NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 61, Issue 10

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Thu Oct 7 08:14:41 EDT 2010


Ed Stivel -- I'd like to hear more about your time at Fort Eustis. I grew up in Newport News and was a frequent visitor to 714th Company C's operations. It's also a chapter in my book length manuscript that I'm finalizing. Kindly e-mail me (outside of nwhs mailing) @ DaleD1acont at aol.com. Thank you very much.

Dale W. Diacont

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oday's Topics:
1. RE: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip
Salmon (NW Mailing List)
2. N&W in 1911--Graham, Va. (NW Mailing List)

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Message: 1
ate: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 08:53:18 -0400
rom: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
ubject: RE: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip
Salmon
o: NW RHS <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
essage-ID: <BLU146-W18B580B4895F5CFB906208CB6E0 at phx.gbl>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

always get that ship stuff wrong! The only time I went to Ft. Story was to a
celebration" at the O Club and I don't remember much of what happened after
bout 9PM (oops, 2100).

ow, let's get back to trains!
Ed Svitil
orfolk & Western Railway





ate: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 18:22:44 -0400
o: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
ubject: Re: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip Salmon
rom: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

ot to quible too much Ed, but that was the Norfolk Naval Amphibious Base at the
ast end of the bay. NAS/NOB was at the west end,
t Hampton Roads and the Elizabeth River.
om Cosgrove
On 10/5/2010 2:20 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

K let me chime in here. I was stationed at Ft. Eustis, VA from 1969-70 when I
hipped out to RVN. Ft. Eustis is in Newport News, VA, just north of Norfolk.
t. Eustis was the USArmy Transportation Center and I was assigned to the 714th
BROSD&E, the last active duty railway operating battalion in the USArmy. We
perated several 2-8-0 and Alco diesels. http://www.eustis.army.mil/

t. Story was just across the creek adjacent to Norfolk Navy Base and was the
ome of the USArmy LOTS training (logistics over the shore). Some fellow 2LTs I
ent to Transportation Basic Course with served over there before shipping out
s well. The Army used LCMs (Mike boats) as the Navy had the big guys (LSTs).
ttp://www.eustis.army.mil/Fort_story/

he Army also had some former Navy amphib vessels in Vietnam just north of where
was in Dong Ha. I remember very clearly when we lost a boat and crew to a
ine in the Dong Ha River just south of the DMZ. http://grambo.us/atav/yboat.htm

obody would have left either place (nor could have) in that time frame and
ould have shipped out via Norfolk Navy Base to Europe or in Oakland to Pacific
ases. GENERALLY only full units shipped out via vessel, not replacements.
Ed Svitil
orfolk & Western Railway





ate: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 13:05:46 -0400
o: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
ubject: Re: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip Salmon
rom: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Can't speak to this directly, as I wasn't born until 1954, BUT my father's
arine Corps Reserve outfit (AMTRACKS) got shipped out of Norfolk,
y sea, and ended up in San Diego, before crossing the next leg to Japan for
uty in "Korean Conflict".
om Cosgrove

n 10/1/2010 4:45 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
asn't there an Army Supply Depot or something a bit south of Sewells Point on
he water? I have a vague recollection of a troop train going by my (parents)
ouse a few blocks from the Granby Ave crossing around 1950. Or have I seen so
any pics of the MB on a troop train that now I think I saw it . . . (I've
een told that troops were sometimes transferred to ships at the Oakland (CA)
rmy Supply Depot in the late 1950s.)

ete groom

n Sep 30, 2010, at 4:43 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
Thank you Skip, and to the VIRGINIAN BRETHERN for answering my question about
roop Trains. John Katz


ate: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:44:44 -0400
o: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
ubject: "Takin' Twenty" with the Virginian Brethren by Skip Salmon
rom: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

ast night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with seven of the Brethren and
riends of the Virginian Railway. I mentioned to the Brethren about the new
eader photo on this site showing "downtown" Victoria when she first became a
ail town. I passed around a copy of the September 27, 2010 "Richmond
imes-Dispatch" article about "Hopeful signs in Victoria as town gears up for
all festival", this weekend. Greg Elam is to be commended for providing the
ichmond paper information for this piece. "I've told people recessions come and
ecessions go, but we've been in a recession for 50 years," said Greg Elam, a
ember of the Town Council who led the acquisition of the caboose for the town's
ark, and remains its caretaker". I'll add that Greg had a hand in everything
ssociated with, and the securing of, the Rail Park, including the low sided
irginian gondola that the Roanoke Chapter NRHS donated. If you can make it to
ictoria this Saturday, be sure to give Greg a big thank
you for his untiring and faithful service to the cause!
Also passed around were the Summer 2010 "NRHS Bulletin" and "Trains Locomotive
010, The magazine of today's motive power", which featured the NS 999 battery
owered locomotive.
I mentioned to the Brethren that I spoke to John Euton at the last Motive Power
upervisor's breakfast about doing an article on the slug that was made from a
irginian EL-C shortly after the merger. John worked on this project and gave me
ome information and will give me more, as I do the research. The pantograph
tripped EL-C was modified with electrical equipment to be connected to a
irginian Trainmaster for remote power for yard service. John said that this
et-up worked well at the Shaffers Crossing hump. More on this later.
The Jewel from the Past is from September 16, 2004: Communications were
iscussed, and it was clear that the operating department of the Virginian
ailway did not have radios until almost right before the merger with the N&W.
hey then only had the heavy portable type in the cabs and the signal went from
he cab antenna to a small one when they left the caboose. Cabooses were
quipped with an antenna in the center of the cupola for road communication.
ocomotives had a permanent one. Hand signals during daylight, and lanterns at
ight, were the primary means of communication before the radios were used. With
rackside train signals at only a few locations, and train orders and good
atches being used for meets, a constant vigil was required for a safe trip".
I showed the Brethren the first day cover that the Big Lick Stamp Club issued
ast Saturday at their meeting to celebrate the 100 anniversary of the VGN
tation in Roanoke. Several of the Brethren bought this VGN collector's item. I
urchased some of these covers along with protective sleeves and had the Grandin
oad Post Office place the cancellation on them. This makes this item an instant
iece of history and is already a collectors item for VGN memorabilia
ollectors. The Club also placed their cancellation on them which shows the
tation, Mill Mountain with Star, and a VGN Steam locomotive in the background,
n the ones I purchased. I am selling them as a fund-raiser for the Station.
ontact me off line if you want some. At the Show I handed out the Station
lyers and had one avid stamp collector make a substantial contribution to the
estoration Fund.

