The Official Newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Volume 43, Number 2 March 2011

Transcription

1 The Official Newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Volume 43, Number 2 March 2011

2 Volume 43, Number 2 March 2011 Editors: Jim Overholser jgoverholser@verizon.net Dorr Tucker joandorr2@verizon.net Mixed Freight Robin R. Shavers robin.shavers@gmail.com Historian Kenneth L. Miller klmiller@rev.net All materials should be sent directly to the Editors at their address listed with their names. Turntable Times is published bimonthly as the newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Opinions and points of view expressed herein are those of the staff members of the Turntable Times and not necessarily reflect those of the members, officers or directors of the Chapter. Meeting Notice The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will hold the March meeting on Thursday, March 17, Throughout the year, please note our inclement weather policy below, and always check the website for the most up to date information. Our next meeting is April 21, Please note meeting dates are listed on the back cover of each issue. Why is my issue so late? Unfortunately, the newsletter is always coming along, both Dorr Tucker and Jim Overholser have been great in getting material together and in on time. My part of putting it all together, however takes time. With my work and home demands, doing volunteer jobs (of which this one of many) seems to not always fall into the available time frame. There was so much material this time, including all the photo, I decided to split this into two issues. From The Head End Cards and Flowers If you know of a Chapter Member who is sick, lost a loved one or has a new birth in the family, please contact Bonnie Molinary. Bonnie is responsible for Chapter cards and flowers and can be reached at Deadline for Turntable Times The deadline for the March/April issue of Turntable Times is Monday, February 21, Please send articles, information and exchange newsletters to: Editor Turntable Times, P. O. Box 13222, Roanoke, VA, All parties sending newsletters to the Roanoke Chapter via should send them to Jim Overholser: jgoverholser@verizon.net, Dorr Tucker at joandorr2@verizon.net and Ken Miller at klmiller@rev.net Meeting Cancellation Policy Any Chapter meeting will be considered cancelled if any of the following conditions are due to weather: Roanoke City Schools are closed on the day of or for the day after the meeting, or Virginia Western night classes are cancelled for the night of a meeting. Cover Photo Wizzy Strom captured a variety of images of the C&O 614 at VMT in January while the Chapter Mechanical Crew was working. All the photos in this issue are courtesy of Wizzy, many thanks! 1

3 Mixed Freight for March/April 2011 O by Mr. Robin Shavers n Saturday February 12 I journeyed to Roanoke to be a part of The Virginia Museum of Transportation TRAIN LOVERS SATURDAY. It was very cold that morning in Richmond, a far cry from the weather on the following Friday at the mid seventies the date of this writing. I debated about wearing a turtleneck shirt in addition to a long sleeve denim shirt and I was glad I chose to wear the turtleneck as Roanoke experienced strong winds most of Saturday. The event was well attended and I as well as others were grateful for the free use of the big parking lot across the street from the VMT. It was good to see, touch and remember C&O number 614 for the first time in many years. My last time with 614 under steam was with those New Jersey Transit trips back in I made a sound recording back in the eighties as the engine traveled westward from Richmond to Gladstone on an Old Dominion Chapter NRHS sponsored Chessie Safety Express. That tape sounds as good today as it did back then. It was great seeing the general public out enjoying 614 and company and really taking it all in instead of constantly texting and yacking on cell phones. The only person I saw on a cell phone was busy trying to instruct his brother on finding the VMT. He had his hands full judging by the conversation I overheard as I examined 614 up close. For some reason, a woman was disappointed that 614 was not from California. I informed her it is an east coast locomotive, built and operated. I held a conversation with VMT staff member Ms. Fran Ferguson and she along with staff including the volunteers were quite pleased with the turnout. By now most of you are probably aware that May 1st of this year will mark 40 years of Amtrak. Hard to believe and many naysayers predicted it would not last long. In an article dealing with that attitude from a well respected newspaper about twenty years ago, the writer noted that Americans have a general love affair with trains, especially passenger trains. He predicted that Amtrak would survive in some form as long as that love affair endured and folks rode the trains. Letting your feelings be felt by your elected officials helps more than most people realize. In the latter part of 2010, I informed you readers, especially you N&W fans, that part 2 of Norfolk & Western In Color by author Stephen M. Timko was out. Well folks, right on that book s markers is volume 3 by the same author covering the years 1974 thru Some folks refer to that period as the NW (NorthWest) years. So if you are expecting a generous tax return, those are two items to consider. In a Mixed Freight from 2010, I mentioned that for some reason I thought about a short lived television show from the early seventies or late sixties called The Littlest Hobo. Well the other day I thought about a television program that was a staple for children s lives of the time and that program was Captain Kangaroo. Once or twice a year the Captain and his side kick Mr. Green Jeans would have Train Day. The entire hour long show was dedicated to America s trains. To say I was elated about Train Day would be an understatement. During this period I was in my single digit age plus two or three years of double digits. More than once, I would assembly my Lionel O gauge train set in front of the family TV set in a room referred to as The Den. The Captain had a huge, well at least to me, operating Lionel train set with at least four trains operating at once. Along with the trains were scores 2

