Original service
The Norfolk and Western Railway [2] (N&W), mainly operating in Virginia and West Virginia, preferred 4-8-0 "Mastodon" types over 2-8-2 "Mikados" as their non-articulated freight locomotives. [3] They were highly versatile locomotives and were often nicknamed "Mollies" by old railroaders. A total of 75 M class engines were built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Richmond, Virginia and 50 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1907, numbered 375–499. In 1907, both companies built 50 more each being classed as M1s and numbered 1000–1099. Baldwin built 50 more in 1910, these classed M2s and numbered 1100–1160. [4] 433 was among the last of the M class built in January 1907. In the early years of the N&W, 433 was used for mainline freight and passenger service, as well as local yard work. When larger and heavier locomotives such as the Y class mallets were introduced in the 1920s, the "Mollies" were all reassigned to branch lines.
No. 433 was assigned to was the Abington branch between Abingdon and West Jefferson, North Carolina, nicknamed the Virginia Creeper due to steep grades, sharp curves, and wooden trestles that prohibited heavier locomotives. In 1951, No. 433 was involved in a wreck [5] and rebuilt afterwards. It was used for yard switching in Bristol due to a lack of superheating. On at least one occasion, No. 433 and two other Mastodons tripleheaded on the Virginia Creeper to pull heavy gravel trains South to North Carolina. Upon arrival at White Top station, the No. 433 ended her "helper duty" and returned to Bristol tender first, since there was no turntable, nor a wye to turn the locomotive around at White Top, or Abingdon. Steam operations ceased on the Virginia Creeper in 1957, with Mollies 382 and 429 being the last in service [6] . No. 433 was withdrawn the following year after more than fifty years of revenue service.
Preservation
The Town of Abingdon wanted a steam locomotive for static display to commemorate the Virginia Creeper, so the N&W donated No. 433, which arrived at Radford before being moved to its present display site in November 1958. The locomotive stayed there for 63 years under a wooden roof for protection from the weather. [7] However No. 433 was still exposed to the elements and vandals, resulting in significant deterioration and damage. By 1974, the N&W petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the branch, and by 1984 the track was ripped up and converted into a trail, being secured by the US Forest Service to create the Virginia Creeper Trail. [8] In 2002, volunteers from the Virginia Creeper Trail Club, in partnership with the Washington County Preservation Foundation, began a project to cosmetically restore No. 433 to 1958 condition. [9] Local businesses contributed material and labor to this effort, and volunteers constructed and painted windows and doors, as well as cleaning and painting the tender and interior of the cab. [10] The old building that covered No. 433 was demolished and replaced by a steel one. Two marker lights were bought for the smokebox to replace those stolen more than twenty years prior.
