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

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Thu Jan 20 08:25:21 EST 2011


Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with nine of the
Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. We signed a Happy
Birthday card for Ken McLain who finished his rail career in December,
1959 as Weigh master and Chief Clerk at Sewalls Point. He retired from
VGN January 1, 1960 with 16 years service and went to work for Sperry
Corporation as a field manager. Ken will be 84 next Tuesday.

From last week's report I got a response about the Postal Code from
Dave Pierson who was a mail carrier who agreed that the US Postal
Service did not have that code. Also from last week, I got a response
about the switch lock currently used by NS. Ed Noell, supervisor at
Roanoke Shops, said that when the new lock was being considered, it was
tested in the Tool Room. "It took some time to open it without a key,
and 'a 20 foot steel rod was involved'".

The ebay report this time includes the following items sold: System map
for $20.00; Slide of #212 Pacific in Roanoke in 1957 for $42.78; Slide
of #126 and #507 in 1957 for $59.59; Slide of #903 for $25.49 and a
Deepwater RR 1907 pass #10 made out to Mr. Joy Martin , president of the
Michigan, Indiana and Illinois RR for $185.00. Tuesday morning I got an
email from our VGN Station architect telling me there was a VGN lantern
on Craig's list. I immediately called and found out it was a shell for a
Keystone 1902 "VIRGINIAN". The man at Goodview told me he bought in the
60's at an auction. However, he also said when he put the phone down (it
was 7 AM at the time), it would ring again and he was going to take the
day off from work to interview prospective buyers. I am sure it sold for
more than "the advertised" of $15!.

The Jewel from the Past is from January 13, 2005: "We have been
discussing the possibility of there being an operator at the Belt
Line(N&W) where it crossed the VGN main line at V246.8 to get to the
Material Yard and West Yard. Tom Victory contacted 'Willie' Burroughs, a
former VGN operator who was reputed to have worked at the Belt Line
Crossing but was on the Norfolk Division. 'Willie' wrote Tom a response
in a letter: 'Early in the spring of 1960, "AG" office in the scale
house was moved to the west end of Roanoke Yard at the Belt Line and was
called "VN". Then in December of 1960, the N&W abolished "VN". (It was
moved to Salem where the new crossover from VGN to N&W is now).

Landon Gregory commented about Mike Weeks of Greenville, NC photo of
Bridge 5. He worked there for several years and it was after the new
bridge was built. Landon's bridge 5 had the office on the bridge and not
beside it as in the photo and Landon reached the parking lot
approximately where the "5 master" is shown in the photo.

Passed around was a Phil Cotterill photo of an electric mine locomotive
and two cars on Hegang Coal RR, Hegang, China. This would be a great
illustration of how NOT to safely move coal. To see China's version of
"Elmore" and the photo, go to:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=351563

Also passed around was a photo from an early N&W Magazine of "South
Roanoke Yard Employees Gathering". "An organization known as the South
Roanoke Yard Employees held an enjoyable luncheon in September at Wasena
Park. Starting with the former Virginian when Roanoke was the center of
that railway's operations, the men banded together as a 'family'. Our
own Raymond East was in the photo. He and Wis Sowder remembered going to
several of the events.

My good friend John McDaniel loaned me a VGN Roanoke "posed" photo of
VGN 115-ton G-3-A gondola #19146, complete with spanking new paint job,
and full of large chunks of coal. It was passed around and the Brethren
commented on seeing these large coal haulers in service. I of course,
forwarded the photo on to our own Frank Bongiovanni, "Rear Admiral of
Battleship Gons".

Finally, one of the Brethren, name withheld to protect the innocent, let
it slip that he recently almost entered a local car wash from the wrong
end. He said "The car coming out was just as surprised as I was!"

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

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