Everyone Wants to Get into the Act

The first 4-8-4 engine was built in 1927. There were 1,126 engines owned by 36 railroads in North America. The locomotive on the front of this post card is 4-8-4 “Northern”

type engine. It had 70 inch drivers and weighed 494,000 pounds. This locomotive is part of a publicity shot by the Norfolk & Western Railway in the 1940s at its Roanoke shops in Virginia; as you can see, everyone wanted to get into the act. The following information was taken from this website: https://www.nwhs.org/about_nw.php The Norfolk & Western Railway was a unique operation of modest proportions that achieved recognition beyond contemporary railroads of similar size. In actuality, Norfolk & Western had two differing styles. Before 1964, it was a coal hauler known for its excellent financial performance, and which operated arguably the finest fleet of steam motive power at the head of long coal trains. The routine tonnage carried on these trains would be considered records elsewhere. Changes began first with dieselization and then merger with Virginian Railway in the late 1950's. In 1964 Norfolk & Western leased, merged with, or purchased several other railroads to expand its operation becoming a major midwestern carrier. As such it operated routes from Norfolk VA and Buffalo NY to Chicago IL and St. Louis and Kansas City MO. On June 1, 1982 the Norfolk & Western, along with the Southern Railway, became subsidiaries of Norfolk Southern Corporation, a newly formed holding company. Finally on September 1, 1998 Norfolk & Western's corporate existence ended as it was merged into Norfolk Southern Corporation.

The post card was published by the Mayer Post Card Company. Its address was 2234 Maiden Lane, S. W., Roanoke, Virginia. There is a zip code as part of the address (24015) so this post card was published after 1963, even though the picture is from the 1940s. I was searching for this company on the internet. Here is what I found at https://whereorg.com/mayer-post-card-co-17506845 According to our records, this business is located at 3633 Ghent Dr. in Chesterfield (in Chesterfield County), Virginia 23832, the location GPS coordinates are: 37.459198 (latitude), -77.519507 (longitude). Mayer Post Card Co is categorized under Sales and Receipt Books (SIC code 5112). Known organization owner is Christopher Mayer. Current estimates show that the unit has a sales volume of $342,000 and staff of approximately 1 worker. You can contact the company by phone at (804) 276-7373.