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| VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION |
August 2010 |
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR! |
Get your cameras ready! Based on the success of last year's night photo shoot of the J611 and A1218, we've invited Lerro Productions back for another weekend of lights, steam, and models in 40s and 50s costumes. November 12-13. More details to follow. |
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Greetings!
It's been a real joy to welcome visitors from all over the world this summer. They have explored our galleries and our Rail Yard, had fun with their families, learned about our community's history, and found new friends--our wonderful docents and volunteers who enthusiastically greet everyone they see!
This radio report about the Museum should give you a pretty good idea what it's like to visit. A reporter from WVTF Public Radio had stopped by to interview some special visitors, the Horseless Carriage Club of America which was here on a tour with more than 30 splendid pre-1937 automobiles. The reporter really captured the excitement of our docent Charles Hardy for rail in general and this Museum in particular. (OK, she interviewed me too, but please don't hold that against us!)
There's a few more weeks of summer left--please come see us if you can!
Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
Executive Director
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 Trains coming and going: National Railway Historical Society Chapters offering fall excusions!
Virginia is gorgeous in the fall, and tickets are on sale now for an excursion from NC to Roanoke and two excursions that originate in Roanoke. How's this for a great railfan weekend: book the Train Lovers' Package at the Hotel Roanoke steeped in N&W history, visit this Museum and the O. Winston Link Museum together on one day (tickets included in the package) and enjoy an excursion on the other! Be sure to bring your camera!
On Saturday, October 30, the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation and the Watauga Valley Chapter of the NRHS will host the Virginia Autumn Special. Departing from the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer and including passenger pick-up in Greensboro, travelers will see amazing views of the North Carolina Piedmont and Central Virginia. After crossing the Dan and Roanoke Rivers, travelers will enjoy Roanoke's rail and other attractions. Click for information and tickets.
The following weekend, our Rail Heritage Region partner the Roanoke Chapter of the NHRS will offer two outstanding trips. On Saturday, November 6, the train will head east via the former Virginian mainline and the former Southern mainline to the historic city of Danville, VA. The return trip is by a different route, by way of Lynchburg via the N&W. On Sunday, November 7, the Chapter again offers one of its most popular trips: mountain railroading at its finest traveling to Bluefield, WV. The excursion features the climb up Christiansburg Mountain, the beautiful New River Valley, bridges, tunnels and a final climb to Bluefield. Click for information and to order tickets online or by phone. |
Attendees gather for the event held in the Museum's Rail Yard. All the seats were soon filled. | Overflow crowd attends the 12th Annual African-American N&W Heritage Celebration
The African-American N&W Heritage Group that meets monthly at the Museum presented a very special evening of celebration on July 10. The group honored seven men in their nineties for their contributions to the N&W and the legacy they provided that advances Norfolk Southern today. The group recognized Richard Dean, Lee Graves, Joseph C. Johnson, Alphonzo L. Holland, Sr., Ulysses Randolph, and John Divers who worked for the N&W in the segregated 1930-40s. A. Byron Smith, who did not work for the railroad but who has helped the heritage group, was also honored.
The evening's speakers acknowledged 'standing on the shoulders' of these men and others who have passed away. David Cobbs, Jr., Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity, Norfolk Southern Corporation, was the evening's featured speaker. Among the good news he brought to the group was news of the recognition of Norfolk Southern by Black Enterprise magazine in its annual list of the 40 Best Companies in America for Diversity, the only railroad to be included.
The African-American N&W Heritage Celebration Group works to preserve the achievements of African-Americans who worked for the Norfolk & Western Railway. Its members are seeking profiles of any African-American men who worked on the railroad, including laborers, blacksmiths, dining car waiters, material handlers and conductors, for a new book. From Cotton to Silk will be a compilation of African-Americans' progress from lower level jobs to higher paying positions. The book also will show how these railroad workers supported their families and educated their children. To submit profiles or for more information, call Al Holland at 540-362-5578; Carl Tinsley at 540-362-2419, or Carroll Swain at 540-389-8788. |
Von Ortloff | German rail lovers' TV show tapes three episodes at VMT
International visitors are not a novelty at the Museum, but foreign journalists are more rare. In July, a team of German television producers visited Roanoke for four days, enjoying and taping the rail attractions here in the heart of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region.
Railroad Romantic is a half hour show that airs every Sunday in Germany and features outstanding rail destinations worldwide. While here, the crew taped three episodes at the Museum, the O. Winston Link Museum, and along the Goode Railwalk that connects the two. An episode about the Virginia Museum of Transportation will air in October, a documentary about famed photographer O. Winston Link will air in June 2011, and a third segment about Märklin model trains will feature the Museum's Deputy Director Don Moser who collects the German-made models.
