Fw: Vesuvius Re-visited.

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Thu Jan 5 06:45:35 EST 2006



The gravity fed pump and most of the key elements of the county store at
Vesuvius - including the stove - have been restored and on display in the
Heritage Gallery - within the O. Winston Link Museum in downtown Roanoke,
VA

With accompanying pictures Winston took both inside and outside the
Austin's
store - takes you back to life in a small town in the 50's

David Helmer

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 9:12 PM

> Subject: Vesuvius Re-visited.

>

>

> > Sad to say, I have temporarily misplaced the photos, but around 1990

while

> > driving up Interstate 81 in Virginia I decided to re-trace some of the

> foot

> > steps of O. Winston Link. In his book "Steam Steel And Stars" you will

> rcall

> > the interior view f the general store in Vesuvius, Va., and the old

> gentleman

> > outside putting gas in a convertible automobile as a northbound

passenger

> > train passes in the background on the doubletrack N&W in front of the

> > store. I turned off I-81 to go over to Vesuvius and on the state road

> near

> > Vesuvius on the right, I spotted an ACY covered hopper, minus trucks

> > mounted about 15 or 18 feet high on two concrete piers with room for

> > Virginia Dept. Of Highways dump trucks to drive underneath to receive

> > gravel to spread on roads during icy weather. The top of the coverd

> hopper

> > is located up against a steep fill where other trucks can dump gravel

> into

> > the hopper to be dumped into the smaller dump trucks. Obviously I took

a

> > photo of that. To my surprise, although long closed, that general store

> > building was still intact! That gravity gasoline pump in the Winston

> Link

> > photo was still right there in the front of the building. I stood in

the

> > exact same spot that Link must have been standing when that photo was

made

> > and got a daytime shot of that gas tank. If only I could have had a

> > N&W Mountain class "J look-alike" passsing in the background with a

> > northbound passenger train headed for Stuart's Draft and Waynesboro to

> > complete the scene. You see, I do have a warm spot for the N&W. Too

> > bad some of you don't feel the same way about the ACL instead of making

> > fun of it. If I do say so, A couple of ACL P-5-a or P-5-b Pacifics

> > doubleheading a passenger or freight train was a sight to gladden the

> heart.

> > In my case something to be a part of in that I would be the fireman on

> > either the lead or second locomotive. If you really want a dirty job,

> try

> > firing the second locomotive on a doubleheaded passenger train. You get

> > to eat the smoke and cinders of both locomotives up to around 70 MPH.

> > You don't need your coal pusher then, as the vibration at high speeds

> > will shake down the coal pile until coal is ankle-deep n the deck of the

> > locomotive. Been there, done that. Bill Sellers.

> >

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