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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin Twenty" with four of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. The conversation started when we
noticed placards on the tables advertising a new "Smoothy" made of
chocolate or vanilla bean.  Landon immediately announced that he did not
like anything made from vanilla beans.  Wis Sowder asked if he liked
vanilla ice cream.  "Yes" he said, "if you put enough chocolate syrup on
it!".  This lead to a conversation about other new foods we have eaten in
our lifetime.  Almost simultaneously, Wis and Landon recalled working at
Sewells's Point and being introduced to a new pie made in Norfolk by
Italians that was a sensation...pizza.  Both bragged about how good it was
and each seemed to make the size of the circle of cheese and sauce bigger.
Wis added that it was years before pizza pie was ever seen in Roanoke.


 For Show and Tell I took the September "Trains" magazine.  Pages 22-25 are
"Railroading for 60 years.  Hired out on the Virginian in 1956, Pete Hypes
has no plans to retire".  This article tells the life story of a VGN call
boy-to-yardmaster who spent his entire career in Elmore.  Hypes refers to
one term we had not heard before: "STUPIES", which he explained is a local
term to define mine runs.  We thought at first "he was referring to
carpecks or clerks".  Page 25 has the jewel photo showing Hypes making a
switch list in the yard office while the Virginian Heritage unit #1069
rolls by.  This article is worth the year's subscription to "Trains" and I
highly suggest you try to find a copy.


 This article in "Trains" prompted me to write another poem:


 From Deepwater to the Point at Sewell,
 The Virginian hauled lots of coal for fuel.
 Tracks through Mullens and Princeton now nap,
 No black dust flies over the grade at Clark's Gap.
 Woe, Woe; Now that's just down right cruel


 It was said on some comment this month somewhere that no VGN coal hoppers
had roller bearings.  Wonder if they had roller bearings on any other
cars?  Please respond.


 Then there's this from March 19, 2009:  I passed around an instruction
sheet sent to me by my friend John Snidow, director of the N&W (and VGN)
Historical Society Archives.  It is "How to install a Home Security
System".  First you go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of used men's
work boots, size 14-16.  Put them
 on your front porch along with a copy of "Guns & Ammo" magazine.  Then
place a few giant dog dishes near the boots.  Leave a note on you door that
reads:  "Hey Bubba:  Big Jim, Duke, Slim, and I went for more ammunition...
be back in an hour.  Don't mess with the pit bulls...they attacked the
mailman this morning and messed him up real bad.  I don't think Killer took
part in it but it was hard to tell from all that blood.  I locked all four
of 'em in the house.  Better wait outside"  Signed "Cooter".


 Time to pull the pin on this one!


 Departing Now from V248,


 Skip Salmon


 DCXIV
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