Books by Other Publishers

A History of Mining, Smelting and Transporting Iron in the Virginia Counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Botetourt and Rockbridge

For over 100 years iron was “king” in the Valley of Virginia. Millions of dollars were invested and thousands of workers toiled in the vast enterprise of smelting iron. But by 1929 it was all over; the last of Virginia’s blast furnaces had closed. How did it all begin and what were the forces which enabled the rise and caused the subsequent fall of the iron industry?

This 357-page history of four Virginia counties, Alleghany, Augusta, Botetourt and Rockbridge, details the advent of the early bloomery forges, then the cold-blast charcoal furnaces and finally the large hot-blast coke furnaces which transitioned Virginia through its iron age. Transportation and mining techniques are described. Fifty seven furnaces and over 125 mines are listed and detailed. Over 150 photos, documents and maps illustrate this story. Virginia’s iron age is over but its history should never be forgotten

Softcover, History Press

By Sheree Scarborough

History of Mining, Smelting and Transporting Iron in the S. W. Virginia Counties of Bland, Carroll, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wythe

Few people know of the significant contribution made by southwestern Virginia to the iron history of Virginia and the nation. Southwestern Virginia is part of the 300-mile-long valley sandwiched between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains and extends from Front Royal in the north to Bristol in the south. While this area lacked the early river transportation infrastructure enjoyed by the other iron-producing regions of the valley, it contained one of the richest deposits of iron found in Virginia. Once the Norfolk & Western Railway was established, iron was mined and smelted in prodigious amounts. Twenty-four charcoal furnaces operated in the region before the Civil War and twenty-six were in blast after the conflict, including ten hot-blast coke furnaces capable of producing over 100 tons of iron per day.

From the beginning of the iron era, which utilized small bloomery forges, to the end when the mammoth coke furnaces were king, southwestern Virginia had contributed to the Virginia iron age for over 150 years. The iron histories of Bland, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Washington and Wythe counties are included in this 340-page book along with 130 maps, diagrams and pictures.

Also described are the use of bloomery forges during the early settlement of southwestern Virginia, the development of transportation used to ship iron materials, how the charcoal and coke furnaces worked, the effects of the Civil War and Great Boom on iron production, formation of consortia including the Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company, construction of railroads used to reach the iron deposits and extraction of iron ores from the ground. Over forty-five iron furnaces are described and numerous iron mines are detailed. The book also concludes with an examination of the future of iron production for the region.

NWHS member, Alex Schust, tells the story of the first 100 years of the industrialization of McDowell County by following the N&W as it tunneled through Coaldale Mountain to reach the mining operations on Elkhorn Creek in 1888, through the construction of the last major mining operation at Munson, WV in 1947.

Hardcover, 640 pages, 516 B/W photographs

by Alex P. Schust

The Hotel Roanoke is as old as the city of Roanoke itself. It opened in 1882, when the city became the headquarters for the Norfolk & Western Railway, and signaled the city’s progress. The Hotel was owned by the N&W and is a subject close to the heart of many N&W fans. This revised and updated version of Donlan Piedmont’s Peanut Soup and Spoonbread: An Informal History of the Hotel Roanoke captures the amazing history of not only a hotel but also the personalities and stories that have made the Hotel Roanoke what it is today—a remarkable blend of century-old tradition and state-of-the-art hospitality.

176 pages, softcover with many photos. NOTE: This book is awaiting a reprint as it sold out before our order was processed.

Contains carefully selected archival images from the renowned historical Norfolk and Western photograph collection housed at Virginia Tech. These images, many never before published, date back nearly a century and convey the storied past of life along the rails.

B&W, softcover, 128 pages.

History from the Hollows of Wayne County, West Virginia and the coming of the N&W R/R 1870-1940.

Hardcover, 194 pages

By Jack L. Dickinson and Kay Stamper Dickinson

Violent Deaths along the Norfolk & Western in Wayne and Mingo Counties, West Virginia

Hardcover, 308 pages

By Jack L. Dickinson and Kay Stamper Dickinson

The final volume in this series features over 335 full color images of N& W’s 2nd-gen roadswitchers and newer power! Coverage includes former Nickel Plate GP30s, the lone GP35 and Alco C-420, ex-Wabash U25Bs, GP35s, and C-424s, as well as N&W-ordered power from the 1960s onward. GP’s, U-Boats, Centuries, and other models are featured. Illinois Terminal rare SD39s also appear!

