RNRH Newsletter - Roanoke Chapter NRHS

The Official Newsletter of theRoanoke Chapter, NationalRailway Historical Society, Inc.Volume 39, Number 5September-October 2007

Meeting NoticeThe Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Societywill hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, September 20, 2007at 7:30 pm. at the Link Museum located in the former N&WPassenger Station, 101 Shenandoah Avenue.Please be sure to note our weather cancellation policy below.,please note, this policy also applies to Board Meetings.Volume 39, Number 5Sept.-Oct. 2007EDITORKenney KirkmanKKIRKMAN50@hotmail.comMIXED FREIGHTRobin R. ShaversSMALL RAILSDave Measheykndmeashey@msn.comHISTORIANKenneth L. Millerklmiller@rev.netAll materials should besent directly to the Editor:Kenney Kirkman590 Murphy RoadCollinsville, VA24078-2128Turntable Times is publishedbimonthly as the newsletter ofthe Roanoke Chapter, NationalRailway Historical Society, Inc.Opinions and points of viewexpressed herein are those ofthe staff members of theTurntable Times and not necessarilyreflect those of themembers, officers or directorsof the Chapter.From The Head EndCards and FlowersIf you know of a Chapter Member who is sick, lost a loved oneor has a new birth in the family, please contact Bonnie Molinary.Bonnie is responsible for Chapter cards and flowers and can bereached at 362-0273.Deadline for Turntable TimesThe deadline for the September/October 2007 issue of TurntableTimes is Thursday, October 18, 2007. Please send articles, informationand exchange newsletters to: Kenney Kirkman, 590 MurphyRoad, Collinsville, VA 24078-2128.Meeting Cancellation PolicyAny Chapter meeting will be considered cancelled if any of thefollowing conditions are due to weather: Roanoke City Schools areclosed on the day of or for the day after the meeting, or VirginiaWestern night classes are cancelled for the night of a meeting.Material for Turntable TimesWe are always in need of articles, photos or news items for theTurntable Times. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot reprintarticles from most newspapers; a condensed rewritten articlecrediting the source, however, is acceptable.Cover PhotoFor those of us involved, it is difficult to believe, but it was 25years ago this past August that 611 returned to steam. Five yearslate she and 1218 were stars of the 1987 NRHS NationalConvention. It was truly some of the glory days. Here, the 611 isclimbing the grade towards Christiansburg. K.L. Miller Photo1

Notice of Annual MeetingThe Annual Meeting of the RoanokeChapter of the National RailwayHistorical Society will be held at the O.Winston Link Museum on Thursday,November 15, 2007. The meeting will beginat 7:30 pm. At this time, we will hold ourannual election in which four (4) directorswill be elected.Board members whos terms are expiringare as follows:Jim CosbyBrian CrosierCarl JensenBill MasonNominations will be accepted from thefloor at the Annual Meeting, please be sureyou have that person’s consent before makinga nomination. The committee, headedby Jim Cosby, is searching for nominees forthese three positionsInstructions for Absentee Ballot: This yearwe will elect four (4) directors by secret ballot.Any member in good standing may voteby absentee ballot.Please Note: if you are interested in running,or know of another Chapter memberwho is, please contact the nominating committeepromptly.If there are no more candidates than positions,a motion to elect by acclaim will beaccepted.To vote by absentee ballot, one must:1 - Request an absentee ballot from theSecretary or a member of the nominatingcommittee. You will receive (a) one ballot;(b) one "ballot" envelope; and (c) one mailingenvelope.2 - Mark the ballot (vote for not more thanfour (4) directors. If more than four (4) votesare cast, the ballot will be discarded).3 - Place the ballot in the "ballot" envelopeand seal. Do not put your name on the ballotor "ballot" envelope.4 - Place "ballot" envelope in the mailingenvelope. Write your name and returnaddress on the mailing envelope and mailto;Roanoke Chapter, NRHSP.O. Box 13222Roanoke, VA 24032-1322or the envelope may be hand delivered tothe Secretary anytime before the election atthe annual meeting.Mixed Freight -September/Octoberby Mr. Robin R. ShaversThis past August 19 was spent at BurntChimney, Virginia enjoying a scaleddown run day with the Blue Ridge LiveSteamers. Time was also spent talking withKen Miller of the Roanoke Chapter NRHS.During our discussion of steam excursionsand railroading of not really so long ago, hementioned that this past September 1st thru5th hailed 30 years since the RoanokeChapter sponsored the National Conventionback in 1977. I mentioned the 20 yearanniversary for 1987 in a past MixedFreight.I hold within my hands the four pagebrochure for the 1977 convention. Not onlywas that my first convention of any kindwith a railroad interest, it was the kickoff ofmeeting some truly enjoyable people thatwere the backbone of that chapter. Somestill maintain that capacity. From a railroadperspective, think of all the changes thathave occurred over the past 30 years. Thinkof all the chapter members that have movedon from their earthly home.Southern Railway fans take note. The2

