Virginian Steam Locomotive No. 4

The Virginian Railway was a testament to human spirit and determination. The Virginian was built largely through the foresight and the cash of Henry Huttleston Rogers. Rogers wanted a railway so he reached into his own pockets to the tune of nearly forty million dollars, hired talented workers and provided the best equipment available. The result was a transportation marvel never to be duplicated.

The Virginian Railway, a Class I railroad, was built largely to carry bituminous coal from the several dozen mines serviced in Southern West Virginia to the piers at Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to coal, the Virginian carried freight, baggage, mail and passengers.

The first Virginian passenger train arrived in Princeton on November 21, 1908. Among the passengers were Ninnie Hedrick, Mary and Myrtle Perkins and Annie Christie, guests of Ninnie's father, Tom Hedrick. Another passenger on that same train was Harry Barbakow, one of Princeton' s early beloved businessmen.

In the final phase of construction from 1910 to 1926, the Virginian Railway entered the era of monster locomotives and huge coal cars. This class of steam locomotives, known as mallet articulated engines, was perfect for pulling some of the world's heaviest trains over more than four hundred miles of mountain terrain.

The Princeton, West Virginia Shop of the Virginian Railway was responsible for the rapid growth of Princeton in the early twentieth century. The population of Princeton doubled from 1900 to 1910. The Princeton Shop employed men from Princeton as well as the surrounding area. By the mid 1920's the Princeton Shop of the Virginian Railway employed more than eight hundred men at an annual payroll of more than one million dollars.

The Virginian steam locomotive No.4 was built in August 1910. Virginian No. 4 was one of five SA-Class 0-8-0 switcher engines used for yard work to switch cars in the yards at Princeton. The No.4, built by Baldwin Locomotive (Construction No. 35034), had a boiler pressure of 200 psi and tender capacity of 10 tons. By the time Virginian #4 was built, handrails on the tender had been added to the original SA plans. Unusual to the SA-Class, considered to be lowly switchers, was the polished number plate on No.4's face and the stars on the cylinder heads.

The last steam operation in Princeton was June 1, 1957. The No. 4 was given to Princeton, West Virginia in May 1957 and was on display at Princeton City Park until 1969 when it was traded to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. Old No.4 is the only remaining Virginian steam engine.

The Virginian Railway was built and run by legions of men dedicated to their work, their families and their community. Peery Vance Mooney worked for the Virginian Railway, starting as a clerk. He worked for the railway for thirty-eight years, retiring from his position as Chief Timekeeper and Payroll Supervisor in 1975. Old No. 4 and the employees of the Virginian Railway were much like their employer – strong, diligent and dependable to the end.

Written by: The Old Town Princeton Foundation, Inc.