"Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

[NW Mailing List]

Thank's, Skip, I too miss Cornbread's jokes and stories. Jim Flummer
 

> Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:05:23 -0400

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

> Subject: "Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

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

> 

> Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with six of the Brethren 

> and Friends of the Virginian Railway. Most of the talk of the night was 

> about the funeral that many of the Brethren attended earlier in the day for 

> our beloved Tom "Cornbread" Victory. I had the honor of giving a eulogy for 

> Tom. We set up his regular table setting and added a tall globe VGN lantern 

> and a bowl of cornbread along with the photo book and notes about him from 

> the past 6 years of this "Takin' Twenty" Report that I used in the eulogy. 

> See a photo of this on this web site under "Memorial Photos of People". I 

> reported at Tom's funeral about the many responses of condolence from this 

> web site, some as far away as New Zealand and Ireland. Some who also 

> attended his viewing or funeral included Obediah Overstreet, Rufus Dean 

> Williams, Aubrey Wiley from Lynchburg, Greg Elam from Victoria, George and 

> Betty Harmon (Slick Inge's niece and nephew) from Princeton, Dwight and 

> Carolyn Vivas from Petersburg, J. D. Ferris, Tom Guilliams and many more. 

> "Cornbread" will always be remembered at every "Takin' Twenty".

> 

> Every year about this time, the Brethren are anxious to see what great 

> Virginian memories Aubrey Wiley includes in his next all-VGN calendar. 

> Every one of the Brethren present bought their 2010 version last night. 

> Rufus Wingfield immediately spotted a photo on the back page of a special 

> scaffold used by VGN linemen to maintain the overhead 11,000 volt lines for 

> the VGN Electric Locomotives. He also noted a "typo" under the photo, Salem 

> is MP V251. Raymond East recalled seeing this tower on a motor car working 

> in the Yard. This prompted me to remember in 2004 when Toby Hodson, VGN 

> Helper Lineman, was a regular at "Takin' Twenty". He shared with us the 

> same photo in the calendar and one with a close-up showing him and VGN 

> lineman Red Taylor working on top of the tower. I have posted the second 

> photo on this site under "Skip's Photos". As usual, Aubrey you have printed 

> a masterpiece and another winner in the 2010 version and every Virginian 

> fan should have one!

> 

> I showed the Brethren a clipping from Monday's "Roanoke Times" from 1909 

> (100 years ago): "Roanoke may expect a visit in a few days from the monster 

> Mallet engine, which has just been received by the Virginian Railroad from 

> the builders".

> 

> We talked about the movement of the "Lost engines of Roanoke" from the 

> Virginian Scrap Iron location. These three M2 steam engines have now been 

> distributed for cosmetic restoration. The #1151, built in Roanoke Shops has 

> been delivered to VMT; the #1134 is now at the 9th Street Siding of the 

> Roanoke Chapter NRHS where Will Harris, Goshen lumberman who is making the 

> moves, and his work force will sand blast and paint it for delivery to 

> Portsmouth, VA Historical Park; and the #1118 is now at 9th Street for the 

> Chapter's use. The Chapter will have an Open House on September 26 at the 

> 9th Street Facilities and should also have the two C&W Baldwin switch 

> engines for all to see.

> 

> Landon Gregory just returned from a trip to the National Railway Historical 

> Society's Convention in Duluth, MN. His wife Sandra informed me that he has 

> a new nickname give to him by a "Yankee female bar tender". Landon and his 

> friends now call him "Muffin".

> 

> The funeral and seeing a lot of former VGN and N&W employees prompted a lot 

> of memories. Rufus recalled Benny Russo who came to Roanoke from Minnesota 

> with the circus, liked Roanoke, and got a job as a brakeman on the VGN. Ruf 

> said Benny was always working on old "VWs" and was asked once why he never 

> bought a new car. He answered "I like working on the old ones".

> 

> When I prepared for Tom Victory eulogy, I looked at the last six year's 

> "Takin' Twenty" Reports and "gleaned" some of the best "Cornbread" stories. 

> I showed them to Rev. Jay Fields, Tom's Minister, for review since some are 

> sort of "racy" and certain ally not politically correct. He insisted that 

> the following one be included:

> 11/10/05 "Cornbread" Victory told us about Benny Russo getting saved and 

> bringing back to the Yard Office a pile of tools that he had stolen. 

> Victory said that there was a "mad rush from the sinners to take possession 

> of the returned tools".

> 

> Time to pull the pin on this one!

> 

> Departing Now from V248,

> 

> Skip Salmon

> 

> 

> 

> =============

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