CELEBRATING ROAD. RAIL. AIR. JANUARY 2012 |
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Dear Friend,
Happy New Year! Like many of you, we began our year looking back at what we accomplished. It was a wonderful year!
Thanks to you -- our patrons, friends, visitors and volunteers -- 2011 saw an increase of 19 percent in attendance, a 22 percent increase in educational outreach and we almost doubled the number of members. It was a very good year! We couldn't have done it without you.
In 2012, we'll celebrate our 50th Anniversary year with special events, educational programs and the grand opening of Wings Over Virginia, our aviation gallery. We invite you to celebrate this magnificent year with us. We're going to have so much fun!
Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
Executive Director 
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We have the best rail fans -- ever! Our SD45 1776 Bicentennial Locomotive featured in Trains Magazine!
Our Norfolk & Western SD45 Diesel Locomotive #1776 was the sole recipient of the prestigious Trains Magazine Preservation Award and is featured in the February 2012 issue of Trains Magazine! (There was a record of 120 submissions, making this honor 
even more special!) The award gave the Museum $10,000 toward the preservation and restoration of the 1776 locomotive. The article profiles the Museum's efforts to cosmetically restore the locomotive to her original red-white-and-blue glory. There's still time to help the 1776!
We're almost to our fundraising goal. Please consider helping us. You can donate funds securely online or mail your donation to the VMT: 303 Norfolk Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. Donors of $100 or more receive an exclusive print of the 1776 Locomotive by Andy Fletcher, the Museum's artist-in-residence.
Click here to download a PDF of the Trains Magazine article. |
TRAIN LOVERS' DAY
Fall in love with the unsung heroes of the railroad.
Everyone loves the 611 and 1218.
But did you know that there's a lot more
rail equipment to love at the VMT? Celebrate some of the "unsung heroes" of the railroad --
the equipment that did just as much work,
but received none of the glory.
Learn about the important role each played in freight operations in years past.
The N&W Safety Car 418 Alco C630 Number 1135 Celanese Fireless Cooker Boxley Whitcomb Industrial Switcher Virginia Central Porter
Each piece has been cosmetically restored over the past year!
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11
10 am to 5 pm
$5 per person
Kids three-years-old and under admitted free.
Educational and fun activities for the whole family.Craft Station.
Roanoke Valley Model Engineers will display their
ON3, HO, and N scale layouts from 10 am to 2 pm.
AND MORE!
Make plans to join us!
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The Car Guy
Jim Fulghum's private collection on display in the Museum's Advance Auto Parts Auto Gallery
Jim Fulghum's affair with cars started with a Rolls Royce in 1950. His buddy found an old Rolls Royce behind a barn and wanted to drive it in a parade. "We worked and worked to get that car running and looking good enough to drive in the parade," Jim said. "I loved bringing her back to life."
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Jim Fulghum and his 41 Packard.
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That Rolls Royce started Jim collecting and restoring cars. His extensive collection is currently on display in the Advance Auto Parts Auto Gallery at the Museum.
To Jim, stories make the car and the car makes the stories. They carry you through life, helping to create special memories along the way. "That's why I collect and restore cars," he said."Each and every car in the collection has a story behind it."
Jim's favorite car in the collection? A 1941 Packard. "It was the first car I restored," he said. "We used that car for our daughter's wedding. It holds many special memories." And special memories are what it's about for Jim.
Jim's collection will be on display through the winter at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
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Beginning February 2012
TRANSPORTATION TUESDAYS
Playdates at the VMT!
Transportation Tuesdays are designed to engage preschoolers in hands-on learning, experimentation and creativity in an unsurpassed learning environment.
Designed for children 3- to 5-years-old and their loving caregivers,
the program will teach and reinforce many preschool-themed topics.
They'll learn about different forms of transportation on display at the Museum.
Transportation Tuesdays are aligned with
Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning.
More information and registration details coming soon!
Watch your email, Facebook and Twitter (@VMTRoanoke)! |
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Thank you, Members!
A huge thank you to our Members! You are a special group who help us maintain and expand our exhibits for all to enjoy.
We hope you will take full advantage of free admission for a full year for everybody on your card, and visit often! You also receive discounts in our Museum and On-line Stores and for birthday parties. You will be notified about the special events that we have planned in celebration of our 50th Anniversary in 2012, and you can come to them - for FREE! There will be lots to see and do all year, and you won't want to miss an opportunity to celebrate with us.
Many of you have taken advantage of our new benefit for members only, adding 10 AnyBody Passes to your membership for only $20. These new passes are good for anyone, anytime, as long as your guest is accompanied by an active member! This is an economical way to share the Museum with others, and members can purchase one book of passes per year.
