"Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with six of the Brethren 
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. I passed a Thank You card around from 
the Miller Family, for the Brethren's contribution to the Roanoke Chapter 
NRHS, in Memory of Ken's Father, Elbert Miller.

Landon brought a couple photos he took on Car 9 of "yours truly" and VGN 
surveyor Dewey Houch, on the Bluefield excursion on November 7, helping our 
passengers. We are already working on next year's trains. Looks like we 
will be running on the first week end in November again, but the 
destinations are still being discussed. Make plans now to keep the first 
weekend in November open on your ca lender for another great train 
adventure. I know one of the priorities is, if we go to Bluefield, we want 
to come back to Roanoke on the old Virginian.

I asked Raymond East, who actually used a short handled shovel to fire 
Virginian Railway steam locomotives, if he ever heard of the VGN using two 
firemen on Mallet Locos before they got automatic feeders. He just laughed 
and said that he was always the "lone ranger" on his runs. It has been 
reported that early on, the VGN and N&W perhaps hired two firemen, one 
right handed and one left handed, to fire the bigger firebox locos.

Passed around was the photo that Delbert K. Whitlow of Kelleysville, sent 
to ask for identification of three of the men in the January 1966 shot of a 
crew standing beside an N&W caboose. Already identified was second from the 
left in the photo, Noah Curtis Whitlow. When the Brethren were asked, at 
least three thought that Noah Curtis Whitlow was Frank or Granville 
Royster. However they did not know any of the other three. I am forwarding 
this photo to Princeton for further study and will ask Louis Newton about 
it at the N&WHS Archives today.

I showed the Brethren the shorthand of Dave Williams, N&WHS web site 
contributor, who signs each email "Bit 1962, c/n 4" and asked the Brethren 
if they "knew the code". Landon almost got it when he answered "Looks like 
markings on a coal car...maybe 'Built 1962'". Ruf Wingfield added that the 
second part maybe his serial number. The second part, "c/n 4" is for 
Construction Number 4...fourth child.

We discussed Gordon Hamilton's 1910 "Bluefield Daily Telegraph" story about 
a VGN wreck between Eggleston and Pembroke when the tender, one baggage 
car, two day coaches and the club car were derailed in such a manner that 
they "lay against the bank". The train was either going to or coming from a 
ball game in Roanoke. The article indicated that no one was injured. The 
Brethren who worked across Reserve Ave from Victory Stadium and Maher Field 
remembered many such ball games being played in Roanoke. Ruf Wingfield 
commented "the reason no one was hurt was they were probably all full of 
hooch".

We discussed this Saturday's Candy Cane Switcher train rides at the Roanoke 
Industrial Park from 9A to 4P. All are invited to ride on the N&W Caboose 
pulled with our EMD GP-30 #522. Also we have several ex-VGN cars for all to 
see.

Someone mentioned Johnny Cash who made a movie on the Southern 4501 and his 
famous song "A Boy Named Sue". Ruf and Raymond almost simultaneously 
recalled two men who worked for the VGN who were named "Suzie". One was Roy 
Shrewsbury, a VGN brakeman who was famous for dressing very neatly, and 
never getting dirty even on the "crummies". The other was Elbert A. Baum, a 
General Yardmaster at Sewells Point.

On Tuesday night, our local CBS Station WDBJ7 ran an article showing that 
of the 2200 or so Salvation Army "Angels" from "Angel Trees", only about 
350 had been returned to provide needy children with a Christmas. The 
recession and bad times were given as the reasons for this years slow 
response. I appealed to the Brethren and with their help, The Friends of 
the Virginian Railway will provide money to this program.

We all have seen in the news lately about a famous golfer who drives a
Cadillac Escalade. It was pointed out last night that our own Landon 
Gregory plays golf and drives a Cadillac Escalade. One of the Brethren 
asked Landon "When Sondra (Landon's wife) disciplines you, does she use an 
iron or a wood"? He answered, "Lately I've kept all my clubs locked up".

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

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