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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with five of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. A lot of the discussion was about how
much snow we got so far this winter.  Frank Breedlove, former VGN RWY yard
Brakeman and Conductor,. told a story about a past snow storm in Boston and
how this winter's deposits have affected his property in Floyd County, VA.
Note:  Frank has property near Check, VA that has an old stage coach
station still on it.


 For Show and Tell I took two current publications, newest Roanoke Chapter
newsletter "Turntable Times" and the April 2015 "Trains" magazine.  The
newsletter has a great Richard Shell 2/27/15 photo of a hogged auto rack
train with another auto rack train passing at Wirtz, VA on the NS "Punkin
Vine".  The "Trains" inside cover is an Norfolk Southern ad "Behind every
train is a Partnership for Success";  on page 8 "Trains" announces to the
world that NS is selling its Roanoke office building and displacing 500
office workers.  Page 39 has an article "New Facts to Know about Crude by
Rail" with a page 41 photo of the Lynchburg CSX wreck and page 43 with two
NS crude trains passing at Perryville, MD in 2013.  Their map of the month
was especially noteworthy to me since it was downtown Erie, PA.  I told the
Brethren about that special spot during the 1978 BRAC Strike when I took
former NKP trains as Engineer down the middle of 19th Street in Erie.  It
was "eerie" all right with sports cars passing my slow order 10 MPH
alphabet train on one side at 40 MPH, and little toddlers riding three
wheelers on the other.


 The Jewel from the Past is from June 19, 2007:  "Rufus Wingfield's told a
story about being on a VGN work train once and needing to get some water.
He approached the porch of a friendly looking farmhouse with a water bucket
and heard the following :  'Get him Bill'  from a Mina bird giving a heads
up to the farmer's dog named Bill'"


 The ebay report this time includes the following VGN items sold:  1953
"VGN" marked Slaymaker metal switch lock for $144.50; A 2-6-47 concept GE
drawing of the VGN EL-2b #127 for $28.79, and Bill McClure's "Virginian in
Color" for $66.95".


 I told the Brethren about the VGN heritage unit #1069 being in Roanoke
yesterday.  The cloudy rainy conditions did not lean toward getting great
photos.  Maybe next time.....


 Then there's this:  Another  "I Never Knew::  THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
"American fighter planes in WWII had machine guns that were fed by a belt
of cartridges.  The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (nine yards)
long.  If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the
whole nine yards."


 Time to pull the pin on the one!


 Departing Now from V248,


 Skip Salmon


 DLIV
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