Fwd: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Takin' Twenty with the Virginian Brethren"

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--
Skip Salmon

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To: VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts at yahoogroups.com
From: "Charles E. Salmon, Jr." <gkholine at cox.net>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:17:23 -0000
Subject: [VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts] "Takin' Twenty with the Virginian Brethren"

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with nine of
the Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway.

Raymond East said that he really enjoys browsing in Lowes and
Home Depot during this hot weather. He said "they have no mosquitos
like my wife's garden". The recent hot spell was the talk of the
night including the confirmed tornado that touched down in Roanoke
last week. I remembered the news coverage on Channel 7, the local
CBS station and Robin Reed, the geru of weather reporting in
Roanoke. He kept the station on the air during prime time last
Tuesday tracking this rare weather phenomenon. To a Virginian
Railroad fan, it was amazing how the first sighting was so close to
South Yard near the Towers Shopping Center. It was like someone
reading a VGN Timetable watching the report of sightings and warnings
being read with the stations brand new High Definition equipment in
action. The storm headed out of Roanoke down the old Virginian
through Goodview, Huddleston, Leesville, Atlavista, Seneca,
Brookneal,Phenix.....toward Victoria. Fortunately there were no
deaths, minimum damage, and no injuries reported. Several of the
Brethren recalled in the past, during large storms and floods, the
VGN would place loaded coal hoppers on bridges to help stabilize them.

The ebay report included: 1920's Roy Harvey "Wreck of the VGN
#3" 78 rpm record for $27.78; rare 1927 unpublished photo of the
Ingeleside wreck for $49.99 and an original negative of 2-8-8-2 #728
USB for $108.25.

Landon Gregory told the group about last week's work session at
the N&W(and VGN) Historical Society Archives. We opened a box of VGN
items donated by the family of a VGN engineer. The box contained
many artifacts including a "V.Ry." tall globe lantern with an "SAL"
globe. One photo showed two VGN FM H16-44s in N&W paint at Norfolk
shifting several modern Amtrak coaches. This photo will no doubt
show up in a future calendar. More on this and our work days at the
VMT later.

Bob Rowland remembered riding squarehesds in the yard every
chance he got. He said that he "loved the up and down motion of the
side rods pounding the iron". He also enjoyed standing beside one of
the 900s as it started to pull a loaded coal train. "It was so smooth
and powerful, it would make my hair stand on end, and even then I
didn't have much".

Raymond East told the Brethren about a truck-train accident in
Salem this week where someone in a pick-up ran into a Norfolk
Southern caboose on Indiania Street near the old Valleydale Packing
plant. It was the local shifter returning on the Catawba Branch from
the Yokohama tire plant with the cab leading and a crew member
watching for traffic and blowing the crossings. The driver was
charged with DUI and he and his lady friend were taken to the
hospital with non life threatening injuries. The top of the pick-up
had to be removed to get them out. The caboose was not injured.
Cornbread then related a near accident he had once while cutting a
VGN caboose into the cab track. Seems that the yard crew cut off the
cab "on the fly" but the brakeman was not able to board the cab to
wind up the stemwinder. Cornbread said they "chased that cab with
the yard engine and if it hadn't of coupled, we would have been in
big trouble".

Cornbread also told about going to see his Doctor this
week. "I'm OK but he told me. 'If you're living, come back to see me
in 9 months'",

It's time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now,

Skip Salmon



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