CELEBRATING ROAD. RAIL. AIR. MARCH 2012 |
|
|
Dear Friend,
March Madness is here! From antique cars to model trains to our NASCAR roots, we are showcasing the very best of Virginia's transportation history. We hope to see you soon!
Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
Executive Director 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What a beauty! Our beloved 1776 locomotive's cosmetic restoration is complete!
The 1776 Locomotive was the 2011 Trains Magazine Preservation Award winner. Rail fans from all across the United States donated to the cosmetic restoration of the locomotive.
"We are so appreciative of everyone who helped us return the 1776 to her original beauty," says Bev Fitzpatrick, Jr., executive director of the VMT. "Our rail fans and Trains Magazine rallied behind the 1776, and Norfolk Southern made it possible after our successful fundraising efforts."
We'll keep our rail fans posted on when the 1776 will return to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Thank you everyone for your incredible support. We have the best rail fans anywhere!
|
Saturday, March 24
Model Train Day
10 am to 3 pm(All other exhibits, galleries and the Museum Store will be open until 5 pm.) Sometimes the smallest railroads are the biggest of all. The Roanoke Valley Model Engineers, the Roanoke O-Gauge Club and other model railroaders will display their ON3, HO, N-Scale and O-Gauge layouts throughout the Museum. Learn how to begin or expand your model railroading displays. Come see the extraordinary detail and precision. Come be delighted by the smallest of railroads!  Regular admission rates apply. ($8 for adults; $7 for seniors 60 +; $6 for kids 3-11.)
|
Saturday, March 31
Our NASCAR Roots:
Curtis Turner, Virginia and Moonshine
Sports Illustrated once called Curtis "Pops" Turner "King of the Wild Road" and the "Babe Ruth of Stock Car Racing." One of the best stock car racing drivers of all time, Pops was a pioneer of NASCAR and built the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Pops Turner was also a Virginia boy: Born in Floyd. Lived in Roanoke. He learned how to drive on the winding dirt roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Join us on Saturday, March 31 as we celebrate Curtis "Pops" Turner and his influence on NASCAR. Learn about the roots of stock car racing and how moonshine helped to create one of the greatest American sports today.
You'll also see:
- Curtis Turner's race cars AND the cars driven by the early NASCAR drivers Wendell Scott, Gerald Talbert and Rex White.
- Curtis Turner racing artifacts and memorabilia.
Visit vmt.org for more details and a schedule of the day's events -- including a parade of period race cars.
Regular admission rates apply. ($8 for adults; $7 for seniors 60 +; $6 for kids 3-11.)
|
Now appearing in the Advance Auto Parts Automobile Gallery THE FULGHUM COLLECTION
A History of the Automobile
through
One Man's Collection
The Automobile from 1901 - 1990 Curated by Mr. James Fulghum
|
TRANSPORTATION TUESDAYS
Play&Learn
10 am every Tuesday
(until May 29)
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 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.
Members: $5 per child Non-Members: $10 per child
(Caregivers are not charged for the program.)
SAVE with Transportation Tuesdays Play&Learn Passes Members: $45 for 10 visits. Non-Members: $90 for 10 visits (Caregivers are not charged for the program.) More information can be found at vmt.org or by
emailing Courtney Plaster,
the Museum's education coordinator. |
|
Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.
Now until Mid May: The O. Winston Link Museum presents Requiem for Steam: Photographs of David Plowden. A lifelong passion for photographing trains has given David Plowden an extensive body of work for this retrospective collection. Visitors to the Kulp Trackside Gallery will be transported by the photographs' ethereal and poignant beauty of a bygone era.
March 28: The Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will hold its "Fun Meeting" with Aubrey Wiley. Mr. Wiley will discuss "Restoring A 100 Yr. Old VGN Motor Car." For more information, email Rick Johnson, Chapter President.
April 12-15: The Norfolk & Western Historical Society Archives Committee holds its next work session. To participate, email the NWHS archives committee.
April 25-29: The C&O Historical Society holds its next work session at its headquarters in Clifton Forge, VA. For more information, please email the C&O Historical Society.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
