"Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip Salmon

[NW Mailing List]

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 Ken McLain who finished his rail career in December, 
1959 as Weigh master and Chief Clerk at Sewalls Point. He retired from 
VGN January 1, 1960 with 16 years service and went to work for Sperry 
Corporation as a field manager. Ken will be 84 next Tuesday.

 From last week's report I got a response about the Postal Code from 
Dave Pierson who was a mail carrier who agreed that the US Postal 
Service did not have that code. Also from last week, I got a response 
about the switch lock currently used by NS. Ed Noell, supervisor at 
Roanoke Shops, said that when the new lock was being considered, it was 
tested in the Tool Room. "It took some time to open it without a key, 
and 'a 20 foot steel rod was involved'".

The ebay report this time includes the following items sold: System map 
for $20.00; Slide of #212 Pacific in Roanoke in 1957 for $42.78; Slide 
of #126 and #507 in 1957 for $59.59; Slide of #903 for $25.49 and a 
Deepwater RR 1907 pass #10 made out to Mr. Joy Martin , president of the 
Michigan, Indiana and Illinois RR for $185.00. Tuesday morning I got an 
email from our VGN Station architect telling me there was a VGN lantern 
on Craig's list. I immediately called and found out it was a shell for a 
Keystone 1902 "VIRGINIAN". The man at Goodview told me he bought in the 
60's at an auction. However, he also said when he put the phone down (it 
was 7 AM at the time), it would ring again and he was going to take the 
day off from work to interview prospective buyers. I am sure it sold for 
more than "the advertised" of $15!.

The Jewel from the Past is from January 13, 2005: "We have been 
discussing the possibility of there being an operator at the Belt 
Line(N&W) where it crossed the VGN main line at V246.8 to get to the 
Material Yard and West Yard. Tom Victory contacted 'Willie' Burroughs, a 
former VGN operator who was reputed to have worked at the Belt Line 
Crossing but was on the Norfolk Division. 'Willie' wrote Tom a response 
in a letter: 'Early in the spring of 1960, "AG" office in the scale 
house was moved to the west end of Roanoke Yard at the Belt Line and was 
called "VN". Then in December of 1960, the N&W abolished "VN". (It was 
moved to Salem where the new crossover from VGN to N&W is now).

Landon Gregory commented about Mike Weeks of Greenville, NC photo of 
Bridge 5. He worked there for several years and it was after the new 
bridge was built. Landon's bridge 5 had the office on the bridge and not 
beside it as in the photo and Landon reached the parking lot 
approximately where the "5 master" is shown in the photo.

Passed around was a Phil Cotterill photo of an electric mine locomotive 
and two cars on Hegang Coal RR, Hegang, China. This would be a great 
illustration of how NOT to safely move coal. To see China's version of 
"Elmore" and the photo, go to:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=351563

Also passed around was a photo from an early N&W Magazine of "South 
Roanoke Yard Employees Gathering". "An organization known as the South 
Roanoke Yard Employees held an enjoyable luncheon in September at Wasena 
Park. Starting with the former Virginian when Roanoke was the center of 
that railway's operations, the men banded together as a 'family'. Our 
own Raymond East was in the photo. He and Wis Sowder remembered going to 
several of the events.

My good friend John McDaniel loaned me a VGN Roanoke "posed" photo of 
VGN 115-ton G-3-A gondola #19146, complete with spanking new paint job, 
and full of large chunks of coal. It was passed around and the Brethren 
commented on seeing these large coal haulers in service. I of course, 
forwarded the photo on to our own Frank Bongiovanni, "Rear Admiral of 
Battleship Gons".

Finally, one of the Brethren, name withheld to protect the innocent, let 
it slip that he recently almost entered a local car wash from the wrong 
end. He said "The car coming out was just as surprised as I was!"

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

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