Train at Towers shopping center

[NW Mailing List]

As Roger and Abe stated, that would be the Cactus Joe Choo Choo. You have to have been a long time Roanoker to have remembered it. Cactus Joe was an early Roanoke TV Kids Show host, probably up until sometime in the mid to late 1960s. His real name was Joe Grant, he built his rubber tired train and took it out to many places, it seemed especially at frequent at Towers Mall. I can't recall right now if he was affiliated with Channel 10, WSLS TV, or Channel 7, WDBJ TV. It may have been at one then later the other, regardless, if he was at Towers a lot, that was also the home of Channel 7 from 1961 to about 2000.

While I was at Channel 7, 1980-1991, the affiliation was no longer there, but I recall finding in the files a "Life Time Pass" for the Cactus Joe Choo Choo. 

I don't know what happened to the train, I know it ran as late as the early 1980s, and I have no reference available to know exactly when Joe passed away, but I believe it was about 2007.

Ken Miller

On Aug 5, 2011, at 7:18 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:


> When I was a child in Roanoke there was a gentlemen who offered rides on a kids train at Towers Shopping Center, this would have been in the late 60’s mid- 70’s time frame.  Does anyone on the list know this gentleman’s name?

>  

> Thanks for your help.

>  

> R.D. Williams

>  

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