Fwd: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

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Skip Salmon

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To: VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts at yahoogroups.com
From: "Charles E. Salmon, Jr." <gkholine at cox.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:50:52 -0000
Subject: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with 15 of the
Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. Attending for the first
time was Ed Cake, member of the Roanoke Chapter NRHS, rail enthusiast
and photographer. Also attending from Victoria was Greg Elam and from
Lynchburg Aubrey Wiley, who brought his 2009 black and white VGN
calendars to sell to the Brethren.

Passed around was the Fall 2007 Bulletin of the NRHS that features
stock cars and stock trains. Also shown were two Virginian Railway
AFEs (Authority for Expenditure). The first, #4122 dated January 11,
1937 was for the purchase of 25 "all steel 50 ton double sheathed
automobile cars equipped with Evans latest Improved Auto unloading
devices". The second #9179 dated October 7, 1959 was to "remove
Automobile Loading Racks from 25 Class AX-1 Automobile Box Cars Series
Nos. 62000-62024".

I told the Brethren about a meeting last Monday with our architect
at the VGN Station to determine the location of our dual mast VGN
signal and flag pole. Also I shared with them a new development with
the Station Project. With the help of Jim McLain, Ken Miller, Doug
Andre and Jeff Sanders, a significant Virginian historical marker was
saved from the New River after the Power Plant in Narrows was blasted
(twice). These men salvaged some of a concrete "THE VIRGINIAN RAILWAY
COMPANY" that was a part of the Power Plant Building. Most of
the "VIRGINIAN" portion was saved and will be restored and placed at
the new Station in Roanoke between the VGN signal and flagpole.

Also shown was a photo taken in the 1920s at Moneta, VA showing Mr
Robertson behind a team of mules plowing his fields with a Virginian
coal train in the background. This photo was given to me at the recent
Rail Day in Lynchburg by Rebecca Tinnell, granddaughter of Mr.
Robertson. She remembered that her aunt went to Roanoke to catch VGN
#4 to ride to Alta Vista to meet her fiance and get married. The
family discovered the "plot" and Mr. Robertson flagged #4 at his farm
and took her off the train. Rebecca said that she died an old maid.

The ebay report contains mainly Virginian slides that are getting
more valuable every day: PA #215 at Roanoke $77; MW VGN crane $14;
Trainmasters at Princeton Shop $27; VGN EL-C in Conrail colors #4610
$55 and a 1963 set of yellowjackets renumbered N&W went for $47.

An update from the cornmeal gravy story last week: Rufus
Wingfield said that Major Wood released a bag of what he thought was
flour from a mill west of Salem, that the local was shifting, and when
the gravy was made, it turned out to be corn meal. This discussion
came from the assignment sheet that Tom Marshall sent me last week of
the New River trains showing Major Wood and "Cub" Reed. Wes Sowder and
Ken McLain recognized most of the names on the sheet as men they called
for the very trains mentioned. Ruf said when he was a caller early in
his career. He was instructed if there was no response to his knocking
on the door and the door was open, he was to go inside and actually
wake up the called crew member if necessary. This prompted several
stories where this column would have to be rated "R" and sometimes "X"
if I included them.

Rufus also remembered that when the VGN decided to "downsize"
before the merger and take out half of the Roundhouse in Roanoke, the
contractor removed the wrong half, the east portion when they were
suppose to remove the west portion to facilitate a west-bound hump. Of
course the rest is history...

Frank Breedlove remembered just after the merger with the "W",
seeing the first N&W diesel with N&W crew aboard enter the South Yard.
He said that the brakman leaned out the cab and said "meet us at the
Yard Office and we'll play knock rummy....

Better pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now at V248,

Skip Salmon



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