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

[NW Mailing List]

Skip,

 

Just a minor correction to the peanut plants in Suffolk.  The correct
identification for Bird Song Peanuts is Birdsong Peanuts.  Making that
correction as a friend of the family.  I really enjoy the weekly email.
Keep up the great work.

 

H. Daniel Winter III

435 Willwood Drive

Earlysville, VA 22936

434-989-9313

 

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 7:23 AM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip Salmon

 

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with eight of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. We signed a Happy Birthday card for
Bill Daniel, son of VGN carpeck George Daniel and grandson of New River
Superintendent Daniel.

Several items were passed around and perused. The first is a photo
discovered during our workday session at the N&W (and VGN) Historical
Society Archives. It is of the Virginian Station in Roanoke taken about
1960, right after the merger. It shows a lot of merchandise including bales
of hay and sacks of stuff, track side. I suspect this was taken shortly
after the Connelly family leased the larger building for a feed and seed
store.

Also passed was a 58 page booklet that I intend to donate to the Archives of
"N&W Definitions". I could not find a date in the book. Examples of NW
definitions of that time are: "crib": the ballast between two adjacent ties
is "in the crib"; "lookout": caboose cupola; and the abbreviation "A/C":
account (NOT air conditioning which was not in the book). It was ironic
because Lee Mosley, retired NS employee attended our session, and in the
60s, he was a shop engineer and he was the editor of this book. He said that
it was started in the early sixties, just after the merger so all employees
would use the same terms, and was given to all new employees in the engine
and transportation service.

The Jewel from the Past is from February 3, 2005: "Tonight I had the
pleasure of 'Takin Twenty' with 10 of the Brethren including first timer
Raymond S. Keffer who worked as a brakeman at Suffolk. Raymond told us about
the many peanut plants there, including the big Planters Plant that at one
time employed over 5,000. Others he remembered were Pond and Bird Song
Peanuts. He said at Christmas, you could buy all of the peanut products at
wholesale prices. He worked on the famous VGN Steam Switcher SA 0-8-0 #4
when switching in the area and didn't especially like the little Alco-GE 380
HP diesel switcher #6. It couldn't pull the hills like the old #4 steamer".
(Note: #4 is the only VGN steam engine saved from the scrap heap and is in
the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.)

I showed the Brethren a photo I took last Friday of a work train at the
Station Siding in Hardy, MP V234. On the rear was NS caboose 555023 which
has been stricken by a graffito "artist". Another of my photos included two
questions for the Brethren. It showed a westbound on the old Virginian at MP
V253 in Salem. The answers to the questions are: Westbound merchandise
trains are sort of rare on the Whitethorne District and the old L&M Tannery
water tower is in the photo. It is dated 2-28-06 and the tower was taken
down soon after this. Another project and photo was discussed with the
Brethren. I have gained permission and given a 1950s photo (on a compact
disc) by the N&W HS that I can use for a project involving a handout
sometime in the future when the old Virginian Complex (Roundhouse, Freight
House, Motor Barn etc.) is toured. Carilion Medical Canter now occupies this
space with a Research Center and the VA Tech Medical School. I can make
about any size photo needed from the disc and intend to ask Carilion to work
with me to make a "before and after" handout for future tours for our use,
and theirs. The photo shows all buildings, tracks, roads, Victory Stadium,
Roundhouse, Armory etc. that were standing in the 1950s.

John McDaniel, my VGN source in Wabun, brought me a copy of "On Track with
Safety-Virginia Division" of Jan-Mar 2000. On page 63 is shown Assistant
Superintendent Benny F. Sammons giving Landon M. Gregory, Westbound
Booking-Out Clerk, his 30-year Service Award Pin from NS. Could there be two
Landon Gregorys? Our Landon Gregory, VGN dispatcher, never heard of the
other Landon Gregory and said he was named after Alf Landon who ran for
president in 1936.

Gordon Hamilton's latest "Bluefield Daily Telegraph" item of June 25, 1911
was passed around. This one was about the "ultimate location of the VGN
shops in Princeton to possibly Salem". Apparently some Salem businessmen
tried to get the Shops moved. Princeton at one time accused Roanoke of
"stealing VGN SA #4, but stealing the shops in Princeton I guess "just
wasn't in the cards"!

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

CCCLV

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