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

[NW Mailing List]

Last night I had the honor of "Takin' Twenty" with five of the Brethren and
Friends of the Virginian Railway. We talked about this Saturday's "Train
Lover's Day" at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  There will be a lot
of activities going on while the Roanoke Chapter NRHS will be riding train
lovers on their cabooses and coach.  Come visit us if you can.  It is from 10
AM to 5 PM and rides are $3.  There will be a "yard sale" by VMT of items
from their gift shop as well.


 The ebay report this time has 5 Virginian Annual Reports from 1949-1955
selling for $12 each.  A color slide of the business car "Dixie" sold for
$12.29; a VGN heart shaped lock with no key went for $797.77 and a 6/20/53
VGN public timetable sold for $21.73.


 The Jewel from the Past like those in a 1904 Hamilton 992 21-jeweled
beauty with Ferguson Dial (minute hand in black and hour hand in red with
red hour numbers and black minute numbers) is from January 15, 2009:  "Abe
Burnett asked about the 'AG' Tower that separated the Norfolk and New River
Divisions on the VGN, located near what is now the Wasena Bridge in Norfolk
Southern's Roanoke South Yard.  Yes, Clearance Cards and train orders were
given all west bound trains at 'AG'.  It was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week and even the passenger trains were required to get a Clearance Card.
The date of the closing of 'AG' is not clear from the Brethren.  'It was
still open in December 1966' says Landon Gregory and Ruf Wingfield 'thinks
it closed in 1967'.  There was no semaphore signal at 'AG' and east bound
trains just stopped and were told which track to go into,  Interestingly,
'west bound trains approaching 'JK' Tower at the N&W crossing did have a
light indicating which track their train was to enter' said VGN Yardmaster
Ruf Wingfield'".


 Gordon Hamilton told us about a skiing trip he went on once in the 1960s
with a ski club, when it was well below zero and their cars wouldn't start,
so they had to rent a bus from Roanoke to come get them the next day.  "We
slept on the lodge floor".  He also told of a famous actress from Princeton
coming home for a visit. This was well before the West Virginia Turnpike
was built and on the trip from Charleston to Princeton she got "sea sick"
from all the curves on Route 19.


 Then there's this from Australia:  An officer was parked outside a local
neighborhood pub late in the evening.  He noticed a man leaving the bar so
intoxicated he could barely walk.  The man stumbled around the car park for
a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.  After what seemed an
eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man managed to find his
car, which he fell into.  He was there for a few minutes as a number of
other patrons left the bar and drove off.  Finally he started the car,
switched the wipers on and off.  Then flicked the indicators on, then off,
tooted the horn and then switched on the lights.  He moved the vehicle
forward a few metres, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a
few more minutes as some more vehicles left.  At last he pulled out of the
lot and started to drive slowly down the road.  The Police Officer, having
patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the
flashing lights, pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer test.
To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man's
intoxication.  The officer then said: "I'll have to ask you to accompany me
to the Police station-this breathalyzer equipment must be broken". "I doubt
it,"  said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy."


 Time to pull the pin on this one!


 Departing Now from V248,


 Skip Salmon


 DXCV












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