The smallest of railroads hold the most wonderRoanoke Model Train Day
is TOMORROW!
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Model railroads are small in size but big in imagination!
The Virginia Museum of Transportation will host the second annual MODEL TRAIN DAY this Saturday!
Come see how the smallest of railroads hold the most wonder. Railroad modeling clubs from Virginia and North Carolina will display their miniature railroads.
The Roanoke Valley Model Engineers will also hold clinics on how to start model railroading.
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TOMORROW!
SATURDAY,
MARCH 23
10 AM TO 5 PM
303 Norfolk Avenue SW
Downtown Roanoke
vmt.org
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Give them the best week of their summer!
Virginia Museum of Transportation
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 ZOOM CAMP Monday, June 17 - Friday, June 21 9:30-11:30 Pre -K to K (3-5 years-old) Members $70 Nonmembers $85
CHUG, SOAR, and MOVE!
Your camper will spend two hours each day playing, discovering, and learning about all things transportation. Activities will include daily visits by special guests who have real-life experience in the air, on the road, or on the rails.
LET'S GO CAMP Monday, June 24 - Friday, June 28 9 am to 4 pm Grades K-1 Members $180 Nonmembers $195
Your camper will climb inside real locomotive engines and rail cars, learn about aviation while sitting inside a real Jet Commander, and fly a professional-grade glider simulator. The week ends with a field trip to a transportation venue
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 ROLLING
WHEELS CAMP Monday, July 15 - Friday, July 19 9 am to 4 pm Grades 2-3
Members $180 Nonmembers $195 ROLL, SOAR, and ZIP!
Your camper will explore the basic physics of flight, learn how steam powers a locomotive, and experience the power of the sun in solar activities. Our professional staff will use the museum's collection of trains, cars, and planes as hands-on and climb-aboard learning centers. The week ends with a field trip to a transportation venue.
ON THE MOVE CAMP Monday, July 8 - Friday, July 12 9 am to 4 pm Grades 4-5 Members $200 Nonmembers $225 ROADS, RAILS, and HANGARS!
Your camper will have a week of exploring trains, cars, trucks, and planes in real life settings. Campers will visit a variety of transportation venues, getting sneak peeks and behind the scenes tours at an airport, truck terminal, railyard, and auto dealership. Campers will ride a train, climb behind the wheel of a truck cab, fly a soaring simulator, and build their own model rail car.
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 FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
We are overwhelmed with your
enthusiasm for the N&W Class J 611
To 611's friends all over the world: On February 22, we announced the study to restore and operate the N&W Class J 611. We have been overwhelmed with your response, and we thank you! To date, - 3,300 people have completed our survey
- 2,500 people have signed up for the Fire Up 611 newsletter
- Donations have been received from 29 states and four foreign counties
Your enthusiasm is essential as we go forward with this study! Our initial investigation of 611 indicates that she's in pretty good shape, having been retired with care by the same individuals who are working now to study her restoration. This situation gives us confidence that a restoration may be possible, but that is not the only hurdle we face in moving forward. If we are to operate 611, we have to be prepared to maintain her. With no shop facilities available in Roanoke, it is becoming obvious to the study committee that we will need to build a shop in order to provide the care she will require. This cost will have to be included in the amount we would need to raise before 611 can run again. We are now looking into the requirements for such a facility. The potential logistics of operating 611 is the third big question under study. Your survey responses and comments are helping us understand the kinds of excursions that would be popular and what ticket prices would be reasonable. We must take all of that into account as we put together a business plan. The bottom line is that the Virginia Museum of Transportation does not have a reserve that can underwrite excursions. Ticket sales must be able to cover our costs. Our hope is to be able to establish a reasonable ticket price that will enable the trips to operate at a profit-with all profits going back to support the Museum's stewardship of 611. We are so excited with your enthusiastic response to our dream to Fire Up 611! The comments on the survey and the donations received to date inspire us, and let us know how deeply you care. Please continue to share our news with everyone you know. Ask them to visit FireUp611.org, take our survey, and get involved. Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr. Executive Director Virginia Museum of Transportation |
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New Hope Valley #17 Steam Locomotive
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The ultimate railroad experience
AT THE THROTTLE
Operate a steam engine!
Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19
YOU can operate a steam engine! AT THE THROTTLE puts you in control of the New Hope Valley's Railways #17, a 0-4-0 tank steam engine.
Experience the magnificent power of steam. Reach up, open the throttle and feel the engine move on your command. Pull and listen to the scream of the whistle.
The engineer sessions are 30 minutes long and a qualified engineer will be in the cab with you at all times.
Cost: $125
Be on the lookout for registration information!
Because this is an actual steam locomotive, there are a few rules:
- Must be 18-years-old or older and have a valid driver's license.
- Long pants and closed toe shoes are REQUIRED.
- Long sleeve shirts are recommended, but not necessary.
- The temperature inside the steam locomotive can reach 125 degrees, so be certain you can take the heat.
- Bring your work gloves -- most valves and levers are HOT.
- You must be able to climb into the locomotive cab and stand for over a half-hour unassisted.
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Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.
NOW OPEN:Registration is now open for the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society's 2013 Conference. The 44th Annual Conference will be held in Pipestem, West Virginia, July 28-August 1. Click here for more information and to register.
NOW to May 6: The O. Winston Link Museum:A new exhibit, Photographs by Vivian Maier, debuts. Maier captured the people and places that surrounded her in the 1950s and beyond. Maier's images are a time of Chicago life and one woman's careful, insightful observation of her world.
April 5-6: Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society:
Hawk's Nest C&O Modeler's Weekend at Hawk's Nest State Park.
April 11-14: Norfolk & Western Historical Society:
Archives work session.
April 21-22: Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society:
Archives work session.
Monthly - Second and Fourth Thursdays at 7 pm: 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.
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, Virginia. 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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303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke VA 24016
540.342.5670
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