Wheels UP at the VMT!
Wheels UP for the Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery!
Your last chance to give to the Wings Over Virginia Gallery
Decision Height at Hollins to celebrate women aviators!
From our Executive Director
Pristine Model T Ford now on display
Preschool Pufferbellies at the VMT!
Fall Train Excursion Tickets Now on Sale!
Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.
 
It's Wheels UP! for the  
Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery!
Mark your calendars for the Grand Opening
on Saturday, November 17!

The exhibits are being installed, educational materials are being completed, and oral histories are being finalized and published. Our Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery is almost ready for takeoff!

Join us on Saturday, November 17 for the Gallery's grand opening! We'll have a full day of fun and family-friendly activities for all to enjoy.  Watch our website for special visitors and activities that day. 

 

Trace the history and future of aviation in Virginia. Explore hands-on exhibits and videos to understand the science of flight and aviation technology. Listen to the heroic stories of our region's military and civilian aviators who have impacted our history. Learn about the air ambulance service and the team that saves lives every day. Climb aboard a jet to see inside a real aircraft cabin and imagine being a pilot.

 

For the past few years, we've been asking what you, our fans, wanted to see the Museum's exhibits. Over 1,000 of you gave us your honest feedback. We're happy to say that we're incorporating the best of your ideas. The Gallery will embody the Museum's new design philosophy that includes more educational components and personal stories.

 

Mark your calendars for SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17! 

 

Air Banner
Your last chance to board the  
Wings Over Virginia gallery!

We are grateful that so many aviation enthusiasts have stepped up with donations to launch our Wings Over Virginia Aviation Gallery, but we still need your help! This is your last chance to become a Charter Donor before the opening of our new gallery! We will honor all Charter Donors on a the Donor Wall at the entrance to the Gallery.

Please consider giving to Wings Over Virginia by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, so that we can recognize your gift when the Gallery opens. Donors who have made cumulative gifts of $1,000 or more will be recognized on the Donor Wall permanently.

You can give securely online, or by mailing your contribution to Wings Over Virginia, Virginia Museum of Transportation, 303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. If you have any questions, please contact Fran Ferguson or by calling 540-342-5670 x 105.
VMT and Hollins University Theater  
to celebrate women aviators! 
Decision Height, an original play, follows six women as they train to become  
members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots during WWII
VMT fans receive a $2 discount on tickets on Thursday, October 18!
 
Decision Height, an original work by Hollins University graduate Meredith Dayna Levy  follows six women as they train to become members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II, the only female air academy in American history. The women learn the strength of sisterhood and awaken to a deeper sense of purpose as they discover why they fly.

October 17 - 20 at 7:30 pm
October 21 at 2 pm

VMT NIGHT: Thursday, October 18. Discounted tickets to the first 25 VMT fans: $2 off per ticket. (Just tell the box office that you're a fan of the VMT!)

Tickets are $10 for the general public. Hollins University is proud to honor all veterans and current members of the U. S. military with free admission to Decision Height. Please call the box office to make a reservation. For more information, please call Hollins University Theater at 540-362-6517.

 


From our Executive Director
Listening to our visitors and telling important stories about how transportation enhances and  
moves us throughout our lives

The Virginia Museum of Transportation plays an important role in telling Roanoke's unique story. As the Commonwealth of Virginia's official transportation museum, it also exists to preserve Virginia's transportation history.

Wings Over Virginia, our new aviation gallery, will open to the public on Saturday, November 17. This gallery has been in the works for six years, and we're excited to present it to you.

A few years ago, we asked you, our visitors and members, what you wanted to see at the VMT. You told us that you wanted to see more personal stories and more interactive, hands-on and educational exhibits. 

We listened, and the new Wings Over Virginia gallery will have personal stories and oral histories of aviators, lessons on the science and technology of flight and hands-on exhibits (like climbing into the cabin of a jet commander). We can't wait to open the gallery, and we hope you join us on November 17 to celebrate with us.  
 
We have been gearing up our educational programming and are working on some changes in the Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery. We are also very pleased with our cosmetic restoration of two steam locomotive and two cabooses. We also hope to have the  Lawrence Transfer and Storage moving van cosmetically restored before cold weather sets in this year. 

Come see us this fall and experience the ongoing improvements at your Virginia Museum of Transportation!  
Bev
Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
 
Executive Director 
www.vmt.org     

 

 
Pristine 1914 Ford Model T now on display in the Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery

The beautiful Model T was donated to the VMT
by the Bennett Family of Roanoke

The Model T wasn't just any car. It was THE car. It was the symbol of freedom, movement and the industrial revolution in America. That's why we're pleased to announce the addition of a pristine 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car to our Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery.

This beautiful example of American ingenuity was donated to the VMT by the Bennett family, Roanoke's first community leaders. The Model T was donated in the memory of Robert H. Bennett.

The Model T was originally purchased in Staunton, Virginia, at the Beverly Garage on South New Street, a building that stands to this day. The car cost $550 and weighed 1,200 pounds.
The original owner was a family in Harrisonburg who took the car on a cross-country trip to the West coast. (This is quite the challenge considering the condition of the roads at that time.)

In the late 1920s, George Biler of Mt. Crawford, Virginia, became the second owner. Biler, a farmer, never drove the car far from home. He parked it in the late 1930s when he acquired a more modern car. The car sat in an open garage for decades. A hen made her nest in the car, complete with eggs! The car was sold to Willis Clemmer, now of Staunton, in 1971 and he undertook a seven-year restoration of the car.

