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

[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 
VGN clerk and yardmaster Rufus "Ruf" Wingfield. Ruf will turn 82 on Sunday. 
Ruf started his VGN career in 1944 as a call boy in Roanoke and became a 
clerk in 1949 and moved to Norfolk and worked at Sewells Point. He is a 
veteran of the Korean War and returned to the Roanoke Yard after the 
conflict, and worked there in various positions, including yardmaster, 
until he retired from NS in 1988 with 44 years service.

In response to an email from Al Kresse from Romeo, Michigan, I asked the 
Brethren to respond to his questions about the expressive language used by 
railroaders in the Bible Belt. The VGN certain ally qualified for this 
question. The Brethren responded last night by exercising their verbal 
skills. It was a consensus though, that most railroaders "blue" vocabulary 
is about the same as those who live outside the belt.

I showed the Brethren Chuck Ripper's photo of 3-26-10 showing Chesapeake 
and Albermarle GP38-2 #3841 hanging off the bascule bridge over the C&A 
Canal at Chesapeake, VA. This sparked a discussion about air brakes, 
engineers, signals, and stopping trains on the old VGN. To see this unusual 
photo with the #3841 resting on fuel tank go to:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=318583

Also passed around was one of Gordon Hamilton's "Bluefield Daily Telegraph" 
articles from October 18, 1910 "Virginian May Fall Into Other Hands". This 
story was about the possibility of the New York Central taking control of 
the VGN. I also showed the Brethren Dick Kimball's email response to this, 
and his reminding us that on June 1, 1999 when NS purchased a large portion 
of Conrail, the VGN actually took over the NYC. Dick, you are now a hero to 
the Brethren!

Displayed were the Jan/Mar N&WHS "The Arrow" and the 2009 Norfolk Southern 
Annual Report. It was pointed out from the annual report that NS percentage 
ratio of railway operating expenses to railway operating revenues for NS 
from 2005 (75.2%) to 2009 (75.4) is much higher than the VGN was at the 
1959 merger when the VGN had a ratio in the 50s. The VGN could make a 
dollar with 50 cents back then....

In response to an email inquiry from Bob Cohen of Baltimore, I asked the 
Brethren if they knew the middle name of VGN Alta Vista Agent Gerald H. 
Holt. Raymond East, who grew up in Alta Vista, knew "Captain" Holt. He said 
that his middle name was Harry. Agent Holt started with the VGN about 1921 
and served until his untimely death in a car crash about 1955. Wis Sowder, 
Glen McLain and Ruf Wingfield also remembered the gentle agent who "got 
along with anybody" and was almost never seen without his Sherlock Holmes 
pipe. For those of you who live in the Roanoke area, "Captain" Holt is not 
related to Roanoke County Sheriff and soon to be US Marshall from Western 
Virginia, Gerald S. Holt. I talked to Gerald S. Holt yesterday about 
this...he did give me some "inside poop" on several of the Brethren that 
only a high sheriff would know....more on this later.

I reminded the Brethren that is has been 69 years today since the VGN #800, 
2-10-10-2 exploded near Stewartsville killing three crew members.

My wife just yelled from the computer room that there is a 1937 Virginian 
Railway calendar on ebay for $10, "Buy it Now"....

Really time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now (quickly) from V248,

Skip Salmon

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