A doubleheaded coal train led by a booster-equipped L&N J4A Mike and an unidentified M-1 2-8-4 hammers away after a meet with fast freight 66 at Big Stone Gap, VA. This photo was taken by the late Hank Stuart, Jr., who recently passed on. He was an official for the Interstate Railroad, but he used his 4X5 Speed Graphic to capture some fine shots of other southwestern Virginia railroading. This particular negative has been in my collection for almost 45 years. While I was a bit too young to photograph L&N steam myself, I remember it well. I was nine when the company finally dieselized in 1957.
