"Taking Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with eight of the 
Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. We signed a Happy 
Birthday card for James Economy, who turned 80 on Monday, and a Sympathy 
Card for William "Scotty" Scott, who lost his beloved wife Shirley, last 
week to cancer. We were joined my Mr. and Mrs. Gilmer. Mrs. Gilmer's 
father was VGN road brakeman O. C. Hancock. Ruf Wingfield told several 
stories about "calling" O. C. and his VGN crews.

Passed around were the Spring 2009 NRHS "Bulletin" and a Dave Hyman 
photo of thermite rail joint welding on the NS at Alliance, OH. I asked 
the Brethren if they ever saw anything like thermite joint welding on 
the VGN and I got a lot of feedback about them not having ribbon rail...

Ruf told the Brethren about the recent passing away of Lanny "Bones" 
Bower, VGN Scale House Clerk. He was called "Bones" because he was "tall 
and skinny".

I showed the Brethren a letter I found at the N&W (and VGN) Historical 
Society Archives this week from Virginian Chief Engineer A. M. Traugott 
dated December 7, 1945. It authorized the building of a 60 X 80 foot 
"Quonset" building at the Roanoke Terminal, but did not specify what the 
building use was. Ruf Wingfield and Wis Sowder remembered the building 
as being across the street from the VGN Passenger Station and was used 
by Sands and Company as a "Company Store".

The N&W Historical Society Annual Convention is in Roanoke this week. I 
told the Brethren about a large aerial photo being shown at the Archives 
of the entire VGN South Yard Complex dated sometime in the 1950s. Except 
for dating the automobiles in the photo, it is hard to determine the 
exact date it was taken. I contacted Appalachian Power to find out when 
their power generating plant beside the Walnut Street Bridge in the 
photo was taken out of service. They gave me a January 1, 1955 date 
indicating that the photo was taken before that date.

The N&WHS Convention is highlighting several aspects of the VGN. John 
Munson is giving a clinic "The Mullins Motor Barn complex except for the 
Motor Barn"; Frank Bongiovanni is presenting "Introduction to Virginian 
Modeling" and there will be a "Presentation of Don Ball slides of 
N&W/VGN subjects".

Last week I made a "typo" when reporting Landon Gregory's comments about 
VGN telegraph and telephone operations. The reference to telephone 
should have been "FN". Landon also remembered that VGN locations had 
call letters. Victoria was "CD"; Altavista "VA"; Roanoke "JK"; Goodview 
"CH"; Moneta "MA"; Huddleston "C"; Seneca "CA"; Brookneal "BR"; Phenix 
"F"; Abilene "AN"; Kenbridge "GN"; Jarrett "JR"; Suffolk "SW"; Alberta 
"A"; South Norfolk "MO" and Sewalls Point was "SK". He also said that 
there were six different telegraph circuits and on VGN signal poles, the 
white insulators indicated dispatch lines.

I showed the Brethren two of the latest VGN books now available from the 
N&WHS Commissary: Standards Drawings Book "G" "Telegraph & Telephone 
Lines" (Volume 24) and Book "H" "Miscellaneous" (Volume 25). The 
"Miscellaneous" book includes Standard Mail Cranes, Telephone Boxes, 
Bill and Fire Hose Boxes, Stockyards, Rail Tongs, Signal Lamps, 
Inspector's Hammer, Push Cars, and a Standard Box for Storing Dynamite.

Also passed around was a recent ebay purchase I made of two photos 
showing several VGN G4 Gons in disarray beside the Lafayette bridge just 
west of Kumis siding. These two photos of a 1940 VGN derailment may be 
good candidates for Aubrey Wiley's outstanding black and white Virginian 
Railway Calendar...

Glen McLain and Wis Sowder discussed ways to keep deer from eating the 
tops of plants in their gardens. This prompted a discussion about 
hunting. One of the Brethren recalled once going bear hunting with some 
of his VGN friends. They came to a fork in the fire trail road and saw a 
sign that read "BEAR LEFT" so they went home...

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from VGN 248,

Skip Salmon



=============