In 2002, Robert Bennett of Roanoke purchased the car. Through this generous donation to the Virginia Museum of Transportation, visitors will be able to enjoy this spectacular example of the Model T, the car that helped transform the United States from a agricultural-based nation into an industrial nation. 

 

Thank you to the Bennett family for this generous donation! Come on by to see her. You'll be glad you did. 
Virginia Museum of Transportation facade
The VMT Building on  
Virginia Landmarks Register 

The 1918-era Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station that is now home to the Virginia Museum of Transportation is now listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and has been recommended for the National Register of Historic Places.  
 

The N&W Freight Station played an important role in the economic development of Roanoke. Before the advent of interstate highways and commercial truck transportation, nearly all freight was transported by rail. Rail freight cars brought agricultural and manufactured products, merchandise, building materials, and coal and coke for heating homes and powering industries. Roanoke, located at the junction point of six major railroad divisions, was an important drop-off point for freight for delivery and distribution throughout the city and surrounding region.

 
The construction of the highway system and the reliance on road transportation in the 1960s meant that the railroad moved less freight. The N&W Freight Station was closed in 1964, and the building was rented out as office and warehouse space.  After the flood of 1986 destroyed the Museum's space in Roanoke's Wasena Park, the Museum rented the old N&W Freight Station as its new space. In 1996, Norfolk Southern donated the building to the VMT.  

Preschool Pufferbellies at the VMT

Hands-on. Fun. Educational. Memorable. 

For preschoolers and their caregivers.  

 

Tuesdays AND Wednesdays, 10 am to 11 am

 

Designed for 3-5 year olds, our little engineers will learn and play. They'll create and explore within the VMT classroom and galleries. They'll meet new friends all while touching trains, cars and planes. Activities include songs, stories, real objects, crafts and transportation toys. There's a new topic every week! Preschool Pufferbellies

  

WHEN: Every Tuesday and Wednesday until May 31, 2013. The program starts at 10 am and follows the Roanoke City School calendar for breaks and closings.** 

 

Cost: $5 per member student/$10 per non-member student/FREE for ADULTS

Contact: Courtney Plaster, Education Coordinator at [email protected].

 


Experience the beauty of a
Blue Ridge Autumn from
the comfort of a train!


Again this year, the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, with cooperation from Norfolk Southern and Amtrak, is pleased to offer two fine excursion trains in Southwest Virginia.

The excursions will roll through scenic Virginia vistas on the weekend of November 10-11.

On Saturday, November 10, an excursion train will depart the former N&W passenger station in Roanoke bound for historic Abingdon, Virginia.

On Sunday, November 11, the train will travel to lovely Shenandoah, north of Roanoke, in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Since this weekend is Veteran's Day the Chapter is pleased to offer a 10 percent discount on a veteran's ticket.

Tickets are on sale now! Coach, Dome Class, Lounge Car Class are ONLY sold via the Roanoke Chapter NRHS: call 540-774-0611. Coach tickets are available online, or by calling the O. Winston Link Museum at 540-982-5465 or the Virginia Museum of Transportation at 540-342-5670.
 
These trips are the major fundraiser for the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway
Historical Society, Inc. a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the preservation of rail history in Western Virginia. Funds raised from past excursions have been used in the restoration of Roanoke's Virginian Railway Passenger Station and the Museum's Chesapeake Western engine 662.
Give a train (or car or plane) to
someone you love
this holiday season!

A membership to the Virginia Museum of Transportation is the perfect gift for your train lover, car enthusiast or flight fanatic. With a membership, your loved ones can enjoy special events, discounts on birthday parties and summer camps, special offers in our Museum Store and advanced notice of upcoming exhibits and fun!  Membership Card for gift giving

Members can also purchase Anybody Passes to entertain family and friends!

Anybody Passes allow our members to bring their
friends and family to the Museum at a deeply discounted rate. For just $20 you can add 10 Anybody Passes to your Membership.

No more worries about what to do with your out-of-town guests or a houseful of friends! Anybody Passes give your guests a day they won't forget!

You can purchase VMT Memberships and Anybody Passes online 
or by calling 540-342-5670 ext. 106. 

Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.     

Now to November 1:
The O. Winston Link Museum:  In the Style of LINK. Bringing back the popular juried show for another year, the LINK is excited to present the theme of In the Style of Link. What defines Winston Link's vision and photography? Documentary, social commentary, art, trains, night photography, and technical mastery are just some of the ways that it can be explored. Join the LINK as they present the best of the images submitted for this theme.
 

Saturday, October 27, 7 pm:
Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society is hosting its first annual Halloween Haunted House with a twist. Take a step back a 113 years, where according to local legend, Engine # 13 derailed and plumeted into Pike's Pond, taking along with it passenger cars and cabooses. Are you brave enough to walk amongst the spirits from the wreck of Engine # 13?  *This is a halloween event that is loosely based off of local legend and is not a completely factual rendition of railroad history. This is not an excusion-style train, it a stationary haunted house event. Located at the C&O Historical Society in Clifton Forge, VA. 

November 8-11:
Norfolk & Western Historical SocietyArchives Work Session

November 10-11: Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
presents its fall train excursions. Tickets are available online.  

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. 7 pm. For information, email Tim Ward, Chapter President.     

  

Weekly - Tuesdays: The Roanoke Valley Model Engineers work on their ON30, HO, Lionel and N scale layouts each week in the basement of the Museum. The entrance is at the back of the Museum around the corner from the Jupiter Rocket. 6:30 pm to 8 pm. The club also invites younger members ages 8 - 18 to learn about model railroading. New members welcome!   

 

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.

  

For more information about events, attractions, and lodging in and around the region, visit the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau.     
 
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