"From 1955 to 1960, Brooklyn photographer Winston Link traveled to photograph and document the end of the steam locomotive era on the Norfolk and Western Railway."
Link's book "Life Along the Line" (published 2012) is an excellent intro to his work. Very dramatic imagery (think Weegee of trains), though I personally prefer David Plowden's "Requiem for Steam".
Anyway, hope to stop by the Roanoke Museum in the future.