Age Question / Ole Maud

[NW Mailing List]

I thought of OWL in the middle of the night last Monday:

 

It was a very bright  and hot moon-lit night in the Ellett Valley near
Blacksbury along the former VGN. About 1:30am an eastbound came down the
mountain and gave the customary two longs, a short, and a long for the
crossing just above Ellett.  The horn was in serious trouble......
sounded somewhat like a straining  Electrolux vacuum cleaner.
Immediately, a coyote in the distance let out a chilling yell and was
soon joined by a choir of coyotes all yelling in response to the horn.
This lasted about a minute and then silence. I immediately thought of
the Christmas 1957 OWL recording. Needless to say, this will not rival
it but it was an entertaining event.

 

The former VGN west of Roanoke continues to be quite active because of
the tunnel work on the Heartland Corridor.  We have about 18 trains a
day, about half each way.  The passing track at Fagg is often in use.

 

On another matter, I have enjoyed the talk on this site about the webcam
at Hotel Roanoke which is operated by the Virginia Tech Foundation. We
are still getting some kinks out but use is heavy and we are glad it has
been so well received. And I was told today that over 60 railfan
packages with a room overlooking the tracks have been sold in the first
month of the railcam.

 

    Ray Smoot

 

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 5:26 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Re: Age Question / Ole Maud

 

Ed,

 

Here is a shot to illustrate your 2006 comments. A third Maud?

 

Mike Pierry, Jr.

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 3:25 PM, NW Mailing List
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

I cannot resist adding my trivia contribution to the Old Maude
discussion!

Unfortunately I was not present on the day that O.Winston Link was there
for the dedication of the Green Cove Station in 1991. I was there on
October 7, 2006 when a large stone/monument that includes the "Ole
Maude" photograph was dedicated. Winston's son, Conway, was the speaker.
A stand-in for Ole Maude was there also with a sled that somewhat
matched the one in the photograph. I happen to know that that Ole Maude
present in 2006 is owned by a fellow who lives near Troutdale, VA (not
too far from Green Cove) and that "Maude" is pastured there adjacent to
VA 603.

Another interesting point is that several of the people who appear in
the Ole Maude photograph were present at the event in 2006. The two boys
at the front of the sled are brothers and were present in 2006. I
believe the man holding the reins was their father and is deceases. Of
the three girls/ladies on the station porch, two were present in 2006. I
met each of these people that day, and I think one of them told me the
name of the dog standing in the doorway but I cannot recall the name
now.

Ed
(A sometimes USFS volunteer in the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area)


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