"Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with 11 of the Brethren 
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. Tom "Cornbread" Victory, who has been 
sick recently, was able to be with us again last night. I asked "Cornbread" 
if he knew what day it was. He responded "Wednesday". I said "No, what is 
celebrated today?" He had no idea, so I told him it was Earth Day. He 
responded "I thought we were on Earth every day". We signed a Happy 
Birthday card for Wister Sowder, VGN Clerk, who is turning 83 tomorrow. Wis 
is a "gentleman farmer" and in his retirement, raises apples and vegetables 
on his farm in Roanoke County and sells them at the Farmer's Market in 
Salem. When asked how he got to be named "Wister, said that he was named 
after a neighbor who had apple orchards on nearby Bent Mountain, who was 
also named Wister. Also dropping by to be with us was Rev. Arthur 
Wingfield, a Methodist Minister who is also a cousin of Ruf Wingfield. It 
was amazing how "well behaved" the Brethren were when Rev. Wingfield was 
with us...

Rufus Wingfield gave me his 1950-51 Virginian Pass Number A 802 to be added 
to our artifacts in the Depot after restoration. Ruf and I collaborated on 
a VGN sticker project and he sold some to the Brethren. It is a 3" X 5" 
sticker with peel off back that can be put on the outside of a glass window 
or taped to the inside of your car rear window. This type of sticker has 
become popular recently. It says "VGN" with "Railway" underneath. I have 
posted a photo on this site under "Logos and Patches". He is selling them 
for $2. Contact me if you want one at: <gkholine at cox.net>

Felix Price, who worked at the VGN Power House in Narrows, finished 
identifying all of the VGN employees in the Power House photo. I have 
posted this photo on this site under "People". If you want to know who all 
the people in the photo are, contact me and I will email it to you. Note in 
the photo standing on the far right in the black suit, bow tie and white 
pith helmet, the unofficial VGN photographer George Shands. I asked Felix 
if Shands set the camera up on a tripod, adjusted the timer and ran to be 
in the photo and he answered "Yes he certain ally did...." Does anyone out 
there have any idea when this photo was taken? I need this information for 
the Archives.

The ebay report includes a brass Builder's Plate (Reproduction) identified 
as coming off VGN SA #4 selling for $224.49 and a 1927 VGN RWY Schedule and 
Map for $78.44.

The DVD shown was one I took last week of a Herzog ballast train dumping 
ballast at Riverside on the old VGN just east of Kumis.

I showed the Brethren a donation to the Archives from John McDaniel of VGN 
AFE 7223. This Authorization For Expenditure included maps and material 
lists down to the number of spikes needed, for VGN mine tracks for Premier 
Pocahontas Colliery Company at Tierney, WV, Mile Post 369.2. Also passed 
around was the Fall 2008 NRHS "Bulletin" that has some old (fifties) photos 
of NYC equipment, but no photos near Deepwater or on VGN.

Frank Breedlove told the Brethren that he knows a friend who went to his 
doctor for a check up and the doctor told him he had but 6 months to live. 
After the 6 months was up, he went back to the same doctor and since he had 
not paid his bill, the doctor gave him 6 more months....

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon






=============