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

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Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with ten of the 
Brethren and Friends of the Virginian Railway. Attending with us last 
night was Nicholas Merkelson, Curatorial Fellow from the Planting Fields 
Foundation in Oyster Bay, New York. The Planting Fields is a museum of 
William Robertson Coe. It is a 65 room Elizabethan country house 
(mansion) on 409 acres that are now a New York State Park. This museum 
was the home of W. R. Coe who married Mai Rogers, daughter of Henry 
Huttleston Rogers, builder of the Virginian Railway. Nic is preparing 
for an exhibition of Virginian Railway artifacts next year at the 
museum. I met him yesterday at the N&W Historical Society Archives and 
helped with his selection of photographs and some artifacts he wants to 
use from the Society. I invited him to "Take Twenty" with the Brethren. 
Last night for Show and Tell, I brought a cook's uniform from the VGN 
business car "Guyandotte River" and a VGN heart shaped switch lock to 
show Nic. He has been involved at the museum setting up exhibitions for 
such famous people as Gene Autry, Annie Oakley and the Buffalo Bill Wild 
West Show. The Virginian Exhibition will start July 1, 2012.

Passed around was a new book "Victoria Stories, Glimpses of a Railway 
Town" by Jenean Hall. This book is full of first hand information about 
the life and times of the VGN RWY built division point between Roanoke 
and Sewells Point. Landon Gregory remembered working with Jenean Hall's 
father Whit. This book will be available soon from the N&W Historical 
Society Commissary. You will want one!!

We talked about the September 22 Virginian Railway Day at the Virginia 
Museum of Transportation. So far ten of the Brethren have agreed to be 
on hand it the "Virginian-Roanoke's Other Railway" room to answer 
questions about our beloved fallen flag line. Landon Gregory plans to 
set up a Morse code operator's station at the VMT Ellett Station to 
demonstrate his first day on the VGN. Come join us if you can.

Also passed around was the cover page from the N&W HS very first 
newsletter before it became the slick "The Arrow", it is today. The 
first paragraph ever written by N&W HS talked about the N&W's purchasing 
six axle Alco C-628 and EMD SD-35 diesels with this: "The success of the 
ex-Virginian Trainmasters influenced the buying trend that continues to 
this day".

I received a question at the Archives last week about the box above the 
headlight on the VGN EL-C electrics that seems to block the horn. I 
discovered that this box was only on EL-Cs that had been renumbered with 
a "2" instead of the VGN "1" series, indicating it was post merger. I 
found that after the merger, to run longer coal trains, the N&W tied 
three EL-Cs together; VGN only used a set. Running three together 
required a jumper between each unit and the box above the headlight, in 
front of the horn, was for an insulator allowing a connection to the 
high voltage to be distributed evenly. I found a photo with the jumpers 
in place. The #135 in VMT shows evidence of this modification but she is 
back to the "normal" VGN "no box" form.

We talked about the October 22, 2011 dedication of the replica Ellett 
station building that will become a mini-museum in Mullens. Dewey Houch 
told me that his group should have it almost finished by then. The 
Brethren and I discussed a "road trip" to attend this.

It was great watching Nic Merkelson listen to first hand accounts of VGN 
history from VGN fireman Raymond East (told about firing the only 
remaining VGN steam engine #4), VGN clerks Wis Sowder and Ken McLain
(told of classifying coal at Sewells Point) and VGN operator Landon 
Gregory (told of stopping Seaboard 95 MPH "Champion" to let a VGN coal 
train pass). The Brethren talked about attending the Virginian Railway 
Exhibition in Oyster Bay, NY next year...."ROAD TRIP".

Then there's this: An older fellow was stopped by police about 2 AM one 
morning and the officer asked "What are you doing out this late?". The 
fellow responded, "I'm on my way to a one hour lecture about alcohol and 
the unhealthy effects it has on the body". The officer asked "Who would 
be giving this lecture this time of night?" He answered "My wife!".

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

CCCLXXXV

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