4 of operating accessories and more lights than most folks could imagine. When The Captain cranked his layout up, yours truly did likewise. There were kids my age range in his studio audience and what I would have given to be a part of that audience. Of course the studio was decorated with all forms of railroadianna, especially photos and grade crossing warning signs. Within the pages of this Turntable Times you should also find my latest Fond Memory about a railfan group I enjoyed. I forgot to mention that the group did have an official club baseball style cap even though it didn t have officers, dues or bylaws. And yes I still have and wear that cap when I am out railfanning the former B&O or attending train shows up North. National Train Day and Amtrak s 40th Anniversary National Train Day on Saturday, May 7, 2011, coincides this year with Amtrak s 40th anniversary. Festivities will be at several stations around the country, including Washington, DC. In addition to displays such as the State Partnership Display, the Amtrak High Speed Rail Display, K-9 Unit, Train Equipment Displays, Model Train Displays, the Amtrak Display, and the AmtraKids Depot, in Washington the Amtrak Exhibit Train will be on display. The exhibit will consist of two locomotives, three baggage cars displaying historic advertising, uniforms, photos, and other memorabilia, and an Amtrak Bistro car to be used as a retail center. There will also be an interactive exhibit on the B&O Railroad and the Civil War. Visit for more information. Also on May 7 the Christiansburg Civic League plans to sponsor National Train Day events. Tentative plans have the event at the Christiansburg (Cambria) former N&W depots. The Buckingham Lining Bar Gang is scheduled to appear. Contact Meghan at for more information. Chapter Members Clean Up C&O 614 W by Bill Mason hen C&O Class J-3A number 614 arrived in Roanoke on January 15 for temporary display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, it was apparent she would need some minor cosmetic attention after years of storage in Pennsylvania. Upon request from the C&O Historical Society and VMT, the Chapter s mechanical staff took on the task of sprucing up the 614 s appearance. Headed by Gary Gray, it was determined that the running board edges, cab handrails, rear tender handrails, and front pilot handrails needed new coats of white paint. Certain parts of the smoke box and boiler needed black paint as well. In addition to polishing the bell some wiring needed to be done so that the headlight, number boards and class lights would be illuminated. On Sunday, January 23rd, Rick Rader, Lewis Foster, Tony McCray, Eddie Mooneyham, Keith Barnett, David Foster, Wizzy Strom and Mike Preston teamed up to get the job done. According to Bill Mason, work on the run- 3

