Fw: Vesuvius Re-visited.

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

 The gravity fed pump and most of the key elements of the county store at
 Vesuvius - including the stove - have been restored and on display in the
 Heritage Gallery - within the O. Winston Link Museum in downtown Roanoke,
VA

 With accompanying pictures Winston took both inside and outside the
Austin's
 store - takes you back to life in a small town in the 50's

David Helmer

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 9:12 PM

> Subject: Vesuvius Re-visited.

>

>

> > Sad to say, I have temporarily misplaced the photos, but around 1990

while

> > driving up Interstate 81  in Virginia I decided to re-trace some of the

> foot

> > steps of O. Winston Link.  In his book "Steam Steel And Stars" you will

> rcall

> > the interior view f the general store in Vesuvius, Va., and the old

> gentleman

> > outside putting gas in a convertible automobile as a northbound

passenger

> > train passes in the background on the doubletrack  N&W  in front of  the

> > store.  I turned off I-81 to go over to Vesuvius and on the state road

> near

> > Vesuvius on the right, I spotted an  ACY covered hopper, minus trucks

> > mounted about 15 or 18 feet high on two concrete piers with room for

> > Virginia Dept. Of Highways dump trucks to drive underneath to receive

> > gravel to spread on roads during icy weather.  The top of the coverd

> hopper

> > is  located up against a steep fill where other trucks can dump gravel

> into

> > the hopper to be dumped into the smaller dump trucks.  Obviously I took

a

> > photo of that.  To my surprise, although long closed, that general store

> > building was still intact!   That gravity gasoline pump in the Winston

> Link

> > photo was still right there in the front of the building.  I stood in

the

> > exact same spot that Link must have been standing when that photo was

made

> > and got a daytime shot of that gas tank.  If only I could have had a

> > N&W  Mountain class  "J look-alike"   passsing in the background with a

> > northbound passenger train headed for Stuart's Draft and Waynesboro to

> > complete the scene.  You see,  I do have a warm spot for the N&W.  Too

> > bad some of you don't feel the same way about the ACL instead of making

> > fun of it.  If I do say so, A couple of ACL  P-5-a or P-5-b Pacifics

> > doubleheading a passenger  or freight train was a sight to gladden the

> heart.

> > In my case something to be a part of in  that I would be the fireman on

> > either the lead or second locomotive.   If you really want a dirty job,

> try

> > firing the second locomotive on a doubleheaded passenger train. You get

> > to eat the smoke and cinders of both locomotives up to around 70 MPH.

> > You don't need your  coal  pusher then, as the vibration at high speeds

> > will shake down the coal pile until coal is ankle-deep n the deck of the

> > locomotive. Been there, done that.  Bill Sellers.

> >

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