The Shadow
Clifton Forge, Va. – While usually dedicated to separate areas of historical study, two railroad
historical societies have found a way to collaborate and share a large inventory of published
histories that together, tell the story of our country’s development. For the first time, the
railroad-history organizations from southwest Virginia, the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical
Society and the Norfolk & Western Historical Society, will partner for an event sharing America’s
railroad heritage with the public using one of their best tools for carrying out their missions to
preserve our heritage: published histories. On Saturday, December 7, the two non-profit
organizations will hold a book sale featuring titles that cover nearly every railroad in the United
States.
Utilizing the C&O Railway Heritage Center facilities in Clifton Forge, the N&W Historical Society
and the C&O Historical Society will set up special inventory displays at the museum’s gift shop,
which is housed in a replica C&O Railway train depot. From 10 AM – 4 PM, the two
organizations will showcase their best publications, including an array of new-old-stock
“warehouse finds” that feature histories of railroads throughout the continent.
This “warehouse find” inventory includes mostly out-of-print books in mint condition, and in
addition to C&O Railway and N&W Railway titles, railroads whose histories have not been
published in decades can now be discovered by a new audience. The N&W Historical Society
will showcase the historical work of authors such as Ed King, August Thieme, Kenneth L. Miller,
Louis Newton, and Alex Schust. The C&O Historical Society’s offerings include titles by
Thomas W. Dixon., Jr., Dave Ostrander, Charles McIntyre, Al Kresse, Karen Parker, Dr.
Wendall McCord, and Kurt Reisweber, including a new, all-color hardbound book celebrating
the legacy of famed Chesapeake & Ohio photographer Gene Huddleston.
The new-old-stock books available on December 7 also cover the history of a wide variety of
American railroads that stretched across the country. Several of the most prominent titles
available for purchase in mint condition come from authors like Kevin J. Holland, Patrick C.
Dorin, Marc Frattasio, and John B. Corns. Together, their body of work examines the histories
of railroads such as the Missouri Pacific Railroad, New Haven Railroad, the Chicago and North
Western Railway, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the Nickel Plate Road, Boston &
Maine, Maine Central, Bangor & Aroostook, Central Vermont, Rutland, the Canadian Pacific Railway,
Grand Trunk Railway, and the Canadian National.
While pricing for featured titles will be at all ranges, most available books will be priced on a
wholesale level. Many of the hardbound books are available as low as $10 each.
Since the event will take place in the C&O Historical Society’s museum facilities, the
organization’s regular catalog of inventory, including Chessie the Railroad Kitten merchandise,
will also be available. “Chessie” was the C&O Railway’s famous mascot for decades,
advertising the railroad’s passenger service and eventually the efficiency of the C&O’s freight
operation.
Speaking about the joint event, Mark Totten, president of the C&O Historical Society, stated,
“We are excited for this first-time collaboration with the N&W Historical Society. This type of
event, at this time of year, is a good opportunity for the public ahead of the holidays. With these
new-old-stock books offered by both of our organizations, anyone interested in American
railroads can have the gift of history under the tree this year.”
Tim Hensley, president of the N&W Historical Society, echoed the same sentiments, “This is a
joint venture of the two societies devoted to the history of Pocahontas Region railroading. Both
roads were particularly devoted to moving coal with notable locomotive designs, but maintained
storied, nationally-respected passenger services as well. Expect to see more such cooperatives
in the future.”
Both non-profit leaders expressed that while this joint book sale is their first public collaboration
together, neither wanted December 7’s event to be the last time they worked together to share
the transportation history their groups preserve. Totten stated, “We hope this event is
successful enough to lead to many more.”
This array of book titles documenting the history of American railroads will be available at the
C&O Railway Heritage Center’s gift shop, Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 10 AM – 4 PM, at
705 Main Street, Clifton Forge, VA.
Updates and additional information can be found on Facebook under @cohs.org.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, Inc., established in 1969, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation dedicated to preserving, researching, and sharing the history of the American
railway experience using the C&O Railway’s history through a vast collection of drawings,
documents, and artifacts.
Our staff and volunteers carry this mission to as broad an audience as possible through seven
organizational departments, our Business Office, Archive, Publications Department, Retail
Department, the C&O Railway Heritage Center museum, our St. Albans satellite, and through
Conferences and Events. Thousands strong, a global network of Society members that
includes historians, authors, and modelers have a shared interest in the C&O Railway as well as
Chessie, “the Railroad Kitten,” the railroad’s mascot, which became one of the most successful
and endearing advertising symbols in history.
More information about the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society and the history of the C&O
Railway, which includes Chessie, can be found online at cohs.org. The C&OHS archive
database is available online at archives.cohs.org. Support for our organization that derives its
revenue only from membership dues, retail sales, and donations from the public can be made
through our retail website, ChessieShop.com.
The goal of the Norfolk & Western Historical Society, Inc. is to preserve the history of the
Norfolk & Western and Virginian railroads. As a non-profit organization, the group is established
by the 501(c)(3) provisions of the Internal Revenue Service codes. The N&WHS was organized
in 1984 by Rick Stone and a small group of interested individuals to provide a structured way to
capture and share the history of the Norfolk & Western and Virginian Railways.
The long-term objective of the N&WHS is to be a primary source for historical information on the
Norfolk and Western and Virginian railroads. This objective covers all the readily-identifiable
areas of interest: publications, model production, and historical research. The Society adds artifacts
to its archives collection of drawings, photographs, and documents.