5 ning board edges was very time consuming as the cylinders, rods and drivers needed to be covered with plastic to be protected while the work was in progress. Meanwhile Wizzy removed large chunks of ice from the coal bunker to protect the main rods in storage there as well as the bunker itself. The main rods will not be connected until the locomotive arrives in Clifton Forge. It would be simply too arduous and time consuming for this to be done for the short time the locomotive spends in Roanoke. After the side-by-side exhibit of the 614 and N&W Class J 611 ends at the end of April, the 614 will move to Clifton Forge for display at the C&O Railway Heritage Center. Check VMT s website for more information. On Saturday, January 29th, the crew was back to finish up the work on the mighty Greenbrier. At the end of the day the 614 appeared as if she had just emerged from the Clifton Forge roundhouse ready to take C&O train 47, The Sportsman, up the mountain and through the tunnels to her namesake valley. Many may want to compare the C&O s s with N&W s. Some say that they are like cousins, others say that they are no more alike than the 1957 Chevrolet is to the 1957 Ford. Those of us that have been fortunate enough to have ridden behind both locomotives in the last 30 years will all agree that both N&W and C&O s are without a doubt the finest locomotives of their type ever built or ever to be built. Mechanical Department News F by Bill Mason or 2011 our focus will be to get Chesapeake Western Baldwin number 662 cosmetically completed for display in the Virginia Museum of Transportation. After that task is finished we will start on Virginian Caboose number 322 with hopes that it will look as good as N&W caboose number Late last year we had our Alco T-6 number 41 repainted. Now, with good weather expected by late March, we hope that our 4

6 transfer unit can be re-lettered. Gary Wood and company have been diligently pursuing the restoration of our N&W M-2 number 1118 to bring her back from 61 years of neglect. Another project slated for 2011 is the repainting and re-lettering of our GP As you will notice we have many projects on tap for the forthcoming year. And like in recent years and with the case of the C&O 614 we never know what surprises will come our way, We invite all members to come down to our 9th Street facility. Just because you have never worked on railroad equipment dosen t mean we don t have a job for you. Call Eddie Mooneyham ( ) or EWMooneyham@hotmail. com. Please consider coming down and joining our crew. We are looking forward to seeing you after 10 AM on Saturdays and after Noon on Sundays. And remember - the weather is going to get better! Cascade Rails 2011 NRHS Convention The 2011 NRHS Convention, Cascade Rails 2011, is June 20-26, 2011, in Tacoma, Washington and will highlight the extensive rail and scenic attractions in that part of the Pacific Northwest. The convention expects to offer some unique mainline steam trips behind the Southern Pacific number 4449 as well as some of the unique shortline steamers in the area. Seminars will feature unique presentations from the likes of Doyle McCormack, well known for his work on preserving and operating SP The website is Train Festival 2011 A large concentration of operating steam engines will take place in Rock Island, Illinois, between July 21 and 24, Train Festival 2011 will be similar to the last Train Festival, held in Owosso, Michigan, in Steam engines expected to attend and pull excursions include Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society s Nickel Plate number 765, Mr. Henry Posner s Chinese s 6988 and 7081, and possibly other engines. Rock Island is on the Mississippi River and a riverboat will offer excursions. Santa Fe number 3751 s trip to Rock island has apparently been cancelled. More information is at the festival s website, and information is available at NKP 765 s trips at North Judson, Indiana, in May, June, and early July Summary of January Board Meeting Directors Present: Eddie Mooneyham, Bill Mason, Skip Salmon, Jim Cosby, Landon Gregory, Jeff Sanders, Jim Overholser and Carl Jensen. Also attending was Membership Chairman Walt Alexander. After the minutes of our previous meeting were accepted as read, Walt Alexander, Membership Chairman, reported that as of our membership is 171, with 138 having renewed their membership, and 33 not yet renewed. By-Laws Committee, Walt Alexander, Jim Cosby and Jim Overholser, are waiting on changes to the National By- Laws. Jim Cosby, Treasurer, presented a copy of the full report of , which is available to any Chapter Member upon request. Carl Jensen spoke of the advanced agenda for the National Directors meeting, January 28-29, 2011 in Williamsburg, concerning the proposed By-Laws changes. The Chapter received a letter, of , from Roanoke City Council supporting the Restoration Project and VDOT Enhancement Grant Program request for $243,766 for the Virginian Station Project. After this, the 5

