Studebakers and the VA. Transportation Museum

[Avantidon]

Many different threads exist here concerning this State owned Museum in Roanoke. Well we stopped last week to see what it was all about and see if we could find the Studebakers and lo and behold there was one in the Lobby. Yes Guido you would have wet your pants as it was not a car but a buggy. Once inside there were the others all had spoken about, the 51 Land Cruiser, the 55 Speedster and the 62 Taxi Cab. Outside on the loading platform were some more I suspect Studebakers but again not cars but buggies. Looking closely I could find no markings but the wheel design and spoke count pretty much tells me they are Studebakers. One of the most fascinating ones was a Rockaway Carriage but not sure if was a Stude or not. Of course there is a GG-1 on the siding and it is a Lowey designed engine along with my personal favorite the famous #611 N&W J-8 alongside of a K Class N&W Engine. For those who want a great stop make it here. Also toured the O. Winston Link exhibit in the Loewy designed N&W Roanoke Passenger Station along with the Loewy Exhibit. This is another worthwhile stop. Here's a sample of what you will see and a link to the entire group of pictures I took.

http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk161/avantidon/VA%20Transportation%20Museum/?start=0

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[Guido]

Don,

Looks like I may have found a new storage spot. How many more buggies do they need.

Gary

Guido Salvage - "Where rust is beautiful" and real Studebaker horsepower lives

See pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/GuidoSalvage

Hiding and preserving Studebakers in Richmond, Goochland & Louisa, Va.

[Avantidon]

Gary

They could use your Surry and Farm Wagon for sure. I also believe the Slay may be a Studebaker too. Sure loooks like one. I suspect they have about another 40 to 50 feet of covered Freight Platform left waiting for you. As a Virginian you should be anle to get the Museum to storethe wagons and such for you. I was fascinaqated by all of the stuff this place has.

See you in the future as I write about our past

[PlainBrownR2]

Yeah, one day, I'd like to see the Class J 4-8-4 and what I am pretty sure is the Class A 2-6-6-4 they maintained over there at the museum. The Class K looked like a junior version of the Class J except it was a 4-8-2, rather than a 4-8-4 . Pity the politics killed the excursion runs of the A and J and the restoration of the Class A .

[img=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201950%202r5%20Studebaker%20Pickup%20with%20turbocharger/P1000137-1.jpg[/img=left][img=right]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/DSC00005.jpg?t=1171153370[/img=right]

[Avantidon]

John, both the J and A class engines are being cosmetically maintained and look great. But as you have said it is too bad we can't see these engines going up Christianburg Mtn pulling an excursion from Roanoke to Bristol with the smoke rolling from them. Don't believe there is a diesel engine around that can pull 160 fully loaded coal cars all by itself as did the Class A. Just standing there looking at those engines brings back many good childhood memories of the switchouts at Bristol on Sunday evenings as the Pelican was headed north from New Orleans.

[bondobilly]

quote:Originally posted by Avantidon

Also toured the O. Winston Link exhibit in the Loewy designed N&W Roanoke Passenger Station along with the Loewy Exhibit.

Do they sell original O. Winston Link photos? Not reprints but those produced from the original negatives?

[Steve T]

So that's where N&W 611 went. Good to hear she's being looked after, but sad that she is no longer a runner. Analogous to the famous "MATS Connie" Lockheed C-121A Constellation that used to grace the airshow circuit, but is now on static display in South Korea...the owner tried like fury to sell her as a flyer, but no one wanted to take on such a costly operating proposition. (And this was before the recent moonshot gas prices.) Incidentally, Bob Bourke claimed to have drawn inspiration for the '53 coupe from the sinuous lines of the Constellation's fuselage. I've no idea whether it's more than coincidence that the final Connie variant, the long-range L1649A of 1955, was named "Starliner"...Re N&W 611, maybe there will be an eventual change of heart and she will come back to steam. I'm reminded of engine 2816, the last extant Canadian Pacific H-1b unstreamlined Hudson loco: first time I saw that it was sitting in sorry shape in outdoor storage in the yard at Scranton; next time I saw it it was steaming slowly into CP's Aberdeen Ave yard here in Hamilton, beautifully restored--now burning oil rather than coal, but still, back to steam, and looking utterly marvelous at the head of an excursion train of vintage coaches.

On another topic, that 62 Lark taxi rocks! Few weeks ago at the Ancaster cruise here, a late-30s Hudson taxi in Skyview Cab livery (yellow/russet fenders) showed up. That must have caused some doubletakes by other drivers en route! There's a Lark-series police car here in town, but I've never seen a Stude restored as a taxi.

S.

[Avantidon]

Bill, they do have Winston Link photos for sale in the Gift shop and I belive they are from the original negatives. I'm sure you could call the museum and they can tell you or take a road trip in the Hawk and go see the exhibit. There is well over 250 of his pictures tastefully displayed along with his cameras and lots of his lighting equipment. They do sell a Combo ticket for both museums for $10.00 person

Steve, unless the feds change the rules I doubt if old #611 will ever see the rails again. I have pictures of it's last run leaving Bristol VA with the smoke streaming fro its stack. What a sight!!

[bondobilly]

About 20 years ago I inherted a N&W Y Class Builder Plate along with some other N&W stuff. The plate was not ripped off the engine but presented to a friend for all of his years promoting and perserving both electric and steam railroad history. Until his death he was President Emeritus of the Branford Trolley Museum. He was a fascenating old guy who during WWII built 1 inch to the foot models of US Navy ships. I also got original Kodachrome slides of the QE comming up the Hudson during WWII painted in the Dazzle Paint scheme.

As for O. Winston Link, the one phot I want is the one where you see the steam engine crossing "main street".

[bondobilly]

quote:Originally posted by Steve T

Analogous to the famous "MATS Connie" Lockheed C-121A Constellation that used to grace the airshow circuit, but is now on static display in South Korea...the owner tried like fury to sell her as a flyer, but no one wanted to take on such a costly operating proposition. (And this was before the recent moonshot gas prices.) Incidentally, Bob Bourke claimed to have drawn inspiration for the '53 coupe from the sinuous lines of the Constellation's fuselage. I've no idea whether it's more than coincidence that the final Connie variant, the long-range L1649A of 1955, was named "Starliner"...

A very long time ago when E-bay was in it's infancy a fellow put up for sale original Owens corning drinking glasses commerating the inagural flight of Eastern Airlines first flight of their newly aquired Connstellation. I bought one and it is quite interesting. It has Eddy/Eddie Rickenbacker's famous top hat logo on it along with the Eastern Airlines blue and red tail. My first commercial flight was in a Connie and I have Polaroid shots of the crew while in flight (ah those were the days) and one shot showing the hump in the aisle wher you walked over the wing spar to get from the front to the rear.

[JRoberts]

The Virginia Transportation Museum in Roanoke is indeed a great museum. If you are a car buff or a railroad buff, or both, you would enjoy it.

Joe Roberts
'61 R1 Champ
'65 Cruiser
Editor of "The Down Easterner"
Eastern North Carolina Chapter

[Avantidon]

Bill, that photo and the preparation for it is pne of the ones featured in a 30 minute video presentation made in the museum's auditorium on the hour every hour. Highly recommend that it be viewed before touring the museum. It is interesting to note that the N&W engineers would do whatever Mr. Link asked of them until he got the picture he wanted. Sometimes it was days and then other timess only minutes. In one of the display cabinets is the actual release Mr Link used when his pictures included others. It is interesting reading as he only paid a $1.00 for their participation in his pictures. There ia also a display of his ealrier work from down in LA. Also very interesting study in time.

See you in the future as I write about our past