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NW 433, Abingdon, Virginia

NW 433, Abingdon, Virginia

Mastodon. In 1958, the Norfolk & Western Railway donated 433 (4-8-0, Alco) to the Town of Abingdon, Virginia as a monument to the end of steam on the Abingdon or Virginia Creeper Branch. By accounts this was a very difficult and slow piece of railroad to traverse, and steam engines like this "Mastodon" (or "M class or "Molle") were utilized due to weight restrictions across trestles. By 1974 it was abandoned and in 1984 the U. S. Forest Service created the Virginia Creeper Trail. On the evening of November 20, 2022, the engine sits under the roof that was constructed in 2003 during a restoration that included replacing some missing parts on the engine with the assistance of the Strasburg Rail Road, owner of NW 475, the other surviving member of this class.