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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the pleasure of "Takin' Twenty" with seven of the Brethren
and Friends of the Virginian Railway. Passed around was the 2012 Norfolk
Southern Annual Report. As usual, most of it is facts and figures, with few
photos like Annual Reports (including VGN) in the past have displayed. One
great photo of all of NS Heritage units around the turntable at Spencer was
the exception. A few facts stood out: NS operating ratio (what it costs to
generate a dollar) for 2012 was 71.7%, down a little from 2010, and
Dividend to stockholders was up over 2011, even with a small reduction in
income. In referring to predecessor company leaders (including the VGN) CEO
C. Wick Moorman stated "the management teams or our predecessor companies
could not have imagined the scope of change that has culminated in today's
NS, and I'm confident that the best years of our company are still ahead.
The future looks good".

Thanks for the many responses about the NS Coloring Book with the VGN
drawings from last week. Russ Goodwin of Buford, GA was the first to
respond to get the book "for his two kids". Also thanks for the
encouragement about the P. Buckley Moss painting of the VGN Station in
Roanoke from Russ, and R. D. Williams. I will keep you posted when the
prints of this painting will become available.

I showed the Brethren an envelope my Bride Judi found when Spring Cleaning,
with some VGN Railway window stickers in it. If you want one send $2.50 to
my home address and I'll get one out to you.

Last Saturday my good friend John McDaniel offered me a VGN 1943 "Rules and
Regulations for Dispatchers". I thought of Landon Gregory immediately and
purchased it for him. He did not have a copy, so it is now an addition to
his Collection of VGN Artifacts. He told us that the VGN Dispatchers
belonged to the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) and N&W
Dispatchers belonged to BRAC. Landon pointed out in the book that in 1943
VGN Dispatchers made a rate of pay of $302 per month. He also knew G.
French Williams, local representative of the ATDA very well.

Dr. "Gibby" Davis shared with the Brethren something he saw in the C&O
Historical Society newsletter. Seems that there was a branch line near
Charleston that early on, used oxen to pull rail cars to the tipples and
yards "out of the hollers".

The Jewel from the Past is from December 14, 2006: "We were asked why the
Seaboard Air Line was called 'Air Line'. I had a chance to ask renowned
rail historian and expert Louis Newton last week at the N&W (and VGN)
Historical Society. Louis said when the rail line was named, there were no
airlines and 'Air' implied that a rail line included long straight
stretches and it could move across them quickly 'like floating on air'. I
also passed around a list of all of VGN AFEs used to purchase vehicles on
the VGN. Ken McLain, who worked as a Chief Clerk at Sewells Point, recalled
a story about a 1937 Ford that was used on the rails from Victoria to
Norfolk. Seems that the Superintendent was moving along at a good clip when
he came upon a lady walking in between the tracks ahead of him. He blew the
siren (yes like a fire truck) and the lady who was carrying packages threw
everything up in the air, and was terrified but not injured".

Time to pull the pin on this one!

Departing Now from V248,

Skip Salmon

CDLXVI

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