<div dir="auto">One note. The Huckleberry obviously ran between Blacksburg and Christiansburg where mainline trains were taken to Roanoke connecting to trains to and from Harrisonburg. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Ed Painter</div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 1:23 PM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)"><div dir="auto">When my Dad returned from the war in the Pacific he went back to VPI to obtain a MS in Fuels and Power Engineering. Prior to being commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers he had graduated from VPI with BS in Mechanical Engineering, Class of 1943. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">While working on his MS he and 2 other men (also working on the same Masters degree after returning from the War) ran the VPI power plant. A great opportunity to get real hands on experience maintaining and operating an in- service power plant. The 3 of them also completed a study on fuel bed loading for the plant saving VPI the cost of hiring a consultant to perform the study.<br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Following obtaining his MS he went to work for for Appalachian Power at the Glen Lyn plant so up until my Sophomore year in HS we lived in Giles County. We went to football games regularly in Blacksburg and on several occasions we went into the power plant. It was very interesting with Dad always being an excellent tour guide.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Dad also had lots of stories about riding on the Huckleberry to and from his home in Harrisonburg and VPI. He would also talk about going with the Corp of Cadets to football games in Roanoke and other locations by train.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I’m very fortunate to have had a wonderful Dad(an N&WHS member) and lifetime railfan and model railroader. His stories and our times together were fantastic.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Ed Painter member #70</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 11:16 AM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)"><div dir="ltr"><div>The VT steam power plant is at 37.232369433728834, -80.42063221650687 according to google. Its my understanding the power plant is now gas powered. The google image shows lots of coal in the coal yard but it's mostly empty now (last time I checked). I have seen the turbine in the past. They used to do maintenance on the turbine in the summer months.<br></div><div><br></div><div>- Roger Link</div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 6:14 AM NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)">Mr. Harper --<br>
<br>
Can you give me coordinates for the VPI Power House ?<br>
<br>
I almost froze to death one night shoving six (?) loads of coal out there from Christiansburg. I was on Time Freight No. 94 and when reporting at East Bluefield, they handed us a message saying our train would have hot loads on the head end for VPI Power House, which was just about out of coal. We were to cut off and tie our train down on the Eastward Main Track at Pelton, and shove the loads out the Blacksburg Branch to the power house. Memory tells me that Eddie Hoag, of Bland, was the Conductor that night. The temperature was about ten degrees and there was a wind. I was given the job of riding on top of the first load as we shoved through the darkness. No radios back then, so everything was by hand signals. I almost froze and it took a good two days hours before I felt warm again. Maturity of vision tells me that I should have stopped the move and retreated to the engine to get warm... perhaps several times. Some things are not safe, and some work plans are just plain needless<br>
ly stupid. But when you are young and new, you do what you are told without question.<br>
<br>
This happened not long after the branch had been stubbed off. <br>
<br>
If you can help with coordinates, I would be obliged.<br>
<br>
I had a similar experience one night riding a flat car ahead of the engine and shoving all the way from Forest to just west of Lynchburg, down the Lynchburg Old Line. Another ignorant move which could have been done quite safely the next day by the Local Freight. But that is a story for another day ...<br>
<br>
-- abram burnett<br>
Still a Frozen Turnip !<br>
.<br>
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