Morning Departure Wheeling

With orders in hand and the small dwarf signal displaying green. The engineer pulls on the whistle cord twice, signaling their departure. The engineer tugs on the throttle and eases Baltimore and Ohio Pacific 5300 out of the station platform and towards points west while the fireman keeps a ken eye on the fire and gauges, making sure everything is in check. Grab a gulp of coffee and joke it up, this is life in the 1950s.

A regular to Wheeling, West Virginia passenger service in the 1950s until her retirement and static display at the B&O museum. 5300 was the class leader of 20 P7 class 4-6-2 pacifics. All 20 where named after US Presidents, 5300 was named after Washington.

The station is now West Virginia Northern's main campus. All the track and bridges are gone. Torn up in the 1980s. All of Wheeling's industrial heritage is exactly that, history.

Of note, while B&O had this large fancy station made of marble and stone, PRRs station along the river sucked.
Go to Pittsburgh, PRR has its glorious main station while B&O was stuck with a stubbed end crappy small and cramped station. Go figure.

This drawing represent the ability of my talent at this point. I feel I have become a little better in the week I have finished it. Ive learned some too. It took me 2 1/2 months to finish with 40-50 hours devoted to it.