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Announcing the Annual Members' Meeting
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at noon at the Museum
RSVP or call 540.342.5670
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Give them the best week of their summer!
Wings & Wheels Summer Camp
serving pre-K through 5th grade, June 9 - 27
Kids will go, zoom and soar at the Virginia Museum of Transportation this summer! Each week is filled with fun, adventure and learning. Register now! Spots are filling quickly!
VMT's extensive collection is a springboard for activities that give children "climb aboard" opportunities for fun-filled learning. We know that children love to move, so we have made sure that our daily schedules are full of outdoor, hands-on experiences. Campers will have a field trip each week and enjoy their lunch in our picnic area as REAL trains rumble past on the Norfolk Southern tracks.
Great experiences await for preschoolers through fifth graders! NEW this year: A fun Family Field Trip to the North Carolina Transportation Museum on July 11! Transportation, admission, a train ride and a special activity is all included in one price.
Check our web site for more information or register now!
Have questions? Email Courtney Plaster at cplaster@vmt.org.
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Emergency Services Tribute Day
Saturday, May 17
10 am to 5 pm
All EMS workers and their families admitted free!
Sponsored by Carilion Clinic Emergency Services and Med-Trans, come see the past, present and future of EMS equipment and technology. See modern fire trucks and ambulances. Explore antique fire trucks. Peek inside the cockpit of a Life-Guard Helicopter.*
Help us kick off National EMS Week at the Virginia Museum of Transportation to honor Virginia's EMS workers who provide lifesaving services in our communities.
Admission for the general public is $5.
All EMS workers and their immediate families admitted FREE!
Museum members and infants 2 and under admitted free.
*Weather dependent. Carilion Life-Guard will assess the weather conditions before deciding to
land at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
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All Aboard!
Celebrate as the Class J 611 rolls to restoration
Saturday, May 24
10 am to 5 pm
FREE ADMISSION!
Thanks to the support of her fans, the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 Steam Passenger Locomotive will depart for restoration on Saturday, May 24. She is expected to arrive at the North Carolina Transportation Museum just in time for its big Streamliners in Spencer heritage event May 29 through June 1. 611's restoration will begin shortly thereafter in the Bob Julian Roundhouse.
We're throwing a big party to celebrate this great moment in VMT history! Please join us as we celebrate Roanoke's rail heritage. Enjoy music, food and crafts, and watch as 611 rolls out of our Railyard! FREE ADMISSION!
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Virginia Department of Forestry
coming to the VMT!
The Virginia Department of Forestry is celebrating 100 years of protecting our land and keeping the
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Smokey Bear was created in 1944 by the US Department
of Forestry. His mission: To educate
the public about the dangers of forest fires.
Since his creation, Smokey Bear
and his message is recognized by 95 percent
of adults and 77 percent of children.
Smokey Bear and his educational program is
also credited with reducing forest and
wild fires caused by humans.
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public safe from forest fires. A special exhibit is rolling into the VMT to celebrate!
A collection of Forestry vehicles will be on display May 6 through July 1. On Saturday, May 10, come meet Smokey Bear!
Come see four fire-fighting vehicles not usually available to the public:
- a Hummer, formerly military, now converted into a wildfire machine and used to provide access to remote areas
- a pickup truck that is the first line of defense for VDOF's 175 first responders
- a John Deere 550 fire plow, VDOF's primary wildfire suppression tool
- a Ford F-450 truck with a pump that delivers water at 145 gallons per minute
Did you know?
* The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF): protects 15.8 million acres of forest land from fire, insects, and disease, and manages 22 state forest lands totaling 67,920 acres.
* Each year approximately 2,000 fires burn an average of 10,000 acres of forest land. In Virginia, 99% of wildfires are caused by people.
* The VDF forest nurseries produce seedlings to be used to establish timber stands, pulpwood crops, Christmas tree plantations, wildlife habitat, streambank stabilization, urban forests, biodiversity, and improvement of watersheds.
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Berglund Automotive Group presents a new exhibit in the Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery
Fueling Progress: 100 years of the gas station,
roadside attractions and Virginia on the move
 One hundred years ago, the country lurched forward into a modern age -- the age of mobility, innovation and massive growth. The gas station helped to fuel the progress.
On April 12, a new exhibit celebrating the gas station opened in the Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery. The exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of the first gas station in America. Visitors can learn how the petroleum industry fueled our economy, mobility and progress as a nation.
"Fueling Progress adds an important narrative to the Advance Auto Parts Automotive Gallery," said Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., executive director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation."  | |
The Fueling Progress Exhibit Logo was designed by David Hodge and Sarah Sprigings at Anstey Hodge Advertising Group, Inc. in Roanoke, Virginia.
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To tell the story of the gas station is to tell how car ownership helped to fuel American history."
The exhibit resembles a 1930s-era country gas station in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Most gas stations at the time doubled as general stores, hardware stores or blacksmith shops. "Henry Ford's mass production of the automobile allowed many in the middle class to afford automobiles for the first time in history," says Wayne Henderson, author of 100 Years of the Gas Station. "Greater demand for automobiles sparked a greater demand for the gas station and a new American industry was formed."
The Fueling Progress Exhibit was made possible by Advance Auto Parts, Berglund Automotive Group, the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation and Anstey Hodge Advertising.
Additional support was provided by Norman Altizer, Black Dog Salvage, Burton Center for Arts and Technology in Salem, Virginia, Wayne Henderson, Ken Hogan, Nene Roe, artist, and Sarver's Hydraulic & Pneumatic.
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 Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum completes exterior restoration of a 1955 GMC 4501 Scenicruiser
The Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum, Inc., a Virginia Museum of Transportation partner, recently completed the exterior restoration of a 1955 GMC 4501 Scenicruiser. The iconic Scenicruiser was donated by Dave and Carol Bovee from New Hampshire. Mr. Bovee drove it to Roanoke two years ago, and came back in March to drive it in Roanoke's St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Scenicruiser was painted at the Virginia Truck Center.
The Scenicruiser was a three-axle monocoque two-level coach used by Greyhound from July 1954 into the 1970s. Only 1,001 were made between 1954 and 1956. The Scenicruiser became an icon of the American way of life due to its presence throughout the US and popularity with the traveling public. It was used extensively in Virginia during its time of service.
The high-level design concept of the Scenicruiser was designed exclusively for Greyhound Lines. The Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum is the Official Transit Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It collects significant transit equipment and currently has for over thirty buses, making it one of America's largest transit museums.
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Membership at the Virginia Museum of Transportation
The most affordable option for families!
The Virginia Museum of Transportation offers the most affordable family memberships in the Roanoke Valley. For just $50 per year, families enjoy free admission year-round (including special events), discounts in the Museum Store and reduced prices for our popular Wings & Wheels Summer Camp programs.
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Happenings: Road. Rail. Air.
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 welcomes younger hobbyist 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.
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