128 page hardcover

By Stephen M. Timko

Pictorial book starting with the early 1962 99 year lease between the N&W and the P&WV., ending May 1990 when it was included in the new W&LE.

Hardbound with dust jacket, 144 B/W pages By Gene P. Schaeffer

Hardcover, 112 pages, TLC Publishing

by Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.

Collected from the pages of Trains Magazine

Real stories from the pages of Trains Magazine. Employee stories and real-life experiences in working on the railroad from the 1920s through the 1990s with most from the 1950s and after. Fascinating reading. Relatable to the N&W and all railroads and features a story by our own Ed King!. Stories finally collected in a single place. A must have for folks who like to read true tales of the rails.

192 pages, softcover

Authored by NWHS member Wayne McKinney.

Softcover, 128 pages, Arcadia Publishing

By Wayne McKinney

A History of Mining, Smelting and Transporting Iron in the Virginia Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren

Most people know of the rich Civil War history of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia but few know that the Valley was also rich in iron smelting history. The first furnace west of the Blue Ridge Mountains was built in this region.

For over 144 years the area produced iron ore and smelted ore into pig iron. The region’s iron history covered the eras of the bloomery forge, charcoal cold-blast furnace and finally hot-blast coke furnace. “Shenandoah Iron” includes the transporting, mining and smelting activities of this industrial enterprise and explains in detail how iron ore is transformed into iron.

Over 24 cold-blast furnaces are described and the two modern hot-blast furnaces are depicted. Over 80 iron mines are identified. The contributions of German-Americans who settled the valley and dominated the iron business are highlighted. The practice of industrial slavery and the impact of the Civil War on the iron industry are explored. This 350 page book includes 137 photographs, maps and drawings to illustrate the contributions that the Shenandoah counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren made to the iron smelting industry of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

48 page softcover 11 x 8.5 inch book. All-color.

• notes on the Pennsy’s local history and the Company’s relationship to other railroads in town
• descriptions and photos of locations listed in employee timetables
• roster and action shots of PRR steam and diesel in Cincinnati
• detailed history and consists of the Cincinnati Limited
• photo section dedicated to sleepers of the Cincinnati Limited

Limited stock

662 pages, hardcover 6" x 9" format

The Steam Locomotive Energy Story has already been receiving high praise from reviewers who have seen the finished work. Speaking about this publication, Thomas W. Dixon, Jr., of the C&O Historical Society, stated that, “[this book is] the best discussion of steam locomotive efficiency ever done. Simpson understands and documents how the steam engine builders and railroads worked to increase efficiency, yet the very design of the machine prevented much increase in capability, even in the much-heralded ‘Super Power’ locomotives post-1925.” Mr. Dixon added that The Steam Locomotive Energy Story is a scholarly review, fully footnoted with an extensive bibliography, and it should assume an important place in the literature of locomotive steam power in the United States.

In his work, Mr. Simpson concludes that a good steam locomotive could convert 7% of its fuel to mechanical energy, and most locomotives did not reach that level, while the very best only reached the range of 8% efficiency. A typical diesel-electric locomotive, by contrast, produces around 30-35% efficiency. And, for further comparison, an electric generating plant is 33% efficient, and an automobile about 25%.

Walter Simpson was energy officer for the State University of New York at Buffalo for 26 years and holds master degrees in philosophy and environmental studies. With this education, experience, and background, he was able to approach this subject from an entirely different perspective from other railroad authors. Mr. Simpson has also published Diesel-Electric Locomotives with Simmons-Boardman and Turbine Power (available from the Commissary) with the publisher Kalmbach. The latter has been hailed as the best treatment thus far of how railroads (including the N&W Railway and C&O Railway) tried to use steam-turbine locomotives as an alternative to advancing diesel technology.

Are there any other better words to describe it? Turbine Power by Walter Simpson is a new book that covers steam and gas turbine locomotives and trains, how they functioned, and the technology used from the 1939-2003 era that made them go. This is the first book that brings together information about turbine locomotives and trains that collects all of the various projects in one place. From first prototypes to the most recent proposals, everything is presented with vintage images and references that all railroad fans will enjoy.

This book will be of special interest to N&W fans, as the 2300, Jawn Henry is specifically covered and the Society provided much support and a number of images for the book.

128 pages, softcover

Hardcover, 90 pages

by Aubrey Wiley

This book is perfect for railroad historians, railfans, local and regional historians and model railroaders.

Hardcover, 233 pages

by Aubrey Wiley

192 pages

Shipping early February

128 page hardcover