Work · Motion

Railroads

A collection by Drifton Dalton

Curated collection

Railroading as living history and working landscape—seen in machinery, people, movement, and the environments shaped around the tracks.

Norfolk and Western 611 charging through a curve beneath a towering plume of smoke — The Queen of Steam Augusta Springs, Virginia Norfolk & Western 611 thunders through the Shenandoah Valley, filling the landscape with the sights and sounds of living history.

Norfolk and Western steam locomotive 611 emerging head-on through mist and smoke — Power Through the Mist Goshen, Virginia The Spirit of Roanoke thunders through the mist, carrying echoes of an era when iron, steam, and imagination ruled the rails.

Empty coal train crossing the Whitewood trestle above a mountain road — Last Light at Whitewood Whitewood, Virginia From above, an empty coal train descends the grade across the Whitewood trestle in the last light of the evening.

Industrial plant glowing with flame and smoke beneath a forested Appalachian ridge — A Furnace Beneath the Forest Oakwood, Virginia Smoke and flame rise beneath the forested hills as steel breathes and a coal train waits beside the workings of Industrial Appalachia.

Steam locomotive pulling passenger cars past a green field — Through the Valley Wabun, Virginia Norfolk & Western J 611 works west through the outskirts of Salem at Wabun, bound for Walton before returning to Roanoke.

Crew member in the cab of Norfolk and Western 611 surrounded by drifting steam — Where History Still Breathes Goshen, Virginia Inside the cab of the Spirit of Roanoke, generations of skill and pride keep the experience of American mainline steam alive.

Staged train crew member inspecting Norfolk and Western 611 by lantern light — By Lantern Light Virginia Museum of Transportation · Roanoke, Virginia A staged scene recreates a train crew member checking over Norfolk & Western 611, with lantern light illuminating the locomotive’s machinery.

Staged black-and-white scene of crew members aboard Norfolk and Western 1218 — Cab 1218 Virginia Museum of Transportation · Roanoke, Virginia A staged black-and-white scene places crew members in the cab of Norfolk & Western 1218, evoking the human presence behind the steam locomotive.

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