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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with seven of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway.  A lot of the discussion was about
the snow storm we had, starting last Wednesday.  The official snow fall in
the Roanoke area was 19", but my Corvette thought she had joined some of
her sisters in Bolling Green in that sink hole, with over two feet of snow
on her.  Landon Gregory finally got out when a neighbor brought his tractor
and moved the large ice balls in front of his driveway put there by the
snow plow.  He also told us about one of his neighbors getting an estimate
on what it would cost from a professional snow removal service to move
their snow...$69 per hour, per shoveller!.  Gordon Hamilton told of
shoveling a "single track" out and having to go back the next day and
putting in a "passing siding".



We talked about the recent death of Iris Tyler, widow of VGN Clerk H. E.
"Governor" Tyler.  "Governor" passed away last August.



For Show and Tell, I took the Spring 2014 "Classic Trains".  On page 72
there is a great photo of VGN, NKP and N&W coal hoppers behind the East
Tennessee & Western North Carolina 2-8-0 #207 on November 22, 1966 en route
between Johnson City and Elizabethon, TN.  The ET & WNC is well known as
the "Tweetsie".



Landon Gregory brought several photos given to him by the Executor of Felix
Price's estate.  Felix, one of our "regulars" and former Assistant Power
Director at the VGN Power Plant in Narrows, passed away January 16, 2014.
Felix's photos show the outside and inside of the plant.  In the background
of one of the photos is a 1958 calendar and we were all amazed at how clean
the plant was.  The photos will be scanned at the N&W (and VGN) Historical
Society Archives and will be made available on their sight after we can get
the people identified in them.



The Jewel from the Past, like those in a 15 jewel Illinois "Railway
Engineer" is from October 18, 2007:  "At the work session last Thursday at
the N&W (and VGN) Historical Society Archives, Landon discovered a photo
showing in June 1957, the VGN had a 1956 Pontiac Hi Rail motor car, A-300,
valued at $7,108.09.  Wouldn't that be a sight to see it crossing the New
River bridge at Glen Lyn!" NOTE:  This is the same 1956 Pontiac "motor car"
shown in the recent Berringer Library photos now making the rounds on you
tube and our site.



Then there's this:  "The $2.99 Senior Special".  An elderly couple went to
breakfast at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special was two eggs, bacon,
hash browns and toast for $2.99.  'Sounds good', my wife said.  'But I
don't want the eggs..'  'Then, I'll have to charge you $3.49 because you're
ordering a la carte.' the waitress warned her.  'You mean I'd have to pay
for not taking the eggs?' my wife asked incredulously.  'YES', stated the
waitress.. 'I'll take the special then', my wife said.  'How do you want
your eggs?' the waitress asked.  'Raw and in the shell,' my wife replied.
She took the two eggs home and baked a cake.  DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!



Time to pull the pin on this one.



Departing Now from V248,



Skip Salmon



DVI
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