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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with six of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. We welcomed back VGN Clerk Wis Sowder
who is recuperating from heart surgery.  I gave Wis his file of VGN and N&W
seniority rosters that I was able to enter into the N&W (and VGN)
Historical Society data base. Some of the VGN crafts entered were:
Janitors, Stowers, Truckers, Station Hands, Firemen, Agents , Telegraphers,
Yardmasters, Secretary's, Stenographers, Rate Clerks, Training Analyst,
Cleaners, Cashiers, and Dockmasters.


 I showed the Brethren a response I got from VGN Clerk Bob "Little Abner"
Glass of Norfolk about last weeks comments on the "Blue Goose" watering
hole in Roanoke.  Bob said " One night the Police walked into the front
door of the Blue Goose and two VGN Brakemen took the back door off, screen
and all".  "One morning a Brakeman was drinking what he said was water but
it was "spring water" from Bent Mountain...you know what that was!".


 The ebay report this time has the "bargain of the year" so far, an H. Reid
"Virginian Railway" soft cover for $5.;  A VGN tall globe lantern with "V.
Ry." embossed with clear globe went for $495 and an 1915 article about the
new Elmore coaling Station sold  for $21.


 We discussed the upcoming excursion trips with the N&W J-Class #611 and
this prompted several comments about steam engine explosions.  Wis Sowder
recalled a friend of his who was a Brakeman on the "W" side being killed
when a boiler exploded on the Radford (Bourbon) Division.  Raymond East
remembered firing on the road on VGN steam and his engineer chastising him
for using too much water in fear of a low water incident.  He said  the
Engineer told him "Boy back off on that water....it's just going out the
stack".


 The Jewel from the Past is from July 24, 2008:  "Several saw our own Wis
Sowder, VGN Clerk, on the local news shows this week selling his peaches,
cukes and squash at the Salem Farmer's Market.  Wis is a very shy man but
accepted the accolades well.  Cornbread kidded Billy Daniel about telling
Billy's Dad, George B. Daniel Jr., a VGN carpeck, that he would check an
incoming coal train on a cold, rainy night for him. Cornbread said George,
Jr. told him to 'check for bad grab irons, cut levers and leaking roofs'.
Billy's grandfather was George B. Daniel, VGN Superintendent."


 Then there's this from the "I never knew" department:  In the old west, a
.45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents and so did a glass of whiskey.
If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge
in exchange for a drink.  This became known as a 'shot' of whiskey"


 Time to pull the pin on this one!


 Departing Now from V248,


 Skip Salmon


 DLXI
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