Fwd: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Takin' Twenty with the Virginian Brethren"

[NW Mailing List]

--
Skip Salmon

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To: VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts at yahoogroups.com
From: "Charles E. Salmon, Jr." <gkholine at cox.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:36:41 -0000
Subject: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Takin' Twenty with the Virginian Brethren"

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with nine of
the Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. We signed a Happy
Birthday card for VGN clerk Bob Rowland who turned 80 last Monday.
Bob relayed to us stories about growing up on the side of a mountain
near Princeton at his grandmother's farm and not having electricity,
running water or indoor plumbing. He said the highlight of the week
was going to "rooster fights" on Saturday night.

Speaking of chickens, Landon Gregory was absent, attending the
Annual "Chicken Day" in Crewe, VA.


>From last week, at our work days at the Virginia Museum of

Transportation, members of the N&W (and VGN) Historical Society are
working with the VMT archival materials to incorporate them into one
central archives with N&W HS, VMT and Roanoke Chapter NRHS to
establish one N&W and VGN data base. This will allow greater access
from all groups to the Roanoke Valley archival material and it has
been a success so far. We uncovered some items that the N&W Archives
were missing such as FM service manuals, photos and drawings. At the
session from last week, for example, we discovered original photos of
the interior of the W. R. Coe, the VGN tug boat that was in service
at Sewell's Point. One interesting item that I found was an
Esso "Happy Motoring" map from 1945 that showed the main highway from
Blacksburg through Grundy to KY as route 4, now US 460.

I showed the Brethren the latest photo added to this site, of
the "sink hole" that could have been the access shaft to the center
of the Merrimac Tunnel near Virginian Drive off Merrimac Road in
Christiansburg. Also passed around was the June copy of "NS
Newsbreak".

The latest ebay report included: VGN number plate off MCA 2-8-2
number 480 (Rebuilt in Princeton #472)for $898.89; 1933 Pennington
Magazine Biography $52.28; Three VGN Annual Reports, 1947, 1948, and
1949 for $76.89 and "N&W and VGN in Color " by H. Reid for $51.00.

I told the Brethren about checking the rail cam at Hotel last
Thursday and seeing an unusual tuscan business car. This prompted me
to jump in my car with camera and investigate. What I found was a
special train made of NS GP38-2 #5645 and NS 23, Buena Vista office
car. The occasion was a special trip and demonstration for domestic
and foreign dignitaries by NS of the new ECP (Electronically
Controlled Pneumatic Braking System} recently applied to several NS
locomotives and hoppers built in the Roanoke Shops of FreightCar
America. Also at the Station was NS 9763 abd 7649 (ECP Equipped) and
two of the hoppers. The group was given a demonstration of the new
ECP braking and then the special train proceeded to Bluefield and
back for a tour of Roanoke Shops. To see the tracks in downtown
Roanoke from Hotel Roanoke live railcam, go to the following site:

http://72.236.211.203/en/AViewer.html

Rufus Wingfield told a story about being on a work train once
and needing to get some water. He approached the porch of a friendly
looking farmhouse with a water bucket and heard the following: "Get
him Bill" from a minah bird giving a heads up to the farmer's dog
Bill.

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now,

Skip Salmon


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