Train at Towers shopping center

[NW Mailing List]

Thanks for all the great information about Cactus' Joe's Choo Choo, this is
in fact the train I remember riding behind. While not a life long resident
of Roanoke I moved there in 1963 or so and left after graduating from PH in
1975.  

 

R.D. Williams

 

336-846-0790 Office

336-846-0746 Fax

 

 

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From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2011 2:20 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Re: Train at Towers shopping center

 

As Roger and Abe stated, that would be the Cactus Joe Choo Choo. You have to
have been a long time Roanoker to have remembered it. Cactus Joe was an
early Roanoke TV Kids Show host, probably up until sometime in the mid to
late 1960s. His real name was Joe Grant, he built his rubber tired train and
took it out to many places, it seemed especially at frequent at Towers Mall.
I can't recall right now if he was affiliated with Channel 10, WSLS TV, or
Channel 7, WDBJ TV. It may have been at one then later the other,
regardless, if he was at Towers a lot, that was also the home of Channel 7
from 1961 to about 2000.

 

While I was at Channel 7, 1980-1991, the affiliation was no longer there,
but I recall finding in the files a "Life Time Pass" for the Cactus Joe Choo
Choo. 

 

I don't know what happened to the train, I know it ran as late as the early
1980s, and I have no reference available to know exactly when Joe passed
away, but I believe it was about 2007.

 

Ken Miller

 

On Aug 5, 2011, at 7:18 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:





When I was a child in Roanoke there was a gentlemen who offered rides on a
kids train at Towers Shopping Center, this would have been in the late 60's
mid- 70's time frame.  Does anyone on the list know this gentleman's name?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

R.D. Williams

 

336-846-0790 Office

336-846-0746 Fax

 

<image001.jpg> 

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