Puchased by Phoenix Stone Company of New York City for delivery to Standard Soapstone of Arrington, Virginia as 42" gauge locomotive, this gas-powered, 4-wheel unit was built 13 October 1924 as Model DLC, Type 6. When soapstone companies merged, the ownership was transferred to the Virginia Alberene Corporation on 18 December 1930 and converted to Standard Gauge at some point. A single photo of tracks by a quarry appear to show the unit at Schuyler, however, the photo may actually be of a side-dump ballast car that the N&A owned. According to an article by Ed Fielding in The Short Line: The Journal of Shortline & Industrial Railroads in January/February 1978 (Volume 6, Number 1; TSL #31), this Plymouth unit (un-numbered) was in the engine house at Schuyler in 1965 making it the last of the roster to be present on the original property.

* Photo from NEARHS collection of prints.

GE 44-ton B-B Diesel c/n 30856 was built in December 1950 for the Nelson & Albemarle Railway #1 (the third #1) on requisition #RIC-29947 555/733/D-17000 and was rated at 44-tons and 400hp. It was shipped to the N&A on 9 January 1951. (The D-17000 is technically rated as 2, Caterpillar V-8 diesel engines at-180hp each plus 2-134kw motors though listed as 400hp for this unit). This diesel replaced 2-6-2T #9 as the mainline engine until the end of the N&A line when shutdown in 1963. Officially transferred to Georgia Marble ownership in 1963, the diesel was moved to Tate, Georgia. After some time, the diesel was sent to Gantt's Quarry in Alabama, then sold to Industrial Maintenance (Service) Co. in 1976 but never sent to their property before being sold to Hamburg Industries of North Augusta, South Carolina (Hamburg Industries was later purchased by TTX). The diesel did get painted in a Hamburg Industries color scheme and numbered as their #2. (Photograph in Hamburg Industries color scheme exists but no permission to use at this time). Last known photograph taken 30 July 1982 by Mac Connery of Durham, North Carolina. When TTX planned a re-engine project, 30856 was not selected for upgrades. Instead, #2 was used as spare parts for the remaining 44-ton units on the property, stored for a short time on the west side of the TTX property until eventually scrapped with Progress Rail (possibly as a trade-in for another 44-ton unit). Noted as scrapped at Patterson, Georgia, but Progress Rail reports that any unit sent for scrapping would have been forwarded to Mayfield, Kentucky. The detail on how TTX handled the disposition and scrapping of former N&A #1 (Hamburg Industries #2) was relayed verbally while visiting the TTX facility in North August, South Carolina.

* Photograph is from Photographer, Charles Wales (slide) taken on 30 October 1953 near Esmont, Virginia and is original slide from the NEARHS collection of Nelson & Albemarle Railway memorabilia.

GE 35-ton B Diesel c/n 31768 (rare unit) was built in November 1952 for Alberene Stone Corp. as Nelson & Albemarle #2 (third #2) on requisition #RIC-49116-2 558/733/NHBIS and was rated at 35-tons and 234hp. It was shipped to Alberene Stone Company on 5 December 1952. Diesel #2 replaced multiple steam locomotives used in quarry operations and was in service until the end of the N&A line when shutdown in 1963. Officially transferred to Georgia Marble ownership in 1963, the diesel was sent to Alabama Marble Division, Gantt's Quarry, as Alabama Marble #2 in Sylacauga, Alabama (repainted into Georgia Marble colors at some point) and served the Imerys Pigment Plant (merger activity of Georgia Marble). Last know photographed in 2005. Confirmed scrapped for metal in 2009 or 2010 by security personnel at Gantt's Quarry on August 26, 2015 while onsite in Sylacauga, Alabama. Unit was rusted out badly and no longer able to perform workload. Working to confirm what company scrapped the diesel with Abel Mendoza, Imerys rail operations manager in Georgia.

* Top photograph is from an original negative owned and in the NEARHS collection of #2 when still new on the Nelson & Albemarle Railway in 1953 at Schuyler, Virginia. The original photograph shown at the bottom was taken by Tom Lawson, Jr. on 8 June 1963 at Gantt's Quarry Alabama and is from a picture postcard in the NEARHS collection of N&A Railway memorabilia..

You might remember that Tom Lawson is the author of "Locomotives of the Southern Iron & Equipment Company" available from Cabbage Stack Publishing in Birmingham, Alabama 35219 (P.O. Box 19912) for $49.95. Go to this webpage to complete form and forward for purchase: http://www.cabbagestkpub.ns2.atspace.com/sieform.html If you haven't bought "Locomotives of the Southern Iron & Equipment Company" yet, don't delay! The book is an invaluable resource to anyone working to find locomotive history such as that of the N&A Railway.