The team was enthusiastic about Roanoke's rail heritage. "I heard about Roanoke before but it is interesting for me because Roanoke is a part of the railroad history of the United States," said the show's producer Hagen Von Ortloff. "There is so much history here. If you want to come to the United States, go to Roanoke, go to this Museum of Transportation. It is worth it." Watch WSLS' interview with Von Ortloff. |
 Limited edition poster now on SALE to celebrate the J611 For a limited time, this handsome anniversary poster is 25% off! Regularly $14.99, the poster is now on sale for $10.99 through August 31. The poster was created especially for the Museum by local graphic artist Sue England. It measures 12.5 x 18.5 inches and is premium printed on 100 lb glossy cover stock. The poster is suitable for framing, making it a striking addition to any den or train room. Please add $5 if you would like a poster shipped to you.
Visit Destinations, the Museum Store, and while you are there, check out our new merchandise and summer clearance items. Or, call Mon-Fri 10am-5pm: 540-767-4651 to have your order shipped to you. |
Directors and Officers elected for 2010-2011
At the Museum's annual membership meeting held on May 19, the following were elected or reelected as Officers or Directors for 2010-2011, or are continuing their term of service.
Front Row: Fitzgerald, Bucher, Cox, Lanford, Keaton, Tackett. Second Row: Haggerty, Smith. Third Row: Elliott, outgoing Director Terry Hall, Levy, and Bennett. |
President: Ken Lanford, Lanford Brothers Co. Inc.
Executive Vice President: Andy Douthat, Allegheny Construction Co., Inc.
Vice President - Collections: Robert G. Bennett, Grand Home Furnishings
Secretary: Roy E. Bucher, Jr., Chas. Lunsford Sons & Associates
Treasurer: Eugene M. Elliott, Jr., Attorney
Past President: Tom Cox, National Optical
Bradley W. Fitzgerald, Woods Rogers
*Ellen Forbes Copenhaver, James Madison Middle School
Deb Haggerty, Community Volunteer
*William L. Harris, III, North Fork Lumber Company (Goshen, VA)
Thomas B. Jones, Retired
Chris Keaton, Keaton Music Ventures (Nashville, TN)
*Laurence M. Levy, Wells Fargo Bank
Harold M. McLeod, III, Citizens & Farmers Bank (Richmond, VA)
*Rick St. Pierre, Advance Auto Parts
Daniel D. Smith, Norfolk Southern Corporation
R. Douglas Tackett, BB&T
*Glenn Thomsen, Davis H. Elliot Company, Inc.
* Denotes New Directors |
More great things to do in Virginia's Rail Heritage Region!
August 12-15: The Norfolk & Western Historical Society Archives Committee holds its next work session. To participate, email the NWHS archives committee. August 13 Deadline: The O. Winston Link Museum announces documentRoanoke!, a juried photography contest and exhibition. The Museum is seeking images by photographers at all levels that convey specific experiences in the Roanoke Valley. A group of images will be selected for exhibition. Entry guidelines and prize information.  August 14: The Blue Ridge Chapter, National Railway Historical Society hosts Lynchburg Rail Day, 9am-4pm. This annual model train show, a Lynchburg tradition, features a variety of model layouts with operating trains, real rail artifacts, and a children's corner. Concessions and lunch will be served throughout the day. At the Boonsboro Ruritan Club on Coffee Road in Lynchburg, VA. Admission is only $6 for adults; children 12 and under are admitted free!
August 14: The Roanoke Valley Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers Society presents Virginia Shootout, a scale plastic model show and contest at the Roanoke Civic Center Exhibition Hall, 9am-5pm. This show features aviation, military, automotive, science fiction, and figures. The RVIPMS meets on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at the Virginia Museum of Transportation at 7pm. August 19: The Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society holds its next Chapter meeting at 7:30pm in the Auditorium at the O. Winston Link Museum. The Chapter announces plans for a weekend of rail excursions this fall. On Saturday, November 6, a round trip is planned from Roanoke to Danville, VA, and on Sunday, November 7, the Chapter will again offer the very popular roundtrip to Bluefield, WV. Tickets are on sale now! August 20-October 1: The O. Winston Link Museum presents Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia, a large-scale effort to capture through visual images the lives of those in our society who are most invisible. On August 20 at 7pm, meet the exhibition curators at a Beyond the Frame event: Jeffrey Allison of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Urmila Oberoi of the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
August 21: The O. Winston Link Museum presents Social Documentary Workshop with Stephanie Klein-Davis, 10am-noon. Explore the realm of social documentary photography with emphasis on working to honestly document--and gracefully present to an audience--the reality of challenging issues. $25, members and students receive a 10% discount. To register for this class, please email Leah Gardner. |
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