"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 Brakeman and Conductor Frank Breedlove who turned 
77 Tuesday. Frank is well known in our area of the state as a gentleman 
land-owner and is a "purveyor of good stuff" at one of his many 
endeavors: Yard Sales. Sometimes he even throws in a few Virginian 
items. We also signed a "Thinking About You" card for VGN Yardmaster 
Rufus Wingfield who is very ill.

On my way to the meeting last night I stopped by to see Ruf with Jeff 
Sanders. I took him the photo of the yard tracks with numbers and track 
IDs that I posted last week on this site. Ruf was very proud that I 
listed him as the identifier of these tracks on this web site and 
proceeded to tell us more information about the day-to-day operations at 
the major VGN Yard in Roanoke. More on this later.

The ebay report this time includes items sold as Virginian: H. Reid book 
for $35.00; Negative of photo of 2-6-6-6 AG #906 at Princeton for 
$22.50; Fairbanks-Morse photo of VGN H14-44 #11 for $10.49; Sketch of 
VGN 2-10-10-2 for $17.77; 1920 #107 Conductor's pass for $13.03, and one 
I am not so sure of: 1950s VGN Railway Company "Policeman" badge #107 
for $150.00.

I passed around a copy of the Norfolk Southern 2010 Annual Report, 
several photos from the net of completed NS tunnel work on the Heartland 
Corridor, the July/August/September issue of N&WHS "The Arrow" featuring 
steam era GP-9s, and an old news photo taken between Mullens and Sophia 
at Loop Junction.

The Jewel from the Past is from August 26, 2004: "A story was told of a 
Navy 'Yellow Submarine' (not the Beatles') that came from San Diego thru 
the Panama Canal to Norfolk. Plans were made to get it through all of 
the tight spots in the Norfolk area to the Navy Yards, but on one bridge 
the paint was actually 'scrapped off the sides', it was so close. I 
asked about any more 'high and wide' loads hauled on the VGN. Slick Inge 
remembered a large load, transformer he thought, that was being shipped 
from Mullens north toward Page that knocked some large rocks from the 
Mullens tunnel ceiling on to the loaded car. This tunnel is 203 feet 
long and is self supporting and is near 'Beagle Bottom' where a local 
raised 'many of the long ear'd rabbit chasers'".

We talked about NS's part in the recent 100 year anniversary celebration 
of the Boy Scouts of America at their National Jamboree at Fort A. P. 
Hill near Fredericksburg, VA. Norfolk Southern provided a 45 foot 
trailer that looked, and was painted like one of their GE Dash 9 diesel 
locomotives. It is a train simulator and the 45,000 boys from all over 
the US and the world had an opportunity to earn their Railroad merit 
badge. Also at this Jamboree, the local Scouts from the Roanoke area had 
five Jamboree patches with a rail theme...one even spotlighted the 
famous J-Class N&W #611.

I had the TV set on and tuned to Channel 7, WDBJ for the six o'clock 
news. Footage of the January 29, 2001 Virginian Station in Roanoke 
appeared with flames going to the sky. Earlier in the day yesterday, 
Jeff Sanders, president of the Roanoke Chapter NRHS, Jim Cosby, 
Treasurer and VGN Station Committee Chairman, and I were interviewed at 
the Station to highlight work being started on the restoration. Jeff 
spoke of finally getting something being done after many years of work 
in preparation; Jim Cosby told of our grants and how we plan to proceed; 
I was able to tell the public that we plan to put the Station back, 
looking like she was 100 year ago. The Brethren watched intently and 
then it happened: I was able to say that we plan to display many 
Virginian Railway artifacts, and I was able to do something that I have 
wanted to for years. I took out my pocket my 1924 brass heart-shaped VGN 
switch lock and key and held it up the camera for all to see. There was 
a special sound that came from the Brethren that I will never 
forget...almost like the sound of someone seeing a newborn baby for the 
first time. This reminded me of an old joke about the "marriage of two 
TV antennas...the wedding wasn't much but the reception was great!"

Time to pull the pin from this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

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