>From last week's report I got a question from the N&WHS mailing list asking

Did military movements unload at Sewalls Point, which was adjacent to the Naval
ir Station and ship piers?" Wis Sowder and Glen McLain, who were clerks at
ewells Point and Norfolk, do not remember ever seeing or hearing about troops
eing unloaded at Sewells Point. Both also commented that even though there were
o unloading platforms at the coal piers, the Army and Navy could have unloaded
roop trains there.
Landon Gregory and Frank Breedlove grew up on farms that produced tobacco. Both
emembered the VGN hauling the "baskets" in box cars from Brookneal, Kenbridge,
eesville and Altavista. For about twenty minutes, the two Virginian veterans
iscussed the fine points of raising, weeding, bug killing, harvesting, curing,
acking and auctioning tobacco. Both agreed that "cured" meant no moisture in
he leaf. Most of the "VGN" tobacco was bright leaf cigarette type which was
lue cured (heated in barns to remove moisture) versus the Lynchburg "dark"
ype(N&W) that was used for cigars and pipes. Frank Breedlove said that he
emembered George Daniels, a car inspector, who chewed all the time. Frank said
for the first several years I thought he had a growth on the side of this cheek
efore discovering he chewed". Landon Gregory said that you could tell if a
erson was "level headed" if the tobacco juice came out the same, on both sides
f his mouth!"
Time to pull the pin on this one!
Departing Now from V248,
Skip Salmon

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-
om Cosgrove
2VFK
REMT-B
KYWARN Spotter LME002
ed Cross Disaster Volunteer since 1995
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om Cosgrove
2VFK
REMT-B
KYWARN Spotter LME002
ed Cross Disaster Volunteer since 1995
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Message: 2
ate: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 22:17:06 -0400
rom: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
ubject: N&W in 1911--Graham, Va.
o: "3N&W Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
essage-ID: <FBC87B7F83E74034B7FF50C59A06A963 at DellVostro>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
arch 28, 1911
THE GRAHAM DAILY NEWS
-----
EW STATION NEEDED
-----
orfolk and Western Should be Asked to Co-operate in Town Improvements
Now that the town of Graham expects to spend something like $80,000 for
mprovements during the next twelve months, why not invite the Norfolk and
estern to co-operate with the municipality by improving its property and
eautifying the railroad front in Graham. It has always been the policy of the
oad to show a spirit of co-operation and assistance to those towns and
ommunities that evince a spirit of progressiveness and manifest local pride
ufficient to attract the attention of the stranger. Where once stood a
eautiful passenger station in Graham, surrounded with flower beds, now stands a
ile of junk consisting of castings and broken and twisted iron used for repair
ork on the pipe line and water tanks of the road. The place is equally as
nsightly as the street that leads by it. The street will be improved by the
own and we believe the railroad company will be willing to rectify the other if
heir attention is called and needs it badly [sic]. Other towns of
considerably less population and of less importance generally have been
rovided with nice passenger deports located separate from the freight depots.
raham's arrangement is a combination of both. It is true that when the
uestion was being agitated here for a new passenger station some three years
go certain citizens of the town got together and opposed it, but
otwithstanding this handicap, it is believed that with the present progressive
ovement in Graham the railroad company would be glad to fall in line and
rovide such improvements here as are badly needed if the matter is taken up and
andled in the proper way. Nobody expects the Norfolk and Western railroad to
pend a lot of money wastefully in Graham, but the improvement of its property
nd providing the public with the convenience of commodious passenger stations
s only a part of the railroad's business and the Norfolk and Western has shown
hat it is always in the market for business.
-----
OVERHEAD CROSSING
-----
ailroad Willing to Share Expense of Needed Improvement
We have learned that steps are under way for an overhead crossing to be put
n over the railroad track near the Mitchell Ice Factory. It is understood that
he railroad company's engineer has expressed a willingness on the part of the
ailroad to bear at least one half of the cost of providing the crossing, and
hey would possibly do a little better than this if requested by the proper
uthorities. The present crossing is situated on a sharp curve and has always
een regarded as rather dangerous, and the town has frequently considered the
uestion of taking steps to protect the place in some manner but nothing
efinitely was ever done. At least one-half of the children attending the
ublic school are compelled to use the railroad at this point, and the same
ondition would exist in the event it is decided to locate the new school
uilding west of Bluestone river, as the children residing east of Bluestone
ould have to cross the railroad the same as those now living on
the other side. This fact is a good argument in favor of putting in the
rossing and it should be provided in any event.
-----
ordon Hamilton
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