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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night on April Fool's Day I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with
five of the Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway.  No one pulled
any April Fool pranks that we noticed but Landon Gregory told us about one
VGN Extra Operator who turned in a time slip for a day's pay for Overtime
and put "April's Fool" on the back. The joke was on him when management got
it!


 In response from an email I got from our friend Abe Burnett, I asked the
Brethren what about the interior of the old VGN RWY Yard Office in Roanoke,
they remember.  Raymond East recalled the registry for crews to sign in,
just inside the door;  Wis Sowder recalled the locker room with the
showers; all remembered that the Trainmaster shared a room with the Clerks;
The Superintendent of Safety had an office with his Secretary in the back.
I do know that we have several photos of some of the Brethren inside the
Yard Office ( some in a prone meditating position).  I will do some
research Abe next week at the N&W (and VGN) Archives Work day and put the
photos and results in a future report.  All agreed about one thing:  One of
the rooms (in the back) should be called the "Wilson W. Moser Memorial
Knock Rummy Room" in honor of all the hours spent in this office pursuing
that endeavor....


 We did discuss the Tuesday news that the 611 boiler has been lit and steam
made for the first time in her since December 1994.  All are anxious to see
"the most beautiful steam engine ever built" return to her birthplace in
Roanoke soon.


 The Jewel from the Past is from July 10, 2008:  " Speaking of steam
trains, I passed on to the Brethren the discussion of the September 26,
1952 Eisenhower Campaign Train that traveled from Winston-Salem, NC to
Roanoke and on to Richmond.  It was pulled by two N&W J-Class steam
locomotives with a Y-Class following the train in case there was any
trouble.  Cornbread remembered the train coming into Roanoke.  He said he
was working the second trick and at the safety meeting, VGN Yardmaster Otis
Karns told them the train would stop beside the VGN complex near the
Roanoke Hospital.  He instructed all of the men to be as quite as possible
and make as little smoke as they could since Eisenhower was going to make a
speech from the back of the nearby N&W train.  Cornbread said "since he was
a good Democrat, as most of the rail employees were then, they proceeded to
make as much noise and smoke as they could".


 Several of the Brethren are working on their income taxes and all kinds of
comment were given that are not going to be part of this report.  Most are
happy with their railroad pensions and consider taxes a necessary evil.


 Then there's this:  Upon arriving at a "shots fired" call, a local Deputy
Sheriff talked with an elderly lady who immediately told the officer "I
shot him".  He responded, "Ma'm, why did you shoot your husband",  who was
lying on the kitchen floor.  "He walked on the floor I had just mopped and
waxed, before it dried".  Shortly the High Sheriff arrived and asked the
Deputy if he had made an arrest yet.  "No, Sir...the floor ain't dry yet!"


 Time to pull the pin on this one!


 Departing Now from V248,


 Skip Salmon


 DLVII


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