7 Board discussed, then agreed to, Jim Cosby s motion that $50,000 be transferred to the Virginian Station account to ensure sufficient funds to continue the forward movement of the project. Current status of the Station restoration is now being broadcast by WFIR-AM news from a recent interview of Skip and Jim. The Board decided to maintain our RNRH reporting mark for equipment and to stay with RPCA who handles these for us. Carl Jensen presented a Request for Quote to upgrade Roanoke Chapter NRHS coach RNRH 537 to meet current Amtrak standards for 110 MPH operation. This will be presented to contractors for bids for the Amtrak certified upgrade. Skip gave a final financial report of the Fall Trip Souvenir Car sales (copy in file). Total sales: $3, He also has about 300 shirts left and N&WHS is selling them for the Chapter on their web site. We discussed our participation for upcoming Rail Day of May 14, Requested for display is Chapter s No.41, No.522, N&W 1407 and N&W cab. The National Narrow Gauge Convention Committee in Hickory, NC, has requested that we help try to draw some of these folks to Roanoke before or after their convention, in September. Jim Overholser and Dorr Tucker have consented to serve as co-editors of Turntable Times for the near future. Our recently cancelled Christmas gathering is to be rescheduled February 17 at Calvary Baptist Church at 6 PM. The Board agreed to donate $500 to NCTM at Spencer for use on their on site train ride coach overhaul campaign. The Board agreed to operate another Spring Trip to DC, via bus between Roanoke and Lynchburg and Amtrak to DC and return, in April. Dates to be decided. Better ticket handling and tracking was discussed for our next Fall excursions. Eddie Mooneyham presented several security concerns at our Ninth Street facility, which will be discussed further later. NS will have an Open House at Roanoke Shops sometime this Spring and may borrow some of our equipment for display. Some discussion regarding enhancements to our website will be considered. Jim Overholser and Carl Jensen will represent the Chapter at the RPCA Convention in Pueblo, CO later this month. The next regular scheduled meeting of this Board is Tuesday February 1, TVRM To Keep Southern Steam Rolling As we all know Southern Railway No. 630 is on the small side, but from 1904 to the 1960s, it was noted for its ability to move in varied terrain over hills, through tunnels and across bridges. By the early 90s the little consolidation was mothballed by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga. Today, Shane Meador and a crew of seven or so men are bringing the locomotive back to life. The work is tedious. Meador and his crew of volunteers have rebuilt nearly every part of the 100 year old, locomotive. After 10 years of arduous work they hope to have the engine up and running for tourists this spring. The 630 needed massive repairs to everything from the frame and running gear to the boiler and even the lighting. TVRM expects to spend $500,000 to get the steam engine back on the tracks. The work is being paid for by museum donors and visitors. Norfolk Southern donated the historic locomotive and gave Mr. Meador a leave of absence from his full-time job as a machinist to work on the engine. When completed, Norfolk Southern plans to borrow the 630 for special events; however the locomo- 6

8 tive will mostly be used by TVRM around Chattanooga. With the 630 back in use, the museums 1952 vintage consolidation No. 610 will be sidelined to the back shop for repairs. According to Steve Freer, spokesman for the museum, Mikado No.4501 is also slated to go into the Museum's Soule Shops. The folks at TVRM are to be commended for their 50 year history of railway restoration and preservation. Hats off to our friends in Chattanooga! Thanks to Railroad Passenger Car Alliance for some of this information. Upcoming Meetings/Events Regular Meeting Locations are at the O. Winston Link Museum. Mar Chapter Meeting April 5 - Board Meeting April 21 - Chapter Meeting May 3 - Board Meeting May 19 - Chapter Meeting June 7 - Board Meeting June 16 - Chapter Meeting July 5 - Board Meeting July 21 - Chapter Meeting August 2 -Board Meeting August 18 - Chapter Meeting Visit us on the web: Turntable Times is published bimonthly as as the the newsletter newsletter of of the the Roanoke Roanoke Chapter, Chapter, National National Railway Railway Historical Historical Society, Society, Inc. Inc. Opinions Opinions and and points points of view of view expressed expressed herein herein are are those those of the of the staff staff members members of the of the Turntable Turntable Times Times and and not not necessarily necessarily reflect reflect those those of the of the members, members, officers officers or directors directors the of Chapter. the Chapter. Items Items of interest of interest should should be sent be sent to Editor Editors, Kenny P.O. Kirkman, Box 13222, 590 Murphy Roanoke, Road, VA Collinsville, VA of Editor, Turntable Times Roanoke Chapter NRHS P.O. Box Roanoke, VA Dated Material Please do not delay Return Service Requested