Southern Appalachia Railway Museum a fewmonths back acquired former SR E8A #6913. The locomotive was purchased from aprivate collector up in Binghamton, N.Y. Themuseum hopes to restore the unit to operatingcondition. Restoration will include thereplacement of all glass and some body panels,small engine parts, and copper itemsthat have been stolen. A great deal of theelectrical wiring will need to be restored too.The color scheme of green, cream and goldwill be returned. 6913 was built and deliveredto the Southern in December 1953. Ithelped the Southern serve the South for 26years before it was sold to New JerseyTransit.Another E8A that has been brought backto the spotlight is Erie Railroad No. 833. Thelocomotive was purchased from BennettLevin's Juniata Terminal by the New York &Greenwood Lake Railway, a shortline. Thisunit was built in 1951. Restoration was performedby Star Trak Inc. The locomotive wasrepainted into its original Erie passengerscheme at the shop of the Black River &Western Railroad shop in Ringoes.Earlier this year I informed you readersthat July 1, 2007 would mark forty yearssince the Atlantic Coast Line and theSeaboard Air Line merged to form theSeaboard Coast Line Railroad. To commemoratethat forty-year event, the ACL-SALHistorical Society held a four day conferencethat included tours, talks, slide presentationsand a banquet from Thursday June 28thru Sunday July 1.For me and nine other guys, the conferencestarted in the cold of January as wewere the planning committee. Our effortspaid off as compliments rolled off thetongues of attendees by the carload. Theweather cooperated, and everything wentprecisely as planned. We had a total of 103attend the banquet which featured TRAINSmagazine columnist Don Phillips andWilliam E. Griffin, Jr., a former RF&Pemployee and the author for a number ofquality railroad books of railroads that haveserved Virginia and the South. Mr. Griffinpresented a slide show entitled "TheSeaboard Air Line from Richmond toNorlina." Now for those of you trying to figureout where the heck is Norlina, here isyour answer. Norlina is located in TheTarheel State about 68 miles southwest oftoday's CSX Collier Yard at Petersburg. Alongwith the offerings of the conference, it waslike a church homecoming and schoolreunion combined as people, both railroaders,and railfans, some who have not beenseen or around in years could come togetherand socialize in memories of the past.Just over a month later up in Altoona, PA Iattended the 2007 Altoona Railfest. Thisevent was normally held during the firstweekend of October. In order to operateexcursion trains from Altoona west toGallitzin, Norfolk Southern selected July astheir less busy month in terms of freighttraffic. The miners were on vacation so Iwas told as very few loaded, or empty coaltrains were observed during my three-dayvisit.Railfest 2007 was kicked off with threebands and a surprisingly good fireworksshow Friday night July 6th at TheRailroaders Memorial Museum. Of course,the main feature for me and hundreds offans were the three round-trip excursiontrains to Gallitzin and back Saturday andSunday. Featured motive power wereBennett Levin's twin E8As painted in PRRtuscan red paint scheme pulling a 12 cartrain consisting of some vintage passengercars, some MARC commuter cars, and a fewAmtrak Amfleets. I rode the first runSaturday morning and photographed theremaining runs at various locations. The3

