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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night on Ash Wednesday 2011, I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" 
with eight of the Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. I told 
the Brethren of the passing on 2-28-11 of VGN Conductor Frank Saunders. 
Several of the Brethren knew Frank.

Gibby Davis brought the March 2011 issue of "Railfan & Railroad" 
magazine for the Brethren to peruse. This issue has a great story, "The 
Flanger", about snow plows, (similar to what I've heard the VGN may have 
had), to keep the famous Donner Pass clear of snow.

The response from last week was tremendous about the movie "Unstoppable" 
and the VGN #800 explosion. Thanks to Doug Harris, Gary Gray, Ed 
Painter, Ken Rickman, Rick Huddle, Tom Craig, Dave Phelps and others who 
got the word out about NOT stepping on the rails. This is a violation of 
N&W Safety Rule 1060, which is drilled into the heads of new employees 
on the very first day of their service. Several mentioned Denzel 
Washington carrying duct tape (AKA 100 MPH tape and others) in his grip. 
During the 1978 N&W Strike, and other times when I worked as a 
supervisor-road engineer, I never left home without bailing wire, 
electrical tape, needle nose pliers with cutters, and a "Bluefield 
Connection" in my grip. (For those of you without the decoder ring, 
contact me off site at <gkholine at cox.net> and I will tell you what a 
"Bluefield Connection" is). By the way, I only used it in the daytime. 
Also the response was outstanding about my interview with VGN Operator 
Clyde Weatherly and the explosion of VGN #800 near Stewartsville. Some 
never-before-seen photos of the disaster came out of the woodwork. I can 
take you to the site of the explosion, just west of Goodview, but must 
tell you I have yet to make friends with that large black dog...

The Jewel from the Past is from February 24, 2005: "Ruf Wingfield told 
the story of VGN Yard Conductor Frank Angel, who took a transfer cut of 
cars every night about 8 PM to the siding near 'JK' for the N&W crew to 
pick up. He would stop at the Yard Office porch, chat with the clerks, 
and board the last car, as it passed. One night the boys nailed his 
lantern to the porch floor and when he made a dash for the last car, his 
lantern didn't go with him".

For Show and Tell, I took a VGN EL-C Instruction Manual and passed it 
around. It belonged to F. O. Marshall and was issued by L. C. Kirkhutt, 
VGN Superintendent, Motive Power. This unique VGN electric "brick" had 
several gauges not found on EMDs, FMS or Alcos: (1) Height gauge of 
Transformer pyranol oil (pyranol contained PCBs and was banned in 1979); 
(2) 0 to 5,000 horsepower meter and (3) Three ammeters that indicated 
current in 1&2 Traction Motors, 3&4 Traction Motors and 5&6 Traction 
Motors, instead of just one, measuring current to a single motor.

Several responded to my special sentence "The 'dog catcher' and 
'Dutchman' passed the 'kiss and ride' and picked up a 'mud hop' near the 
'pot signal' for a 'skin lift'". From the official Norfolk Southern 
Glossary: DOG CATCHER is a relief crew for a train which has stopped 
because of the 'Hours of Service Law'. DUTCHMAN is a short section of 
brake pipe hose equipped with glad hands at each end, used to connect 
two brake pipe hoses that are too short. KISS AND RIDE is a place where 
commuters are dropped off at a station to board. MUD HOP is a yard 
clerk. POT SIGNAL is a small revolving fixed signal used as a substitute 
for a dwarf signal and a SKIN LIFT is a minimal track raise of about 1 
to 2 inches that removes minor track surface irregularities.

Danny Gee told me about a little silver-haired lady who called her 
neighbor and asked "Could you please come over here and help me get my 
jigsaw puzzle started?". The neighbor asked what the puzzle was supposed 
to be when finished. "According to the picture on the box, it's a 
rooster". He then told her he would be right over. When he looked at her 
table he said "First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be 
able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster". He 
takes her hand and says "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a 
nice cup of tea and then we can put all the Corn Flakes back in the box."

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

CCCLVIII

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