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

[NW Mailing List]

We've got way too may weathermen...last night with all the forecasts 
being broadcast for much snow, even "thunder" snow, ice,wind, rain etc. 
Ronnie Victory and I were the only two who made it to Country Cookin'. 
Being a safety-first train retired supervisor, I appreciate the concern. 
I will give to you what I had prepared for our meeting as if the sun 
were shining brightly and was June instead of January.

 From last week, I showed Ronnie a photo emailed to me by Doug Bess of 
the VGN Pacific #213 at Charleston, WV on B&O tracks near Capitol 
Street, without her passenger cars. Doug recalled hearing his Mother 
telling him that she, along with her mother and siblings, rode into 
Charleston from Page. Also relating to a response from last week about 
an operator being at "VN" near where the Belt line crossed the VGN at 
the N&W Material Yard, I got a response stating that operator "Willie" 
Burroughs was also a "repo-man".

The Jewel from the Past is from January 13, 2005: "'Slick' Inge 
commented on flag stops. He said that at every station where there was 
an agent, the passenger trains were prepared to stop for passengers. He 
doesn't remember any particular color flag or light being used, just a 
stop signal. He said at 'flag stops' where there was no agent, anyone 
could stop the train. He even remembered sometimes the train had to 
'back up to pick up someone'".

I also showed Ronnie a "Roanoke Times" article about a burglar who ran 
from the police and used the old VGN main line in his attempted getaway. 
On the lam, this burglar hopped on a 5 MPH NS coal train in the "PD 
Bottom" area near Cleveland Avenue in Roanoke just west of the yard 
limits. (This is the same spot where Ronnie's Dad "Cornbread" Victory 
told me he "threw many a brass 'sweetheart' VGN switch lock into the 
bushes at the beginning of a shift, so it would not have to be re-locked 
each time the switch was thrown"). As the police were hot on his trail, 
the burglar moved ahead on slow moving loaded coal hoppers, and near the 
spot where the N&W relocated the Roanoke River south, to extend the old 
Virginian South Yard, he jumped. He went down the bank, swam the Roanoke 
River and arrived in Wasena Park, only to meet a barrage of bean bags, 
shot from a shotgun, and a mist of pepper spray...

Also I showed Ronnie the news release by the Roanoke Chapter NRHS last 
Thursday where they donated $50,000 to the Virginian Station 
Restoration. Jeff Sanders, Chapter president, said that the Chapter was 
able "to make this contribution because of the support of the public, 
given on our excursion rides and other fundraising projects".

Since our joke man, Ken McLain couldn't make it, I will use this one 
sent to me by my good friend Danny Gee: "How to call the police when 
you're old and don't move fast anymore": George Phillips, an elderly 
man, from Meridian, Mississippi, was going up to bed, when his wife told 
him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed. George opened the 
back door to go turn off the light, but saw there were people in the 
shed, stealing things. He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in 
your house?" He said "No, but some people are breaking into my garden 
shed and stealing from me". Then the police dispatcher said "All patrols 
are busy. You should lock your doors, and an officer will be along when 
one is available.." George said, "OK". He hung up the phone and counted 
to 30. Then he phoned the police again. "Hello, I just called you a few 
seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed.. 
Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I just shot and 
killed them both, and my dogs are eating them right now," and he hung 
up. Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two 
Fire Trucks, a Paramedic, and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips' 
residence, and caught the burglars red-handed. One of the Policemen said 
to George. "I thought you said that you'd shot them!" George said, "I 
thought you said there was nobody available!".

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

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