Thursday, May 19, through Sunday, May 22
Hilton Garden Inn, Pikeville
Y’all come… “Back to the Coal Fields” for a weekend of fun, education
and fellowship. This year’s convention will be held in Pikeville, KY.
Pikeville has been called the “energy Capital of America” and is centrally
located within easy driving distance to several former N&W places of interest.
Driving north from Pikeville, you are 30 minutes away from the Pocahontas Division mainline
in Williamson, WV. Driving east from Pikeville,
you are 40 minutes from the former N&W (now NS) Buchanan Branch.
Driving south from Pikeville, you are 45 minutes from Norton, VA and the
Lower Clinch Valley District. There are also many branch lines that will
be of interest to all N&W fans. Railfan guides will be available.
The Hilton Garden Inn
will be the NWHS Convention
headquarters. A block of 30 rooms has been made
available until April 22 at the NWHS Convention rate
of $119.00 per night plus tax. Book your room early
to obtain this special rate!
Hilton Garden Inn: 606-766-2000
Mention the Norfolk and Western Historical Society when registering
Hilton Garden Inn Pikeville
849 Hambley Boulevard
Pikeville, KY 41501
The registration desk will open at 3:00 pm as the convention kicks off. Be sure to join us at 5:00 pm. for a meet and greet, welcome and clinics.
The morning will be devoted to clinics and local non-rail tours. You might want to check out the Hatfield-McCoy tour and gain insight into their legendary feud.
At 3:00 pm the bus will depart for Vansant, VA and a tour of the Sun Coal and
Coke Jewell Coke Plant. (Tour is limited to 34 people. No dinner
provided.) We will travel along the former Chesapeake and Ohio
(now CSXT) Big Sandy mainline passing Elkhorn City, KY and the
connection with the Clinchfield Railroad. Moving into Buchanan
County, VA, we will travel along the N&W Levisa Branch to its junction with the
Buchanan Branch main line at Weller Yard, VA. Then
continuing east and following the N&W line
through the town of Grundy, VA past the
Dismal Yard, we will arrive at the coke plant.
The plant has been in operation since 1960.
This facility heats metallurgical coal in large
scale, specially designed ovens to more than
2000 degrees Fahrenheit. This leaves behind
a carbon rich product called coke. The coke
is shipped on the former N&W (now Norfolk Southern) Buchanan Branch to steel
mills where it is mixed with iron ore and
other elements and heated again in a blast
furnace as part of the steel making process. For more info on Sun Coke, see
coalcampusa website.
After the tour you can relax and enjoy Main Street Live in downtown Pikeville. Live musical entertainment, food, soft drinks and beer.
The Virginian Interest group will meet Friday evening after Coke Plant tour.
This morning, weather permitting, we will head out on a mine tour. Our tour bus will leave the hotel at 8:00 am to tour local coal facilities, including a strip mine site and/or coal prep plant. Weather conditions will determine locations.
The afternoon will be devoted to clinics and the annual business meeting.
The annual banquet will begin at 6:30 pm. Ron Flanary with give a N&W slideshow and talk. The banquet will be buffet style and will consist of beef bourguignon (beef tips braised in a red wine gravy), roasted Hawaiian chicken, rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, southern style green beans, dinner rolls, chef’s choice of dessert, tea, coffee, water. Cocktails and soft drinks can be purchased at the bar. Entertainment by Coaltown Dixie.