morning trip was slightly marred whensome nare do wells paintballed the northsideof the train ten minutes into its trip.Along with the NS police, the Altoona FireDepartment was alerted to be on hand towash the mess off upon the train's return toAltoona. To my knowledge, no one wasapprehended. The remaining excursionsproceeded unblemished. Many fans speculatedthat senseless act may cause NorfolkSouthern to cease future excursion cooperation.I sure hope not.The Railfest appeared to be well attendedby railfans and civilians alike. For therecord, there were other activities going onwhile the excursion trains rolled including amodel railroad display and flea market.Long Time Agent at Prince WestVirginia RetiresMarvin Plumley, longtime station agentat Prince, West Virginia, has recentlyretired. Plumley, a familiar face to numerousarea railfans including several RoanokeChapter members, was scheduled to leavehis post on July 29 and said his future timewould include hunting and fishing as wellas trying to become an artist.Plumley was born a short distance fromthe Prince station where he worked as aticket agent for the Chesapeake & OhioRailroad and then for Amtrak. Plumely followedin the footsteps of both his fatherand grandfather, who were also railroademployees.Plumley recalled that back when he startedhis career the C&0 adhered very closelyto its train schedules, and that one couldalmost set his watch by the arrivals anddepartures. The station at Prince is the thirddepot there, with the first one being openedabout 1880.In his early days it cost about $3.00 to rideto Cincinnati. Now the fare is anywherefrom $35 to $70 depending on when thereservation is made.Plumley does not recall his first train ride,but noted that given the smoke, whistles,clatter of the wheels and the idea of rollingalong a set of parallel rails, the train offereda form of magic that no other form of transportationcould duplicate.(Above excerpted from an article in theRegister-Herald by Mannix Porterfield, viaThe Gondola, Newsletter of the HuntingtonChapter).Mayo River Trailby Kenney KirkmanAbout 100 people, including yourTurntable Times Editor, were invited togather on the banks of the Mayo River inthe town of Stuart in Patrick County onMonday night July 23, 2007 to celebrate thekickoff of the Mayo River Trail Project.The three-mile paved walking and bikingMayo River Trail will be built along the railbed of the Danville and Western Railway, or"Dick and Willie" which ran from Danvillethrough Martinsville and on to the town ofStuart from 1884 until July 31, 1942. Onthat date, 26 miles of the line were removedfrom the town of Fieldale in Henry County,westward to Stuart.The Mayo River Trail will begin at a pointin downtown Stuart at the intersection ofRoute 8 and Commerce Street near the formerClark Brothers Warehouse. Planners arelooking for a caboose to place at the beginningof the trail, which would serve as a visitorand information center.From the Route 8, Commerce Street area,the trail will proceed eastward along theMayo River crossing that stream twicebefore ending behind the newly constructedWal-Mart which is located on Route 58 justeast of Stuart.Another portion of the old "Dick and4

