"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 
Bill Daniel, son of VGN carpeck George Daniel and grandson of New River 
Superintendent Daniel.

Several items were passed around and perused. The first is a photo 
discovered during our workday session at the N&W (and VGN) Historical 
Society Archives. It is of the Virginian Station in Roanoke taken about 
1960, right after the merger. It shows a lot of merchandise including bales 
of hay and sacks of stuff, track side. I suspect this was taken shortly 
after the Connelly family leased the larger building for a feed and seed store.

Also passed was a 58 page booklet that I intend to donate to the Archives 
of "N&W Definitions". I could not find a date in the book. Examples of NW 
definitions of that time are: "crib": the ballast between two adjacent ties 
is "in the crib"; "lookout": caboose cupola; and the abbreviation "A/C": 
account (NOT air conditioning which was not in the book). It was ironic 
because Lee Mosley, retired NS employee attended our session, and in the 
60s, he was a shop engineer and he was the editor of this book. He said 
that it was started in the early sixties, just after the merger so all 
employees would use the same terms, and was given to all new employees in 
the engine and transportation service.

The Jewel from the Past is from February 3, 2005: "Tonight I had the 
pleasure of 'Takin Twenty' with 10 of the Brethren including first timer 
Raymond S. Keffer who worked as a brakeman at Suffolk. Raymond told us 
about the many peanut plants there, including the big Planters Plant that 
at one time employed over 5,000. Others he remembered were Pond and Bird 
Song Peanuts. He said at Christmas, you could buy all of the peanut 
products at wholesale prices. He worked on the famous VGN Steam Switcher SA 
0-8-0 #4 when switching in the area and didn't especially like the little 
Alco-GE 380 HP diesel switcher #6. It couldn't pull the hills like the old 
#4 steamer". (Note: #4 is the only VGN steam engine saved from the scrap 
heap and is in the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.)

I showed the Brethren a photo I took last Friday of a work train at the 
Station Siding in Hardy, MP V234. On the rear was NS caboose 555023 which 
has been stricken by a graffito "artist". Another of my photos included two 
questions for the Brethren. It showed a westbound on the old Virginian at 
MP V253 in Salem. The answers to the questions are: Westbound merchandise 
trains are sort of rare on the Whitethorne District and the old L&M Tannery 
water tower is in the photo. It is dated 2-28-06 and the tower was taken 
down soon after this. Another project and photo was discussed with the 
Brethren. I have gained permission and given a 1950s photo (on a compact 
disc) by the N&W HS that I can use for a project involving a handout 
sometime in the future when the old Virginian Complex (Roundhouse, Freight 
House, Motor Barn etc.) is toured. Carilion Medical Canter now occupies 
this space with a Research Center and the VA Tech Medical School. I can 
make about any size photo needed from the disc and intend to ask Carilion 
to work with me to make a "before and after" handout for future tours for 
our use, and theirs. The photo shows all buildings, tracks, roads, Victory 
Stadium, Roundhouse, Armory etc. that were standing in the 1950s.

John McDaniel, my VGN source in Wabun, brought me a copy of "On Track with 
Safety-Virginia Division" of Jan-Mar 2000. On page 63 is shown Assistant 
Superintendent Benny F. Sammons giving Landon M. Gregory, Westbound 
Booking-Out Clerk, his 30-year Service Award Pin from NS. Could there be 
two Landon Gregorys? Our Landon Gregory, VGN dispatcher, never heard of the 
other Landon Gregory and said he was named after Alf Landon who ran for 
president in 1936.

Gordon Hamilton's latest "Bluefield Daily Telegraph" item of June 25, 1911 
was passed around. This one was about the "ultimate location of the VGN 
shops in Princeton to possibly Salem". Apparently some Salem businessmen 
tried to get the Shops moved. Princeton at one time accused Roanoke of 
"stealing VGN SA #4, but stealing the shops in Princeton I guess "just 
wasn't in the cards"!

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

CCCLV

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