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[Roanoke, VA] -
As part of the collaboration, the Virginia Museum of Transportation is loaning the unusual Virginian EL-C 135 electric locomotive to the O. Winston Link Museum to serve as the centerpiece of the Link Museum's celebration. The historic 135, better known as the Rectifier, was one of 12 electric engines built by General Electric in 1956, and is the only one that still exists. The Rectifier will be moved by Norfolk Southern along its mainline tracks to the O. Winston Link Museum on Friday May 13, and back to the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Sunday May 15.
At the O. Winston Link Museum
Festival Hours: 10am-2pm; Museum Galleries Open: 10am-5pm
101 Shenandoah Ave, Roanoke, VA 24016. www.linkmuseum.org
This year's event will feature the Virginian Railway EL-C 135, 1/8 scale train rides, telegraphy demonstrations, antique model trains, railroad photography, slideshows, children's activities, face painting, food and beverages, a photobooth and more. On the evening of May 14, the Link Museum will hold a night photo shoot featuring the Virginian engine. Admission to the photo shoot is $50 per person and is not included in the joint ticket. Reservations are required: call 540-982-5465 for more information.
Between 1955 and 1960, photographer O. Winston Link created unforgettable black and white images that documented the last days of Norfolk & Western's steam giants and the people and places along its lines. The Museum's collection features more than 300 stunning photographs, audio listening stations, a documentary film, artifacts and recreations of Link's photographic settings. The Link Museum is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia.
At the Virginia Museum of Transportation
Festival and Gallery Hours: 10am-5pm
303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. www.vmt.org
Special daylong activities include rides by the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society with two of the chapter's restored, historic diesel locomotives on display. Meet the Museum's rail artist in residence, Andy Fletcher, who will sign prints. From 10-2, there will be blacksmithing demonstrations in the Rail Yard and the Roanoke Valley Model Engineers will open their N, HO, and ON3 layouts for visitors.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is home to two of the most powerful steam locomotives in existence today-the Norfolk & Western Class A 1218 and the Class J 611. Through exhibits, artifacts, and an outstanding collection, the Museum tells the rich story of Virginia's transportation heritage. The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The James N. Gillum Archives of the Norfolk & Western Historical Society
Archives Open: 8am to 4pm
2101 Salem Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. www.nwhs.org
The Archives is a repository of documents covering over a century and a half of railroad history. These documents primarily include mechanical and engineering drawings and photographic images in many formats. The collection also includes books, magazines, newspaper articles, maps, reports, rulebooks, timetables, menus, annual reports, promotional and publicity material, forms, ledgers, contracts, correspondence, specifications, bills-of-materials, operating manuals, test results, engineering sketches, and dispatcher's logs. There is no admission charge to visit the Archives.
Also enjoy:
The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk
Stretching approximately 1/3 of a mile along active Norfolk Southern mainline tracks in the heart of downtown Roanoke, the Railwalk connects the O. Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The Railwalk is part museum, with numerous rail artifacts, interactive exhibits, and story boards, and part linear park with great vantage points for watching modern operating trains, and for watching the Virginian Rectifier moved to the O. Winston Link Museum on May 13, and returned to the Virginia Museum of Transportation on May 15. Always open, always free.
Roanoke Rail Day is made possible by Norfolk Southern Corporation, Amsted, Kroger, Timken, Loram, Harsco, David and Susan Goode, xpedx, Star Headlight and Lantern, and Roanoke Gas; volunteers from the Norfolk & Western Historical Society and the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; and media sponsors Wheeler Broadcasting and WDBJ-7.
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