Willie" route was recently opened as a pavedhiking trail in downtown Martinsville. Thistrail begins just off Franklin Street, which isbehind the old Henry County Courthouse,and proceeds eastward to the end of PineStreet, a distance of about six tenths of amile. Planners in Henry County hope toextend this trail westward from Martinsvilleto the town of Fieldale ,eventually.Carolina Coastal RailwayThe Carolina Coastal Railway has recentlyfiled to lease from NS and to operateapproximately 133.4 miles of railroad lineknown as the Raleigh-Plymouth routeextending between NS milepost 132.00 atChcowinity, and NS milepost 228.00 atRaleigh. The agreement also includes severalother sections of track at other pointsbetween Chocowinity and Raleigh. Thetransaction was expected to be completedon or after June 21st. (From Midwest RailScene Report, Issue # 269, July 2007).A Female Railroad Pioneerby John EmeryKnown to Railroadiana collectors primarilythrough Douglas McIntyre’s OfficialGuide to Railroad Dining Car China’s chapter:”Letters From Baltimore,” Miss Olive W.Dennis was a pioneer.Olive Dennis was born in Thurlow,Pennsylvania on November 20, 1885. Shegraduated first in her class at Western HighSchool in Baltimore, Maryland, winning afour-year scholarship to Goucher College,from which she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in1908. A year later, she graduated with anM.A. from Columbia University. For tenyears, she taught mathematics at theMcKinley Manual Training School inWashington, D.C. During her summerbreaks, she would take courses at differentcolleges and universities around the country,and one summer’s course in surveyingat the University of Wisconsin led her to hercareer in Civil Engineering. In 1919 sheenrolled at Cornell University and completedher Civil Engineering degree in 1920. Shewas only the second woman ever to completethe Civil Engineering program there.Olive Dennis had always been interestedin building things. When she was only tenyears old, she scratch-built a scale modeltrolley that had reversible seats, a pole thatmoved, and movable steps. Never interestedin dolls, she frequently borrowed herfather’s tools to build doll furniture, learningthe hard way that chisels are not screwdrivers. In a 1940 interview, she said, “Ihave always loved making toys and havebeen trying to do so ever since I could drivea nail.”Unfortunately, engineering was still aman’s world in 1920, and she was unsuccessfulin getting a job building bridges.Later in 1920, the Baltimore and OhioRailroad hired her as a draftsman. Twentyfouryears later, in a groundbreaking workwith Miss Dorothy Sells on the jobs thatwomen could perform in the railroad industryshe was to write that drafting “isadmirably suited to women with adequatetechnical education.”After a year at the drafting boards, hertitle changed to Engineer of Service, reportingdirectly to the President of the B&O. Inthat capacity, she would travel more than50,000 miles per year on the B&O, and otherrailroads to evaluate service, and to makerecommendations on how to improve servicein a cost-effective manner. One of herfirst recommendation had to do with loweringthe height of coach seats. She observedthat many female travelers, being of shorterstature than men, were unable to place theirfeet on the floor of the coach, instead havingtheir legs and feet dangling off the ends5

Did she ever get to build a bridge? In away. In 1940, the Baltimore and OhioRailroad opened a large scale model railroadin their Wheeling, West Virginia station. Oneof the trestles over the railroad’s stream wasdesigned and built by Miss Olive Dennis. Shedescribed it as being the most fun she hadsince she built the model trolley 45 years earlier.In addition to her work for the Baltimoreand Ohio, Olive Dennis was founder and, for17 years, president of the B&O Women’sMusic Club. She also occupied executivepositions in the National Puzzler’s League inthe 1920s and 1930s, and was a noted cryptographer.She lived with her sister, MissHazel Dennis in Baltimore, Maryland, anddied in 1957…UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTSRegular Meeting Locations are at theO. Winston Link Museum.September 20 - Regular MeetingOctober 2 - Board MeetingOctober 18 - General MeetingNovember 6 - Board MeetingNovember 15 - Annual MeetingDecember 4 - Board MeetingJanuary 8 - Board MeetingJanaury 17 - General MeetingFebruary 5 - Board MeetingFebruary 21 - General MeetingMarch 4 - Board MeetingMarch 20 - General Meetinghttp://community.roanoke.com/RoanokeChapterNationalRailwayHistoricalSocietyTurntable Times is published bimonthly as the newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Opinions and points ofview expressed herein are those of the staff members of the Turntable Times and not necessarily reflect those of the members, officers or directorsof the Chapter. Items of interest should be sent to Editor Kenny Kirkman, 590 Murphy Road, Collinsville, VA 24078-2128.Editor, Turntable TimesRoanoke Chapter NRHSP.O. Box 13222Roanoke, VA 24032-1322Dated MaterialPlease do not delayNon-ProfitOrganizationU.S. PostagePAIDRoanoke, VAPermit No. 89