Thanks again for being Museum members. We are very grateful for your support.
If you are not a member, you're invited to join! Please visit our website to join securely online.
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The Virginia Museum of Transportation flies high on Friday the 13th
VMT becomes an Air Force Association Community Partner and the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery is showcased in a live broadcast heard around the world
The Museum was flying high on Friday, January 13! That was the day the Museum received the Air Force Association's Community Partnership plaque. It was also the day that Oldies at the Lake, a Roanoke-based internet radio station, broadcast live from the Museum to raise funds for our Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery, currently under construction.
VMT receives Air Force Association (AFA) Community Partner Plaque
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Don Moser, VMT's Deputy Director, Courtney Plaster, VMT's Education Coordinator and Retired General Scott Van Cleef, Air Force Assocation.
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This Air Force Association's (AFA) Community Partnership plaque was given to the Museum because of its ongoing efforts to develop educational programming and showcase Virginia's rich aerospace history.
The AFA's mission is to educate the public about the critical role of aerospace power in the defense of our nation, said Scott Van Cleef, a retired Air Force brigadier general and a member of the board of directors for the Air Force Association.
"Partnering with the Virginia Museum of Transportation means that, together, we can offer valuable educational opportunities about aerospace, technology and aviation history," he said. "Local students and visitors to the Museum will have a richer learning experience because of this partnership."
The Museum and the AFA-Roanoke Chapter are planning summer camp workshops, seminars for educators and scouting programs. Watch for more information!
Oldies at the Lake broadcasts live from the Museum
Oldies at the Lake, a Roanoke-based internet radio station, broadcast live from the Museum as a fundraiser for our Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery, currently under construction.
Wolfe and Bear, on-air personalities for Oldies at the Lake, talked to Museum staff and aviation enthusiasts about the plans for the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery.
During the broadcast, the Museum heard from people all over the world and important aviation artifacts were discovered and shared.
"It was a great day for the Wings Over Virginia gallery," said Don Moser, deputy director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. "We are working hard to create an educational and interactive gallery. Both of these honors will help us reach our goal." Help us build the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery! Help us finish the Gallery! Consider donating to the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery. You can donate online or by mailing a check to the Virginia Museum of Transportation, 303 Norfolk Ave SW, Roanoke VA 24016.
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Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.
January 12-15: Norfolk & Western Historical Society holds it monthly Archives Work Session. The Archives Committee works Thursday - Sunday on the second weekend of each month. The Committee is willing to show you around and assist you with any reasonable research request you may have.
Wednesday, January 25: Blue Ridge Chapter, National Railway Historical Society: Bob Flippen with Farmville's High Bridge Trail State Park will be our guest speaker for the evening and present his program on the 1913-14 construction of N&W's famous "High Bridge" just east of Farmville, Virginia.
Through February 6 at the O. Winston Link Museum: Nineteenth-Century Brick Architecture in the Roanoke Valley and Beyond: Discovering the True Legacies of the Deyerle Builders is an exhibit on the history of the most well known family of builders in the Roanoke Valley. Saturday, February 18: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Historic Society will hold its 4th Annual George Washington's Train Show at the Clifton Forge Armory (the corner of Commercial and Lowell streets). The show will include interactive model layouts, vendors, appraisers, food and more. You may also tour the C&O Heritage Center museum free with your paid admission to the Train Show. Admission $5. Please call 540-862-2210 for more information.
Weekly - Tuesdays: The Roanoke Valley Model Engineers work on their ON3, HO, and N scale layouts each week in the basement of the Museum. The entrance is on the back of the Museum around the corner from the Jupiter Rocket. 6:30 pm to 8 pm. New members welcome! For information, please call Rick Anderson at Rick's Hobby Shop: 540-362-7033.
Monthly -- Second and Fourth Thursdays: The International Plastic Modelers' Society, Roanoke Valley Chapter hosts building and business meetings at the Museum each month, and competes in area shows. The entrance is on the back of the Museum just off the Rail Walk and around the corner from the Jupiter Rocket. 7pm. For information, email Tim Ward, Chapter President.
Monthly - Second Wednesday: Blue Ridge Chapter, National Railway Historical Society meets at Charley's Restaurant, 707 Graves Mills Road, Lynchburg, VA. Dinner begins at 6 pm. Official chapter meeting begins at 7:30 pm.
Monthly - Third Thursday: Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society meets in the auditorium at the O. Winston Link Museum at 7:30 pm.
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